Fall 2008 Workshops at Writers & Books

Creative Non-Fiction

Writing Your Memoirs: The Surprise Story of Your Life

FA9-N01
8 Thursdays, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Sept. 25 through Nov. 20 (No class, Oct. 23)
$175 W&B members / $180 general public
Instructor: Anaïs Salibian

If you’re interested in writing about your life but don’t know where to start, this is the class for you. We’ll discuss different forms of memoir and do writing exercises that will help you find the stories inside the flow of events in your life. Writing does more than put down what you already know; it helps you discover new meanings. We’ll learn the basics of how to “show, not tell” so that your writing can come alive. You’ll learn how to use dialog, description, action, inner thoughts and summary the way a fiction writer would to write compelling stories.

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Leaving the Legacy of Your Heart

FA9-N02
6 Thursdays 2–4 p.m.
Sept. 25 through Nov. 6 (No class, Oct. 23)
$110 W&B members / $120 general public
Instrument: Anaïs Salibian

What’s most important to you in your life? What lessons have your learned? What do you believe in? What parts of your inner life do you want to pass on to your family? In this class, we’ll do writing exercises that help you examine your values and beliefs, discover where they came from, and what your relationship to them has been. You’ll learn how to write the stories of times you had to accept or reject certain ways of being. You’ll create a story of your life that comes from the heart.

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The Personal Essay

FA9-N03
7 Mondays 7–9 p.m.
Oct. 6 through Nov. 24 (No class, Oct. 20)
$142 W&B members / $149 general public
Instructor: Anaïs Salibian

A cross between memoir and essay, the personal essay is the perfect genre for connecting your personal experience with the wider events and issues in the world. We’ll do writing exercises that help you find your material. We’ll study samples of personal essays to learn the structures and techniques of creative non-fiction. Then you’ll write at least one essay that includes your experiences, observations and opinions on a topic of your choice.

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