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12-Week Memoirist

Tell (and sell) The Story of Your Life ®

Course is closed.
12-Week Memoirist

DURATION/TIME
12 weeks, online
November 1 - January 31
Chats Wednesdays, 8:30-9:30 pm EST

LEVEL
Intermediate

ONLINE CLASS INFO
See our eClasses info page. 

PRICE
$610 ($575 for )
more info

Course Details

So, you're ready to sell the Story of Your Life and turn your memories into memoir, but you're not quite sure where to go from here. You may have written several pages already. You will at least have a fairly clear idea of what sort of memoir you want to write. But perhaps you are asking yourself why anybody should care about reading your story.

Maybe you are wondering what will happen if you publish an honest account of your childhood. Will your parents sue you? And how easy is it to sell a memoir anyway if you're neither famous nor infamous? This class will answer these questions and provide a stimulating, supportive environment where you can workshop your memoir-in-progress and receive invaluable feedback.

This class is geared towards the writer who is ready to write a memoir but needs to learn how to tell it -- and sell it. Through weekly assignments and lectures you will learn how to turn your idea into a book deal and you will produce up to 50 pages of polished text as well as an outline for the rest of the book. You will also learn about craft, style and the development of your unique voice.

In this class, you can expect to learn:
  • To find your authentic voice and unlock your memories
  • What the 'theme' of your story is
  • To find the most effective structure for your story
  • How to approach literary agents
  • Why (and how) you can sell a memoir before you have finished writing it
  • What happens once you've sold your memoir.
By the end of class, students can expect to have:
An outline, 50 pages of a memoir and the knowledge they need to approach literary agents and/or publishing houses.

Admission Requirements:
Please send a letter of interest (including a brief work history) and a writing sample (less than 2,000 words).

The online classroom has several interactive components:
  • Instructors post lectures once a week. You can read them online, print them, or download them at your convenience.
  • Students post completed assignments for feedback and discussion by the instructor and class.
  • Weekly chats allow your class to get together via instant message. Transcripts are available for review if you can't attend. 
  • Technical support is available from mediabistro staff.

Instructor Bio

Kelly McMasters's Courses

Memoir Writing – (Class starts January 7)

Kelly McMasters
Kelly McMasters is the author of Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town, which has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, Metropolis, Ms. Magazine, The Onion's AV Club, Plenty Magazine, among others, as well as on The Brian Lehrer Show. Her essays and articles have appeared in such places as The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, Newsday, Elle D?r, Time Out New York, and MrBellersNeighborhood.com. Kelly has a BA from Vassar College and an MFA in literary nonfiction from Columbia University. She teaches writing at mediabistro.com and in the undergraduate writing program and Journalism Graduate School at Columbia University and is the co-director of the KGB Nonfiction Reading Series in the East Village. Find more info here: www.kellymcmasters.com

Testimonials


Kelly was generous with instruction and feedback. Ultimately, the class helped me hone a book proposal that promptly attracted a top book agent. -- Mei-Ling Hopgood

"Kelly is one of the most talented, skillful, and generous intructors I have ever had. She gave us all detailed, constructive feedback and really helped her students find their univeral stories." -- Jesaka Long

"Kelly gives great feedback in a timely manner. She also creates a comfortable environment for students to give and recieve feedback from each other." -- Diane Rothman

"Kelly set the tone from the very beginning that our class would be a safe place to share our most intimate stories -- and her encouragement and willingness to answer our questions ensured that we stuck it out through to the end." -- Kirin Kalia

"I am more motivated than ever as a writer." -- Merlisa Lawrence Corbett

"Kelly is insightful and kind. I recommend her assistance for taking your work to the next level." -- Lynne Ratliff

"Kelly is skilled in bringing out your story and showing you how to make it universal." -- Alexis Maislen

"Kelly was an awesome instructor. She coached and guided me through my strengths and weaknesses with professionalism and kindness." -- Barbara Reidmiller

"If you worry about distance learning, I can tell you Kelly will make you feel like you're sitting in her living room. So let's just call it learning. The best kind." -- Linda Rehkopf

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