Don’t miss these upcoming special events
Oops! The Newsletter went out yesterday in the middle of my updates. Don’t miss these Special events
January 10: Write then Read: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/memoir-mentors/events/mqghzsyfccbnb/
January 17: Write then Read: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/memoir-mentors/events/snghzsyfccbwb/
January 24: Speaking Your Story: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/memoir-mentors/events/fkvszsyfccbgc/
January 29: Editing Tips & Tricks: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/creative-questers/events/290734630/
January 31: Write then Read: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/memoir-mentors/events/lpghzsyfccbpc/
February 7: Write then Read: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/memoir-mentors/events/tpghzsyfcdbkb/
February 14: Write then Read: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/memoir-mentors/events/mqghzsyfcdbsb/
February 21: Book Club – On Writing by Stephen King: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/memoir-mentors/events/289351214/
February 26: “Thanks, I Guess” A prompted narrative review: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/memoir-mentors/events/290701226/
February 28: Speaking Your Story: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/memoir-mentors/events/fkvszsyfcdblc/
Book Club Choice: On Writing by Stephen King
February 21, 2023 – 7:00pm Munich time, 10:00am Pacific
Sign up here: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/memoir-mentors/events/289351214/
For our next book club selection, we’ll be reading On Writing, a Memoir on the Craft by Stephen King. This is not a regular memoir but rather a guide on writing with some memoir aspects. This book is highly regarded by writers of all genres, regardless of how they feel about his other books.
Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.
We will discuss:
- What we liked/didn’t like about the book.
- Thoughts about books that are guidance mixed with memoir.
- The guidance that we found most helpful.
- How /if we plan to implement any of the book’s advice.
- Other books or general advice on writing we find helpful.
Special event: “Thanks, I guess” – A Prompted Narrative Written Review
February 26, 2023 – 6:00 PM Munich time, 9:00 AM Pacific time
Sign up here:
Each month, HerStry.com looks for themed personal narratives, the one for November caught my eye:
“Let’s talk about things we should be thankful for but just aren’t. Or the things people expected us to be thankful for that we simply think, “Um, what?” Give us the rude, the harsh, the enduring, the funny. The things that made you say, “Thanks, I guess.”
Whether or not you would like to submit to this magazine, it will be a fun exercise to write something to this topic.
- We will each write something inspired by this theme.
- At least one week before this meetup, email your memoir story to xtina.howell@gmail.com so everyone has time to review in advance of our meeting. Christina will share the file location after you have confirmed participation.
- By the day of this meeting, each person will go through all the entries and comment upon strengths and weaknesses, areas to expand or cut, and other editing suggestions.
- In this meetup, we will discuss everyone’s entries.
- All stories must be true and about you.
- Stories must follow the theme in some way, interpretations can be wide.
- Stories must stay between 500–3,000 words.
HerStry publishes works of women-identifying persons, so if you identify as a man, you will not be able to submit to the magazine, but you’re still welcome to participate here.
Special event: Self Editing Tips & Tricks
January 29, 2023 – 7:00 PM Munich time, 9:00am Pacific time
https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/creative-questers/events/290734630/
Do you have a draft of a story gathering dust? Dust it off, and bring it out into the light. Christina Howell will give you actionable tips and tools to polish up that draft into something you’re proud of.
She’ll cover topics such as:
- Point of View
- Verb Tense
- Passive and Active Voice
- Weasels and Bloaters
- Adjectives and Adverbs
- Specificity vs Generality
- Dialogue Tags
- Utilizing the Find Tool.
Christina Howell holds a writing certificate from the University of Iowa and received her certification from the Proofreading Academy. She also co-hosts the Creative Questers podcast. Listen for more tips on writing and creativity. https://open.spotify.com/show/3EPQav7ujmlVZybtWbQPuF?si=63d381512ff749b9
Member profiles added to website
I hope you all had lovely holidays and got some good time bonding with family or at least gathering good stories!
I’ve added a page on our website for author profiles and publications for our members. Check out what our members have been up to and support them by buying their books: https://memoirmentors.com/member_publications/
If you would like to be added to our page, please email me at xtina.howell@memoirmentors.com
Random goodies
- This essay is a bit long, but holy cow is it good:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/06/24/the-fourth-state-of-matter - Upcoming class February 8 – The Art of Revising Memoir – I’ve taken courses with Dinty Moore before and liked them:
https://www.janefriedman.com/the-art-of-revising-memoir-with-dinty-w-moore/ - I’ve not tried taking courses here before, but this sounds interesting:
https://www.dailyom.com/courses/tell-your-story-heal-your-life/ - Noise generator to accompany your writing. Dozens of scenes to choose from and each can be tweaked to your liking:
https://mynoise.net/noiseMachines.php
Cafe:
https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/cafeRestaurantNoiseGenerator.php
Primeval forest:
https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/primevalEuropeanForestSoundscapeGenerator.php