Your Memoir - a Year Long Course
Hello, lovely memoirists. Are you ready to commit? Are you ready to dedicate a year to accelerating, and maybe even finishing, your memoir or non-fiction project?
If you are, read on. Because you could be taking a giant step towards achieving your goal—and it's going to be a game changer for your writing.
Overcoming every obstacle
The student group will be small, between four and eight memoirists like you, and it will be tailored completely to you and where you are at with your writing.
What do I mean by that? Well, maybe you haven’t started writing yet, or perhaps you have a first draft that needs re-writing. Possibly you're close to the end and you can see the finish line. Maybe you're stuck in the middle somewhere and can't see the wood for the trees.
We will discuss in depth where you’re at before the course starts. There's also the option for me to read your draft, if you have one, so I am intimately acquainted with your project—assuming you book in plenty of time!
Sue George - year long course student, 2024.
A path just for you
And then, together, we'll create your writing goal, a clear creative path, individually tailored to you and your book. It will challenge you, of course—any creative project does. But we will think hard about making it genuinely sustainable. It's your goal and we will go at your pace. I am not going to set you up for failure. I am going to make it my goal to set you up for success.
Since we’re a small group, which means I can focus on you individually, I'll know what's going on in your life (to the extent that you want me to, of course!) so I won't ask the impossible. Then, together we’ll make a pledge that you will reach this goal within the year. It is my job to help you and I am going to be with you ALL the way. For any downs and all the ups. And I promise lots of ups.
Right at the beginning, you and I will discuss any ideas you have about possible audience for your book, and publishing, and we will make appropriate plans. We'll look at the topic authors dread most—marketing. Even if you publish with a traditional publisher, you must keep this in mind—they won’t do it all for you. And I'm not talking about social media taking over your life. I'm talking about finding your readers, and getting them to find you, before your book is ready.
I'll also give you a personalised memoir-reading prescription if you'd like one, a list of books I believe will help you on your journey.
Each month, this is what will happen:
We meet on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm BST for class and group chat, a discussion where you can ask me anything. I'll speak on specific memoir and non-fiction topics relevant to those enrolled. Topics will include the various memoir structures, editing, dialogue, writing in scenes, how much to reveal, keeping the reader engaged and much more. You can learn from me, and we'll learn from each other. We will share our memoir wisdom and we'll share where we're at—our successes and struggles, our ups and downs. We will build an intimate community of like-minded memoirists who will support and encourage each other, you will find your beta readers of the future, your social media and marketing tribe (if you wish) and most importantly your writing friends. We all need them!
Each month, you can send me up to 10,000 words, and I will give you my expert feedback.
Please don't be intimidated - it doesn't have to be 10,000 words! It's just that I have capacity for eight memoirists sending me 10,000 words each per month. You must go at your own, manageable and sustainable pace.
This is why I am keeping the group small. I want to guarantee that I have the time to dedicate to your work. It's important to you and therefore it's important to me. With accountability, your word count is going to rocket!
If you want to, you can also share your writing with the group—but that’s your choice. Feedback from your peers can be practical and inspirational. As always, I'll give guidance on how to give kind, constructive and useful feedback. We'll also chat about how to receive feedback, and that's an art in itself! This is going to be an invaluable part of the process — expert feedback from me and reader response from other writers.
Each month, we will schedule a monthly one-to-one 45-minute Zoom or phone chat where we will discuss your project and the 10,000 words I've read and feedback on. We’ll talk about what’s working well, what you want to improve and work on, and what challenges you want to overcome. If you want to know where to go next with your memoir - the next 10,000 words - we will talk about that, and plan together. I will also provide assignments to those of you who want them.
Experts on hand to guide you
Special guests will also pop in now and again to speak on useful memoir and non-fiction writing topics such as publishing and marketing, and since it’s going to be a small group, you’ll get the opportunity to ask them questions.
Achieve your goal
We'll also take two month-long breaks. You can charge ahead with your writing during those times or recharge your batteries—the choice is yours! This means the year-long course runs over 14 months. Let's say you average 5,000 words/month. That means you'll have written, or edited, 70,000 words during our 14-month course. What an achievement!
Just think about that. Compare it to how your writing is going right now. I am not judging you, but it's REALLY hard to make progress, isn’t it? How much are you going to get done between now and April 2025 on your own? Imagine how much MORE you will get done if you join me and make this commitment to your memoir.
It's going to be an incredible, inspiring, jam-packed course, I'm sure you agree. An amazing opportunity for you to do something extraordinary and make sure that your memoir grows every single month.
Just to recap:
Plus:
If not now, when?
I'm sure you can see how this is going to accelerate your memoir or non-fiction project like nothing else has ever done. This is the time! Take a giant step and achieve your dream! Roll on February, 2025!
There are lots of great writing courses out there, so why join mine? Because it’s going to be dynamic and responsive to YOUR needs. It will be truly personalised, and I will be with you live, not in pre-recorded videos. This is unusual in the online-course world, but it's what I think you deserve for your investment of time and money. I believe strongly it is best for optimal results and to keep you motivated. Many people who undertake courses at their own pace slide into paralysis and procrastination – I know from personal experience! On this course, I'll be there with you, responding to you and the issues you're facing in real time. Your memoir mentor, by your side, every step of the way.
You don't want your book to remain unwritten and I don't want that for you either.
Let's say no to beating yourself up for not getting on with it.
Let's say no to disappointment, sorrow, envy and regret.
And let's say YES to taking the time and making a plan to accomplish your dream.
Sherri Matthews - year long course student, 2024.
How do I book?
Well, let's have a no-obligation chat first and discuss what your memoir writing goals are and see if this is the course for you. I’m certain that it is, but it’s always good to talk things through. After we've spoken, and you know that this is something you want to do, we're good to go.
My year-long memoir writing course costs £3,200 and is payable in four £800 installments. But keep your eyes peeled, or register your interest HERE to be alerted to the 10 per cent early bird offer and get £320 off, making your four payments £720 each.
The earlier you book, the more likely I am to have time to read your draft so far - if you have one and if you'd like me to*. And the sooner the planning for absolute and measured success can begin!
So let's do it. Let's get dedicated to you and your writing. Let's make it the year we work together to make your memoir happen.
I'll be with you all the way, Marnie
* at an additional cost depending on word count
Ideally, before coming on this course you will have read at least one memoir/autobiography and maybe, if possible, more. This is so you have a reference point for some of the topics we address - transformation, voice, observation, hero's journey and others. This will help you to get the most from the course.
It's not essential, but it is ideal. Do contact me for a list of suggested titles - some are nice and short! Some are even in essay form, to make life easier.
I have to be aware of secondary trauma. "Secondary trauma is an indirect experience of or exposure to a traumatic event. For example, hearing a first-hand account of the event given by a survivor can be a traumatic and emotionally-challenging experience for the person receiving it."
So if your story deals with extreme trauma, abuse or violence, contact me to discuss if my course is the right fit for you. You deserve to tell your story, no doubt. I just want to ensure we can work together in a way that is healthy for us both. Most projects are absolutely fine, of course, and working in this field, I do expect to deal with stories that involve trauma.
Praise from the 2024 cohort:
