Writing a Memoir

OVERVIEW

Are you thinking about writing a book based on an aspect of your life? Maybe it’s the story of a life-changing event, a difficult childhood, a fascinating job, an epic journey, a deeply felt conviction, an important friendship … There are so many rich possibilities for compelling narratives based on our true stories – and including lives and experiences that might seem very ordinary until they’re held up to the light. On this six-week online course, bestselling memoirist Cathy Rentzenbrink will take you on an in-depth exploration of your memories, showing you how to find your focus and construct a plan.

Week by week, using teaching videos, notes, writing tasks and resources, Cathy teaches the techniques you’ll need to sharpen your prose style and convert your lived experience into a readable and lively story – whether tragic, comic or anything in between; and offering a clear pathway through the maze of issues that might be stopping you from writing. And in addition to the videos, materials and exercises set by Cathy, all students will receive a short piece of written feedback on one writing task from an expert editor at some stage of the course.

By the end of the course, you should have written at least the first 3,000 words of your memoir and developed a clear idea of how you will continue on to the end of your draft. You’ll also have the chance to sign up for a written report on your opening material from one of our team of expert editors.

If you want to write a memoir and don’t know how to get going – or if you’re already at work on one and want to get some guidance to help you, then this course is for you. With memoirs frequently ranking high on bestseller lists, there has never been a better time to write the real-life story that you feel people will want to read. But just as valid is the idea of writing your story for yourself or your loved ones rather than for publication. And Cathy’s teaching material is rich, accessible and full of useful tips that should be equally helpful to you as a beginner writer or as someone with lots of writing experience.

This course – like all of our online courses – is designed for flexible study. You can take part at times to suit you and from wherever in the world you are.

‘Cathy Rentzenbrink has found a way to express the things that all of us wrestle with at times’
Jessie Burton, The Miniaturist 

WHAT DOES THIS COURSE GIVE YOU?

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

You can follow the course at your own pace, but to get the best out of it, allow plenty of time each week to watch the videos, read and reflect on the notes and resources, complete the writing tasks, and take part in discussions in the forum. We encourage all students to offer positive, constructive feedback to each other in the forum as the course progresses.

It’s also important to be working on your memoir throughout the six weeks. At the end of the course, we invite students to share the opening 3,000 words plus a one-page synopsis (written with the help of the course) to give an overview of the story. This is not a submission to the agency but an opportunity to get peer feedback.

(NB: if you’re looking for one-to-one tutorials and tutor-led writing workshops as part of a writing course, do take a look at our longer, selective writing courses – these aren’t included in this course).

ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK

All students will be given the option to purchase feedback on their final task from a CBC editor (a published author with relevant teaching/editorial experience).

• CBC report: For an additional fee of £145, you can obtain a detailed 500-word report on your work (of up to 3,000 words) from one of our editors.
• CBC report + tutorial: For an additional fee of £240, you can obtain a 500-word report from one of our editors and have a 30-minute video or telephone tutorial with them to discuss your work.