Got memoir problems? Open call for material.
Got memoir problems? Open call for material.
Share your memoir writing or publishing frustrations in the comments and you could win a free workshop with me in September!
Hello and thank goodness we have a long weekend ahead!
Today’s post is short and sweet. In anticipation of the “Making Memoir Work” class I’m teaching September 18th, I’m putting out an open call for memoir problems. From the comments, I’ll choose a handful of people to workshop those problems with in class.
What constitutes a “memoir problem,” you might ask?
You started writing a memoir and were super in to it but you’re running out of steam.
You don’t know how to organize your memoir material.
All of your material takes place in the past— there’s no current “quest” for readers to root for.
You don’t know if you should be writing an essay collection, a reported memoir, hybrid memoir, a memoir cookbook, a graphic memoir…you’ve kind of lost track of what you’re writing, actually.
You’re having an impossible time writing a query letter for your memoir.
You aren’t having success on the query circuit.
Your agent is having a hard time selling your memoir or memoir proposal.
There’s something missing from your memoir proposal but you don’t know what it is.
You have a developmental editor and you’re not sure you agree with their edits.
Or something else, something harder, something heartbreaking, something downright opaque…all questions about memoir are welcome!
While I might not be able to respond to all your comments, I will read everything that comes in until Wednesday, September 4th with the goal of finding people to workshop during class, live, on September 18th (from 7pm-10pm EST.) If chosen, we will talk on the phone before class to get to know eachother and then on September 18th, we’ll work through your conundrum in front of fellow classmates so that you can start meeting your publishing goals this fall. Accordingly, some guidelines:
Guidelines to participate in this open call for memoir problems:
This open call is only for people writing memoir, please. No other genres. I will read submissions until September 4th, but I might not comment on everything submitted.
Preference will be given to people who can participate live with me during the class itself from 7pm-10pm EST on Wednesday September 18th.
If you can’t participate live, but would still like your material to be considered for workshop, let me know that in the comments.
I will contact you privately if I want to workshop your issue during class. If you are chosen, your class spot will be comped.
If you have already had a workshop with me during a prior Turning Points class, please refrain from throwing your hat in this particular ring to give others a chance.
The opportunity to be workshopped is reserved for paid subscribers. If you’d like a chance at being workshopped, please use the button below.
Please type your memoir problem or frustration directly into the comments section of this post. Do not send me a DM or email me about your problem— I’ll only consider submissions written in the comments section, below.
Remember that paid subscribers get a discount to all Turning Points classes! That discount code will come right after the paywall at the end of the event calendar.
6-week in person writing workshop with Halimah Marcus! Editor-in-chief of Electric Literature, Halimah Marcus, is leading a 6-week in-person writing workshop in beautiful (and fun!) Kingston, NY starting in November. In her own words “I realized that 12 years of editing has given me a pedagogy about how the collaborative nature of editing relieves the isolation of writing, and how becoming better editors makes us better writers.” There’s only room for twelve writers so I’d get on this opportunity, fast! Click here to learn more.
Writing and riding in Wyoming with New York Times bestselling memoirist Laurel Braitman! Laurel hired me to do a consultation with her a while back and in addition to falling in love with her writing and world view, I fell head over heels in friendship with her, too. I am excited and jealous to announce she’s teaching a 5-day writing workshop for Ranchlands next September— one of the best retreat outfits on the planet— in scenic Wyoming. You will eat well, you will learn to write better, and you will get to ride horses if you would like! These Ranchland writing workshops fill up super quickly so if you’re already dreaming of a getaway in 2025, this one will be great!
Discount code to follow for the “Making Memoir Work” class: