Writing Memoir


This workshop has one focus only: to help you create—and complete—one personal essay during the weekend.

Why write an essay?

Because, as the writer Carol Bly says, “an essay is 3,000% easier
to write than a short story.” The essay is a scalable form.
Working in this form can help you:

> access the stories that you want to tell
> learn more about literary structure
> gain the confidence to actually finish a piece
> transition your skill to fiction and memoir

Non-native speakers of English welcome

31 comments:

  1. “I learned concrete steps for improving my essay-writing skills and for completing work. Also, we learned several literary techniques for engaging the reader.... The atmosphere created during the workshop was friendly and stimulating. The quality of the essays brought to the class was very good, and the commentary was constructive for all.”

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  2. “I learned more about my own style and writing needs: where my strengths lie, what to improve.”

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  3. "The atmosphere of trust and freedom in the group was very skillfully facilitated. It gave me the best possible circumstance to make a first try with a very challenging subject."

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  4. “As for being able to finish a piece, the idea of scalability was essential. Start with something manageable, which can be expanded later if desired. This approachh helped me to let go of the idea of writing a complete story at once. The technique of freewriting really helped in writing more freely…I thought it was absolutely amazing how good all the pieces turned out to be after just one day of work!”

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  5. "My goal for the weekend was to learn ways to write a complete essay...I do believe that I am closer to achieving my goal since following the workshop.
    I really enjoyed the class."

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  6. "The length of the workshop is perfect. I think you can't get done what we did in less than eight hours/two sessions. The second evening was more
    intense: there was so much material to take in. Maybe a longer break in the middle would solve 'absorption-fatigue.'

    I love the workshops because they always offer me a chance to be among other writers and create a reprieve from the "lonely" and concentrated hours spent at my writing desk. It's always lovely to be among people who share the same passion."

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  7. "What did I gain from the class? Useful way to structure a personal essay; an excellent packet of reading materials that I can always dip into for inspiration; and the knowledge that I should read more Joan Didion."

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  8. “What do I think of the personal essay as a form? It's short enough to motivate you to finish the job, long enough to convey a message. The essay helps you realize that there's more than one way to spread your writing wings. Thanks for the tool-kit and insights.”

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  9. “Thank you once again for the fabulous workshop. I learnt a lot and - perhaps most importantly - was inspired to keep writing. I think that writing a personal essay is the perfect way for any writer to (re)examine their style, direction and ultimate writing objective. It is amazing how much you can get on paper in just two sessions!”

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  10. “The workshop helped me to get fired up and rewrite the story in my mother tongue. And the story came to me, beautiful and inspiring.”

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  11. “As a reader, I seldom read essays but I now have more appreciation of the form. I learned, among other things, how to use memory as a writing prompt and the neccessity of staying focused on one theme.”

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  12. “I learned at least three new techniques that will help me to continue to write and be productive.”

    “The workshop was focused, informative, entertaining, hilarious, engaging, fair, provocative, encouraging, professional, protective, positive...off the top of my head.”

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  13. “I learned 4 organising principles for writing a personal essay. I was reminded how important it is to get back to writing every day.

    I was attracted to the workshop both because I wanted to know more about essay writing but also by the emphasis on completing a piece of work. That really inspired me and I'm so pleased that I completed it.

    Hearing other peoples' work and discussing it is a great way to learn.”

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  14. “I learned to re-engage with my writing.”

    “People were very positive, enthusiastic.”

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  15. HenrietteJune 16, 2013

    “I learnt how to start a piece that you’re not absolutely confident about - and finish it.”

    “I liked that we discussed techniques and were able to work with them immediately.”

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  16. “On a very practical level, I learned different ways of structuring a personal essay and many literary techniques for giving life to the essay. Besides that, I now have a simple check-list that will help me to finish my personal essays in the future.”

    “I really felt the joy of writing and the concentration of the group helped to get into the flow.”

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  17. “I learned the value of a talisman and am eager to find some of my own. I learned that it's not the end of the world if I write something I don't like. I learned that it is possible to become engaged in working on a specific piece, write briefly, take a break from it, and return again to become equally engaged in the writing of that specific piece. I also learned there is value in this process and that it gives new insight, new phrases, new direction that might be beneficial to the piece. I learned that writing a personal essay is satisfyingly exhausting.”

    “Receiving live feedback actually motivated me to write more.”

