Memoir Writing: An Introduction

Overview

A memoir is my version of events. My perspective. I choose what to tell and what to omit. Isabel Allende

We all have a story to tell. Writing about our past and the experiences that have shaped us can be, for many writers, an important rite of passage. For the emerging writer, writing a memoir can be particularly helpful for developing style and technique, finding a voice, and identifying their core values and motivations as a writer.

Writing about our past can also help us better understand ourselves and the people who have shaped us. How have our past experiences made us who we are today? Writing a memoir can also invoke difficult emotions. For this reason, the course also covers strategies for self-care and maintaining personal boundaries as a writer. The memoir can also be a deceptively complex genre to navigate; raising questions as it does of author subjectivity, memory, and the ethics of writing about others, including our own family. Indeed, it can challenge the very definitions of ‘truth’ and ‘fiction’.

This course will address all these issues, while encouraging the writer to develop, and experiment with, a range of literary techniques and approaches to memoir writing.

Programme

Activities and tasks will be embedded into each unit so students can practice the techniques they have learned and develop their skills. Students will be encouraged to share their own work and participate in discussions on Blackboard. Alongside the learning materials on Blackboard the tutor will be on hand via email to answer any queries and provide guidance throughout the course. They will also participate in the online discussions.  

• Unit 1 – Introducing the memoir.
• Unit 2 – Beginning your memoir. 
• Unit 3 – Developing your voice as a writer.
• Unit 4 – Getting published. Be your own editor. 

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:  

1. Identify and evaluate various approaches to memoir writing.
2. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the various styles and stances of memoir writing.
3. Demonstrate an ability to develop and produce a short memoir essay or excerpt from a memoir-in-progress (800 words.) 

Assessments

1. A short memoir essay OR an excerpt from a longer memoir-in-progress (800 words; 60% of the overall mark)
2. A brief reflective essay in which the student reflects on their writing experience during this course. Brief reflections on the work of their peers during the course, as well as relevant published authors are also encouraged. (800 words; 40% of the overall mark)

Reading Suggestions

Reading suggestions will be offered throughout the course. 

Entry Requirements

This course is for everyone. No previous experience is needed and there are no formal entry requirements.

What Do I Need?

As this is an online course, you would need the following:

• Internet access.
  
• Access to a laptop or computer with a web camera and microphone; the use of headphones might also be of benefit.
• Use of the Chrome web-browser where possible.