WHEN 12 weeks, Wednesdays, November 12 - February 19, 7-10 pm WHERE Beverly Hills, CA LEVEL Intermediate MORE INFO Email us or call 212-547-7890 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 have a fairly clear idea of what sort of memoir you want to write. But 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. In this class, 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.

• 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

Students who have taken this class have published:
Lucky Girl (Algonquin Books), This Boy's Faith (Crown/Random House), and gotten agents at William Morris, Brandt & Hochman, and more.

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

Related Courses

Instructor Bio

Rita Williams's Courses

Rita Williams is the author of If the Creek Don't Rise: My Life Out West with the Last Black Widow of the Civil War, a memoir. Her short fiction has been published in O, the Oprah Magazine, leading to bidding war among six publishers for the memoir. Harcourt won.

Testimonials

Rita is reliable, professional, and, most importantly, she's an incredible talent. She is extremely intuitive and gave spot on feedback for each member of the class. -- Nicole Balin

"Anyone who is lucky enough to sign up for Rita's class will know they are blessed. She has a way of bringing out the best in all her students in a safe environment. If more teachers were like her, the world would be a better place." -- Susan Hartzler

"The class is safe and supportive, and by the end you only want it to keep going. Rita draws so much out of you and your work. You leave the class more confident, your skills are sharper, and you're ready for the next round." -- Frank Maciel

"Rita's class was both a motivational experience as well as a safe and inspiring place to gather each week. Rita is not only a gifted writer, but has a unique balance of perceptive guidance counselor and firm supporter." -- James Holmes

"Rita's class was wonderful. She made it a safe place where we could reach the heights and depths of our stories. She was enthusiastic and encouraging without condescension. And she guided us and the class with a gentle hand. Every week I arrived with eagerness and left with inspiration." -- Steve Carney

"Rita is an amazing instructor. She got me thinking about my memoir in a new way, which has inspired me to continue writing. If you're in a rut, this class will help ease you out of it. I always looked forward to every class with her and my fellow students. It was truly a source of creative inspiration. -- Yalonda Dekle