Harvest of Words with Marjorie Simmins

How do you start writing a memoir? What exactly is a memoir, in the first place? Can it have illustrations? Can it include other genres of writing such as poetry? How long should it be? Are there any rules to memoirs that must be followed? Are you writing the memoir as a journey of self-discovery, or primarily for your family and friends, or for a larger audience – or some combination of all three? Should you self-publish or seek commercial publication? What do you include – and what do you leave out? How do you stay motivated to complete your memoir and then re-draft and polish it to its best, most readable form?

Pre-course homework: Participants will complete a questionnaire about their interest in memoir writing and writing experience, which will be submitted to the instructor, not later than October 4th. As well, there is a pre-seminar writing assignment, also due October 4th . The assignment will be discussed in class. Questionnaires and assignments are emailed to: [email protected]