My first workshop is about to begin and I’m ready to share the 411!
I DO: Completing Your Memoir Proposal in 2021
How do you finish a memoir proposal amidst life’s competing demands?
Join other writers who are finishing their proposals too. Added bonuses? Accountability, shared expertise, AND friendship. I DO is a six week, once-a-week, collaborative Zoom session with deadlines. We will meet at 4 pm est / 1 pm pst on Wednesdays, beginning on November 3. Sessions will be recorded and shared with participants.
Session Dates (with tentative syllabus)
November 3:
Comp Titles
Like This or That, But Much More So!
November 10:
Audience
Just Me and 10,000 of My Closest Friends!
November 17:
Marketing
Help! I Need Somebody! Not Just Anybody!
December 1:
Table of Contents, Chapter Summaries, and Sample Chapters
Hit Me with Your Best Shot, Fire Away!
December 8:
Author Bio, Blurbs & Testimonials
Enough About Me. What do YOU Think of Me?
December 15:
The Proposal Overview
Save the Best for Last
Session Structure
- 30 minutes of tackling one section of the proposal.
- 25 minutes to share your proposal writing or offer feedback.
- 5 minutes to share goals and deadlines for the week ahead.
Some sessions will include time for questions and answers from authors who have successfully navigated the memoir proposal.
Who We Are
Kristen Paulson-Nguyen
Kristen is the Writing Life Editor at Hippocampus Magazine and a Title Doctor who prescribes book titles that stand out. In 2021 she taught flash fiction classes for the Boston Public Library and Boston in 100 Words. Kristen’s work has appeared in the New York Times and Creative Nonfiction; her work as a Title Doctor has been praised by Gotham Writers Workshop. Kristen’s micro-essay “Neighbors” won an award in 2020 from the first Boston in 100 Words contest. Kristen was a HippoCamp 2021 presenter. She has appeared on The Gita Brown Show and Writing Class Radio podcasts. Her in-progress memoir is To Have and to Hoard: How I Found Treasure in My Husband’s Trash. Learn more at persistencepersonified.com.
Brian Watson
Brian began writing during his years in Japan, from 1988 to 1998, for small publications and for a quarterly newsletter he authored for other queer people from 1989 to 1991. His service to the queer community, like his writing, has continued to this day. His personal essays now appear in Brevity’s Nonfiction Blog and an essay has been accepted in the November issue of CLAIR Forum, a publication of the New York office of the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations. He is currently completing the proposal for his memoir: Crying in a Foreign Language; Pink Lady, Fictional Girlfriends, and the Deity that Answered My Plea. Brian lives online at twitter.com/BMemoirist, instagram.com/iambrianwatson, and at iambrianwatson.com.
Cost
$99 for the entire six weeks. Individual sessions are also an option at $20 per session.
Registration
Email brian.watson@gmail.com to register. Payments must be sent via Venmo to @Kristen-Paulson-Nguyen with the note “I Do.” A finalized and detailed syllabus will be emailed to registrants on October 28, 2021.
