Non-fiction and Memoir

You have a story—maybe even a lifetime of stories. But is it a memoir? A collection of personal essays? A work of creative nonfiction? Self-help with a narrative spine? Historical nonfiction? When you're living inside your story, the distinctions between forms aren't always obvious, yet each form makes different promises to readers and puts different demands on writers. In this session, teacher, memoirist, and memoir coach Sara Roahen will map the landscape of first-person storytelling, clarify where the forms overlap, and help you identify which container best fits your story. You’ll leave with a clearer sense of what kind of book you're writing, and why it matters.

Memoirists and essay writers have the unique position of being both the narrator and a character in their stories (often the main character!). Because many memoirs and other creative non-fiction are telling deeply personal, sometimes painful parts of your life, developing a persona is a way of gaining control on the page, and determining how you wish to reveal yourself to the reader while still telling your truth. In this workshop, Author Jordan Rosenfeld will help writers consider how to determine the voice, tone and distance of their persona, maintaining control while still writing a great story.

Join author and agent Ian Lendler in this informative session that will highlight how to use “story” structure to create a compelling narrative inside of a non-fiction proposal. Learn how to craft your non-fiction idea to distinguish it from straight journalism, amplify its commercial appeal, and find its niche in the increasingly tough non-fiction marketplace.

Memory is the memoirist's most essential—and most unreliable—tool. In this session, teacher, memoirist, and memoir coach Sara Roahen explores the complex relationship between memory and memoir writing. You'll learn practical techniques for recovering forgotten details, for gaining confidence in your own memories, and for sharpening the specificity that makes memoir come alive on the page. But what happens when memory genuinely fails or conflicts with someone else's version of events? We'll tackle the ethics and craft of writing honestly when the facts are fuzzy. Whether you're drafting your first chapter or polishing a manuscript, you'll leave with strategies for working with your memory and, when necessary, for working around it.

A book proposal is a marketing tool that can sell your memoir or nonfiction book to an agent and/or publisher. It’s a chance to showcase your book and what it has to offer, yes. But it’s also an opportunity to prove to potential agents and publishers that you are a professional who knows your business when it comes to identifying your readers, promoting your book, and knowing your expertise, marketing channels, and strengths. In this session, certified book coach Leanne Phillips will show you how to write a book proposal that does its job and sells your book.