Writing Memoir Online with Sian Prior is an eight-week-long, online writing course presented by Faber Writing Academy.
How do we recreate our experiences on the page so they retain their vividness – their ‘life-like’ qualities? How do we arrange our memories so they don’t read like a litany of everything that happened?
Join experienced teacher and nonfiction author, Sian Prior, in this intimate eight-week course for beginners and those who may have started and need some guidance.
In Writing Memoir, you will explore the craft of life-writing – how to: make a start; access memories; use sensory details; create scenes; find the right ‘voice(s)’ to tell your story; choose from possible structures; and finally, face the complex issues of writing a life.
Examples from the set text, Shy: a memoir by your course director, Sian Prior, will be unpacked and discussed. Exercises will be set every week, and students will present their writing for group workshopping, gaining valuable input from each other and clear guidance from Sian. In a warm and supportive environment, you will be encouraged to step into the creative process of constructing a life on the page. The writing skills and inspiration will equally equip you to write memoir, autobiography, personal columns and personal essays; in fact it will start you on the journey of all creative non-fiction writing.
By the end of the course you will:
- Have begun the journey of writing your own story;
- Gained a knowledge of the craft of writing and be able to use the skills you have learned;
- Gained confidence in your capacity to write;
- Extended your knowledge of the literary genre of memoir.
Your course includes:
- 8 weeks x 2 hour morning classes;
- Workshopping of 2000 words of your work in progress;
- A copy of the set text, Shy: a memoir by Sian Prior;
- Critique on work produced for the course;
- On completion of the course, alumni discounts on future Faber Writing Academy courses and books from the Allen & Unwin website.
