What now?

Now what? After you've spent all this time writing your memoir, what do you do with it? How do you continue without the inspiration and motivation of class? First, make a writing plan. When and where do you plan to continue with your writing? Once a week? An hour a day? It's up to you. You have to be your own boss. But be your boss and don't let the momentum slip away.

Or do you want to be published? For starters, try submitting a memoir story to The Columbian which has a weekly feature called Everybody Has a Story.
 

Here are some helpful links:

For a writing prompt a day, try this website creativewritingprompts.com.

The Columbian is looking for personal nonfiction stories for their Everybody Has a Story column. It is a once a week feature in the Neighbors section of the newspaper. Stories must be 1000 words or less. For more information read this article: http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/apr/10/everybody-has-a-story-that-means-you/.

For free self-publishing a book createspace.

Exactly how I'm feeling right now...

  

Write on!

Three down, three to go. It's hard to realize that we are halfway through this memoir class.

So, as you can see from Bob in this cartoon this is not the memoir you want to be writing.

I don't think this is even the journal you want to write.

But you have to start somewhere, right?

From what I've heard, every student has a great story to tell unlike Bob who puts himself to sleep with his own writing.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Write on!

Write now

Source: incidentalcomics.tumblr.com

Learning to write is like learning a sport or a new instrument.

It takes practice.

If you write an hour each day, you will have written seven hours in a week. What you write doesn't have to be great. It won't be a final draft, but it will be something you have created on paper.

And the more you write, the better you will become.

And the easier it will get.

Think of these words from Anne Lamott:

“I don't know where to start," one [writing student] will wail. Start with your childhood, I tell them. Plug your nose and jump in, and write down all your memories as truthfully as you can. Flannery O' Connor said that anyone who has survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life. Maybe your childhood was grim and horrible, but grim and horrible is Okay if it is well done. Don't worry about doing it well yet, though. Just get it down.” ― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Welcome!

Welcome to the thirteen students who attended the "Everybody Has a Story" memoir class today. It was nice getting to know everyone.

It's always amazing to me how people with a common goal or interest come together. In this case to write a memoir.

And how different everyone's story is. One student grew up on a dairy farm. One is an avid skier. One is married to John Adams and lived on Quincy Street. One has a dog named Sally, one rides a motorcycle, and one even lived six years in the Middle East. I could go on, but I won't.

Each of these facts is material that can be used in your writing.

Sometimes it's hard to think that we have anything interesting to say. We are just normal, average human beings. Yet, each one of us has different experiences, ideas, and feelings.

Each person has something to say and this is your opportunity to say it.

However you want.

So, get out your writing utensils and start writing.

Want to write a memoir?