Description
Memoir, like any story, needs a structure upon which to build and from which to expand. It needs a construction with its own logic that holds the story together. Memoir isn’t autobiography. Memoir is a “slice of life” that has a beginning, middle and ending, but these aren’t birth and death and everything that happened in-between. In this workshop, we’ll discuss how writers can find their specific story. We’ll look at various common themes for memoir, including coming of age, overcoming adversity, grief and loss, illness or accident, spiritual quest, travel/adventure, and many others, and explore ways to discover ours. We’ll examine some of the many ways a writer can structure their memoir — linear, framed, single-focus issue, collage, braided, circular, plus a few other surprising scaffolds and explore examples of the various structures, discuss why they work, and how a writer can determine the most effective structure for the story that wants to be told.
Judy Reeves is an award-winning writer and teacher whose books include A Writer’s Book of Days (named “Best Nonfiction” by the San Diego Book Awards and a “Hottest Books for Writers” by Writer’s Digest), Writing Alone/Writing Together, The Writer’s Retreat Kit, and Wild Women, Wild Voices. Her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared many journals and anthologies including Serving House Journal, Connotations Press, and Expressive Writing – Classroom and Community. Two of her plays were produced by The Fritz Theater. A long-time teacher of creative writing, she previously taught at UCSD Extension and has led community-based writing practice groups for thirty years. She teaches at writing conferences internationally and at San Diego Writers, Ink, a nonprofit literary center she cofounded. Her awards include those from the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild, San Diego Writer’s Festival, and The African American Writers & Artists Association. Mayor Jerry Sanders declared July 24, 2010 “Judy Reeves Day” in San Diego. Her memoir — When Your Heart Says Go, will be released in October 2023. Judy lives and writes in San Diego, amid bulging bookshelves and an ancient Underwood typewriter that claims its own social media fan base.
