Course Offerings

Want to share family history with your offspring? Do you have interesting, pivotal or just good humorous stories your friends would enjoy reading? Facilitated by an expert memoir writer, this course will help you learn how to transform your experiences into compelling narratives that resonate with readers. The instructor will guide you in topic choice, structure, and organization and will teach literary crafts such as dialogue, details, metaphor and intertwining humor, and vulnerability. Designed for novice writers and for those who have never written a word. If you have a story that you want to get down on paper, this is the course for you!

Course Objectives

be able to write a 700-1,000-word essay about an interesting life event.

be able to demonstrate understanding of the difference between memoir writing and autobiography or journaling, and to see the value of sharing their stories.

be able to include specific writing conventions in their own work such as descriptive detail, dialogue, and organizational features to avoid redundancy and overwriting.

have six or seven completed essays offering snapshots- not a history - of their life that can be bound with a spiral at a copy center to share with friends and family.

Outline of Instruction

Each weekly class will include reading and discussing other published personal essays to gain understanding of memoir content, structure and writing tools.

Students write one or two paragraphs using some of the tools taught, and then share and discuss with the class.

Essay topic will be assigned and discussed, then students will make an outline for the essay. They will write independently in class for about 30 minutes while meeting one-on-one with the instructor to go over outline and topic.

Stories are due to the instructor two days before the next class if possible, and she will offer kudos, edits and suggestions for a polished copy.

Contact Hours

20

CEUs

1

Industry Standard, State or National Certification

Certification

None

Website

None

Certification Learning Outcomes/Requirements

CE or CU Articulation

No

Prerequisites

None.

Learning Supplies Needed

Instructional materials are supplied by the instructor.

Clinical Site/Special Facilities

None.

Requirements for Successful Completion

90% attendance

Accreditation/Special Approval Requirements

N/A

Intended Audience

Class is appropriate for novice writers and those who have never written a word. Anyone who feels they have a story they want to get down on paper and who wants to write in a more compelling and clear way will benefit.

Specific Industry or Business Support Needs

N/A

Wake County Need for Industry Positions

N/A

Industry or Job Titles Related to Training Outcomes for Employment

Related Courses

Course Contact Information

Susan Shostak
919-334-1536
[email protected]