MEMOIR WRITING FOR GENIUSES
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Struggling with your memoir?
​This free class can help.

Follow a seven-step path to constructing your memoir. Receive your first video right after entering your e-mail address.

How long should your chapters be?

9/24/2021

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So many of my students ask me: "How long should my chapters be?" See my answer to this question in this short video. Warning: I get a little bit sillier than usual. I also talk about chapter length in memoirs such as In the Dreamhouse, The Tender Bar, The Wave, Wild, and Eat Pray Love.
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Past or present tense? That is/was the question.

9/9/2021

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Does present-tense make your memoir feel more immediate? Most people say yes, but I don't think this is always true. Does past-tense allow for more reflection? Usually. But there are some exceptions. This video covers all you need to know about verb tense, one of the critical choices you'll need to make when it comes to writing your memoir.
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How Truthful Does Your Memoir Really Need to Be? Taking Literary License While Not Getting Sued

9/9/2021

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How much license can you take in your memoir? Will you get sued for changing the order of events? Where is the line between taking literary license and simply making things up? Wendy Dale answers these questions and helps you solve one of the memoirist's toughest dilemmas: How to ethically include the details that make for a great story even if you don't remember them exactly.
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How to jump over huge chunks of time in your memoir

8/12/2021

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How do you go from fourth grade to twelfth grade in a sentence? How can you skip huge chunks of time without making this jarring to your reader? In this video,  three tricks for jumping through time seamlessly.
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Do you need two different narrators in your memoir?

8/4/2021

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Should you tell your story from the point of view of the person you are now? Or is it better to tell the story from the point of view of the younger you who actually lived through events? Can you do both? The answers to these questions in the video below. 
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Use transitions to create structure

7/21/2021

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The way you think of your life and the way you create a story are two different ways of thinking. Here come transitions to the rescue! Transitions can do the heavy lifting when it comes to creating structure.
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Memoir Meltdown No. 123: How do I write about traumatic events without reliving them?

7/15/2021

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It was hard enough living through traumatic events. And writing about them brings up bad memories all over again. Why am I doing this to myself?

Some answers to that question in the video below.
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Memoir Meltdown No. 104: Is my memoir interesting enough?!?

7/2/2021

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Nearly every writer questions themselves and their book. In this video, Wendy tries to help writers get past their meltdown by understanding what it is that truly keeps a reader engaged. Your book might not be fascinating and filled with plot twists and turns, but that's actually okay.
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How does plot vary in fiction versus memoir?

6/24/2021

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What is the difference in plot between fiction and memoir? And how do you not fall into the traps that most memoir writers make when structuring their books? I answer both of these questions in the video below. Oh, and I make light fun of Jane Austen too. 
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How do you describe settings in your memoir?

6/15/2021

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Using visual details is not the best way to describe place. Watch the video to learn what actually works.
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    A Random House author offers tips on writing your own memoir.

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