Video
Is this course for you? I answer a few questions, and end with comments by former students.
Course Overview
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1
Welcome to: Write Your Life Story
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It's very nice to meet you
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Walk through the course interface and format
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Instructor notes about the class format
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Join the conversation!
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2
Why writing your life story matters
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Introduction: why writing your story matters
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Why tell stories? Stories bind families
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Why tell stories? They are the only way we will be remembered.
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Why tell stories? To understand meaning from events.
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When you tell your story it changes the ending.
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What is your canon of stories?
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Homework - catalog your values
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3
How to start writing your story
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Chapter intro - the basics of getting started
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What type of story are you writing? Memoir, autobiography, life story, family history, or...therapy
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Immutable laws of memoir
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What is a vignette?
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Stitching
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Just get started now, and it will be enough
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Resources and next steps
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Start at the beginning with genesis stories
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Why we do free writing exercises
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Assignment: Free write exercise - Genesis stories
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4
Point of View and Sensory Details
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Chapter intro - building blocks: tips and techniques
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Deciding your story's tense and point of view
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Point of View/Tense exercise
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Discussion of the Tense/POV exercise
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Writing sensory details
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Writing prompt
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5
Final words of advice
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Do it now and it will be enough
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The act itself of finishing will change you
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Resources and next steps
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FAQ
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How long will this class take me?
It is patterned after short workshops we give in conferences. Expect viewing time to be about an hour plus fun exercises to do on your own.
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Is this self-paced?
Yes. You can start or stop whenever you like and work on a schedule that is comfortable for you. The lessons are organized in short, bite-sized chunks to make it easy to start and stop.
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What level of writer should I be?
This is meant to be an introductory guide to give an overview of the writing process with practical tools. Beginners take this class, as well as people who have already done a lot of work on their stories.
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How much of this course is video?
Most of the lessons are short videos (mostly 3-5 minutes). Some are formatted like it's you and me together one-on-one, some are from an in-person class filmed to feel like you are there with a group. You can preview lessons above to get an idea.
Teaching and Presenting Experience







