ONE-ON-ONE Course Catalogue Upcoming Classes Intensives

Memoir Writing Intensive

GUIDE TO NONFICTION COURSES

Nonfiction Pathways

Foundation

If you’re not sure what kind of nonfiction to write...

Creative Nonfiction 101

If you know what kind of nonfiction to write...

Memoir I Essay & Opinion Writing Feature Article Writing Blog & Newsletter Writing Travel Writing Food Writing

Or...

Humor Writing

If you want a rather short course...

Memoir Intensive Flash Fiction & Nonfiction Personal Essay Writing Feature Article Writing Intensive Humor Writing Intensive Blog & Newsletter Writing Intensive

Next Steps

After completing a Level I ten-week course...

Memoir II

After completing Memoir II, if you want to write a book...

Memoir II Book

Selling Your Work

If you hope to get published somewhere...

Hit Send: Publishing Short Nonfiction Nonfiction Book Proposal How to Get Published

Also Helpful

These essential courses are great for writers of any level.

Character Dialogue Plot 1: Mechanics Plot 2: Machinations Reading Fiction In(verse): Poetic Techniques for Non-Poets The Writer’s Mind The Editor’s Eye Grammar 1: The Basics Grammar 2: Expertise and Finesse Social Media

For Teens

Unbound: Teen Creative Writing True Story: Teen Creative Nonfiction

The Memoir Writing Intensive happens in a short time span (1 day in NYC, or 2 days on Zoom). The course includes a mixture of lectures and exercises. It’s open to writers of any level. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.

Every life holds many tales. Whether your life is wildly unconventional or relatively normal, there’s bound to be something fascinating about it. That’s why the contemporary memoir—everyday people telling their stories—has become such a popular phenomenon. A memoir covers an aspect of a life, whether it’s a short piece about, say, a bicycle ride with a friend, or a book about, say, your entire childhood.

To make readers care, your memoir must be told with the finesse of fiction. Here you will learn techniques for focusing your life stories, as well as writing craft and how to market your work.

Whether you seek to write essay-length pieces or a book, we’ll show you how to best tell the stories from your life.

About Memoir Writing

The day was a wonderful introduction to writing a memoir with topics covered thoroughly and interspersed with excellent exercises.

Pamela Markham

visual artist

Notes

A memoir is similar to a personal essay; both incorporate elements from the writer’s life. But a personal essay focuses more on the viewpoint, and a memoir focuses more on the story. Gotham also offers courses on Essay & Opinion Writing and an Intensive on Personal Essay Writing.