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  18. “I learned plenty of actionable techniques for structuring an essay and producing prompts…It was cathartic to write something new…I feel like for the first time in a long time, I did something for me and helped advance my craft.”

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  19. “Taking the course a second time helped me discover how much I've learned—and to be even happier with the outcome of the essay from this workshop.

    What a fantastic group of writers in this workshop. Great energy, great dy-namics and great writing. I also found it particularly useful to focus on analyzing the published essays as a learning tool.”

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  20. “I learned, for the very first time, the different ways of structuring an es-say. The way the essays were presented helped me discover my preferred essay style. I am going to expand on what i started this weekend and see where it takes me. This workshop was just what i needed to start me on writing again.”

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  21. “I learned not hold back and to reveal myself freely.
    I learned to make my experience universal.
    I learned to structure my writing.”

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  22. “I learned:
    - How to identify and use the key elements that make a personal essay
    - How to finish an essay
    I had already taken this class before, but each time, I find myself learning new techniques and improving on what I already know. Great group of people, useful comments and suggestions. A safe and nurturing environment for writers.”

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  23. “I learned different structures for essays. With a defined structure in mind, it is easier to scale a short personal essay to a longer one. When I wrote my essay this time, the feeling of flow was great. Am I planning to con-tinue writing personal essays? Definitely, but in Chinese.”

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  24. “I learned about different structures for an essay—and about some authors I would like to read more of. The instructor has obviously been doing this for a long time. She was very well prepared. She respected everyone's comments and input. Everyone's piece was given in-depth analysis.”

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  25. “I discovered that it’s not always the topic of the literature that moves me, it’s the style of writing… The workshop was great fun and very inspiring.”

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  26. “This past weekend was an extraordinary experience for me. Although I had participated in the “Writing a Memoir” workshop before, I had a significantly more relaxed, more creative experience. The structure of this workshop really worked for me and I felt a clear direction towards a personal essay during the entire first day. I really appreciated the consideration of the important components of a personal essay and I thoroughly enjoyed diving into the essays of professionals. What I ended up writing about was something I have never shared before and that was quite a liberating experience. I felt incredibly strengthened and committed to continuing my journey as a writer. Thank you so much for inspiring me to write and thereby fueling my passion for writing. From the first workshop to the fifth, I have become stronger and stronger and more and more interested in the craft of writing.”

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  27. “I'm one of those writers who’s addicted to structure, and I wanted to know more about how to structure a memoir—which I learned at this workshop.

    Sharing personal experiences with other people – all of whom you’ve just met for the first time – is a real ice-breaker of an approach. It allows you to get to know those people better—and learn from them, as well.”

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  28. “So much fun to hear all of the stories, as it always is with the Amsterdam Writing Workshops. Love the international perspectives.

    In terms of writing memoir, my goal is to align my story with the examples set by Mary Karr and Kay Gibbons: no self-pity, no melodrama, and, most importantly, writing a universal story despite its unfortunate uniqueness.”

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  29. “Thank you for wonderful, inspiring and professional weekend. I learned more about form, and structure, what works and what doesn't, and how to write for a reader's experience. The method offered for getting from prompts to words on a page to a digitized first draft was also very valuable. It simplified what can feel like an overwhelming task into a step-by-step process, without becoming linear or prescriptive.

    It felt motivating, encouraging and meaningful to be with other memoirists. We co-created a powerful atmosphere of intimacy, anonymity and safety.

    The instructor's teaching method is powerful and professional. Her memoir workshop offers just the right balance of creative encouragement and literary instruction, so that writers of all levels— beginner to well-seasoned—could delve into personal material with confidence. In just two days, a collection of provocative and moving works were created.”

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  30. “The other memoirists were inspiring, open, and hardworking. I loved that there was such a diverse group of writers in terms of age and life experience.

    I have to admit that I was nervous about others hearing my work. I so appreciated the total anonymity. I also appreciated the extent to which the instructor controlled the feedback.

    I came away energized and ready to write more. I think that’s the highest compliment one can give to a writing workshop.”

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  31. “I learned so much from listening to other people’s questions and observations—as well as their work. The anonymity was a comfort given the personal nature of what I shared. It's interesting to hear if the emotion wrapped up in the writing actually transmits to the audience.

    I would have spent a week in that room. It was a really lovely learning experience.”

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