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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/
Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts. And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com. Are you on your own artistic or creative journey? We want to know about you! Please contact us through the website. Dare to follow your muse!
