MEMOIR WRITING
Dianne Stewart, author and creative writing facilitator
In the act of revisiting our lives, we gain something important . We recover memory . And in so doing we come to understand our lives better. In the end, that may be the best – if not selfish reason for writing memoir.
– David Gerard
Through a series of informative writing exercises this course investigates some of the premises for crafting memoir, a creative non-fiction genre based on fact . By looking at extracts from published memoirs and considering theoretical aspects of the genre as well as practical approaches to it, participants will gain more insight into the genre and how to go about writing their own memoirs
WORKSHOP TITLES
- Differences between fiction and non-fiction writing
- Shorter forms of recording memory
- Outlets for shorter memoir pieces
- Structuring a memoir
- Overview of the course: opportunities to share writing
Recommended reading
Martin, J. 2019. The Blackridge House: Johannesburg. Johnathan Ball Publishers.
Msimang. S. 2017 Always Another Country: a memoir of exile and home. Cape Town. Johnathan Ball Publishers.
Fugard, A. 1994. Cousins. Johannesburg. Witwatersrand University Press.