Class Description
This course is designed for those who are working on, and have made significant headway toward completing a first draft of a memoir. The course will include key elements of craft, explored in greater depth including: characterization and the persona of the narrator in memoir; the role of conflict and developing effective scenes; the voices of innocence and experience/what you know now vs what you knew then; refining structure, and creating narrative drive and tension.
In Memoir in Progress II, writers will share excerpts of their works in progress while continuing to move toward their goal of a complete draft. The course will follow the hybrid workshop model used in Memoir in Progress I--students will have multiple opportunities to share 5-page excerpts of their work, which will be read and discussed in class. However, students will not be expected to read their peers' work outside of class; the focus will be on continuing with their manuscripts. Students will be expected to write a minimum of 5 pages, or to revise 10 pages between each meeting.
By the end of the course, students will have generated 50-100 pages of new work and/or revised and refined significant portions of their manuscripts, and will leave with an expanded 'toolbox' of techniques and a greater understanding of how to develop an engaging, well-written memoir. Students will also be able to get written feedback/critique from the instructor on up to 10 pages of their work at some point during the course.
Please note: This class is not group therapy; our focus will be on the craft of the work, not the identity of the author.
Scholarship Information
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. Please visit the Resources tab to access the video-conference link.
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!