OM DENNE EPISODE
There are many reasons to write a memoir. You may find it cathartic to “get it all out there” or maybe you have a life story that you think readers will find entertaining. Either way, says memoirist and writing workshop leader Sarah Saffian, there is a difference between therapeutic writing for its own sake and writing for publication. Working through these distinctions in a workshop setting with an experienced teacher can help you get your memoir writing to the place you want it to be.
Covered in the podcast:
- How Sarah Saffian helps students craft a compelling story that will engage an audience.
- Approaching your life story with necessary emotional distance and perspective
- Receiving and giving feedback in a workshop setting is a valuable learning experience that helps writers improve their own craft.
- Why it's important In a workshop to "critique the work and not the life” to keep the focus on the craft of writing
- Why Sarah encourages students to read extensively in the memoir genre to deepen their understanding of the craft.
- Sarah's strategies for managing concerns about family members, should your memoir be published.
Sarah Saffian is a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and author. Her memoir, "Ithaka: A Daughter's Memoir of Being Found," about her experience as an adoptee reconnecting with her birth family, has been called a classic of the adoption genre. She teaches memoir and profile writing at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and uses a "Therapeutic Writing" approach that combines her expertise in psychology and creative writing.
Links:
https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/writing-institute/courses/
https://www.writerscenter.org/
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