Your Memoir: Finding the Story Within the Story

Memoir asks you to do two things at once: tell the truth of your experience and shape it into a story that holds a reader’s attention. Finding that balance can feel both meaningful and overwhelming. This four-week course is designed for writers ready to move from memory to narrative. You’ll learn how to identify the deeper thread running through your story—the emotional core or central question—and use it to guide your choices on the page. We’ll explore narrative arc, structure, and pacing, as well as the role of voice in shaping how your story is told.

You’ll also consider how to write about real people and experiences with care, clarity, and intention. Through craft lessons, reflective exercises, and group discussion, you’ll begin developing a memoir that feels both grounded in truth and shaped with purpose.

Whether you’re just beginning or trying to make sense of material you’ve already written, this class will help you find direction, make decisions, and move forward with greater confidence.

Weekly Outline:

● Week 1: Finding Your Memoir’s Core and Purpose
● Week 2: Design Your Story Arc
● Week 3: How to Find Your Voice and Vulnerability
● Week 4: Writing, Revision & Maintaining Your Thread

Access Program
We want our writing classes and seminars to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers writing class and seminar tuitions at a reduced rate. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available.

Please apply here for access rate tuition. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you have questions.

Liaison position
Every in-person class and seminar at Literary Arts has one liaison position. Liaisons perform specific duties for each class meeting. If you are a liaison for a class or seminar, the full amount of your tuition is covered by Literary Arts. Apply here for the liaison position.