In this 90-minute introductory workshop, you’ll discover different approaches to memoir writing and learn how to begin shaping your personal story.

Who This Workshop Is For

• Anyone who has been thinking about writing a memoir or personal history

• Writers who are already working on a memoir and want guidance, structure, or fresh inspiration

What to Bring

• A pen and notebook, or a laptop/tablet with a writing application

What You’ll Learn

• How to identify where your story begins and pinpoint the turning points that create structure

• Ways to transform life experiences and obstacles into compelling storytelling

• Techniques for using dialogue, description, and action to build vivid scenes

• The power of “telling details” that make stories come alive

• How to weave together the present voice with reflective insight

• Strategies for creating and sticking to a realistic writing plan

What to Expect

• Engaging writing instruction

• Small-group brainstorming

• In-class writing exercises

• A step-by-step plan to keep you writing after you leave

About the Instructor

Jan Brogan is a journalist and award-winning author of four murder mysteries, a highly acclaimed historical true-crime book, and numerous personal essays published in The Boston Globe, The Providence Journal, and Ladies’ Home Journal.

She has taught journalism to teenagers at Boston University’s Summer Journalism Academy for more than a decade and has led adult fiction and nonfiction classes at libraries, continuing education centers, and writing conferences. In 2020, she received a Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Medal for her excellence in writing instruction.

Currently, Jan is co-writing a memoir with a renowned whale scientist and publishes a monthly column on writing and creativity, The Creative Current, on Substack.