Are you writing a memoir? Have you been working on it for a while and you’re wondering if it might find a publisher? Do you struggle to narrow it down to theme and story – the perfect elevator pitch – and to make the opening chapters as good as they can be? Do you want guidance from an acclaimed memoirist on how to pull it into shape? And do you want to work with a group of other writers working on memoir, and learn from each other? This course is designed for those who have been working on a memoir for some time and who now want to take it to the next level, so that it stands out, and has the best possible chance of catching the attention of an agent or being published.
This course is application only (opening three pages and a synopsis) and will have maximum ten people taking part. It is an intensive course over 14 weeks (13 weeks of teaching / workshopping, and one week of writing), with weekly commitment in the evenings (apart from the one writing week, when you can write as a group if people want to), and reading commitment in the second half. When you apply, please also include how many words you have written of your memoir.
There are two complimentary elements to Memoir Bootcamp, both of which will involve a lot of face-to-face time with author, teacher and memoirist, Lily Dunn. During the first month of the course, Lily will be holding weekly two-hour seminars covering four common stumbling blocks that Lily has identified writers of memoir come up against:
- How do you find theme when writing about a life that is forever changing, narrowing your idea down to that golden thread that drives the narrative forwards?
- Voice, dual timelines and ‘leaning into the text’.
- How content can dictate form, and the parameters of memoir (including hybrid forms of memoir).
- How do you write through challenging content, without intruding too much on your own privacy or the lives of loved ones?
In these sessions there will be examples from contemporary memoir, lots of discussion, writing exercises and opportunities to read your work, and give and receive feedback.
The next two months will involve writing and workshopping. Lily will be facilitating weekly two-hour sessions, and each participant will have two chances to submit work for feedback over the course of eight weeks (up to 3,000 words each submission). You might want to share an opening chapter, or use the workshopping time to discuss overarching story, plot, themes, or prose style: it is up to you. Your peers and Lily will be giving feedback in these sessions. This will involve reading in advance.
There will one week of writing time between the first part of the course (teaching) and the second part (workshopping).
There will also be two one-to-one sessions, to talk through any specific challenges with Lily, one at the start of the course and one at the end of the course (Lily will not read anything in advance of these sessions). And online sessions with three guests – therapeutic coach Dr Deborah A Lee will do a session with Lily at the start of the course, to talk about ethics, group dynamics and self care, and an agent, and an editor / memoirist (both to be confirmed) will be in conversation with Lily towards the end of the course. (Past guests have included Caro Clarke, of Portobello Literary, and Kate Johnson, of Wolf Literary, and author and editor Marina Benjamin.)
There will be opportunity to discuss how to write a proposal and Lily will share resources, which you can take away from the course. If you want to use the workshopping time to workshop a proposal, that is also fine. There will also be opportunity to work on your elevator pitch, and your market profile, with help identifying other memoirs as potential competition and to help you situate your own ideas within the market.
A Slack workspace will be set up to share resources and work in progress, and to keep in touch between sessions.
None of us is guaranteed literary success, but there is a lot we can do to improve our odds!
This course is aimed at those who are serious about their memoir, whether you are yet to be published or already have some publication record, and can put time aside to work hard at getting it submission ready during the three months contact time.
Course Outline
- A live Zoom introductory session with Lily and everyone in the group; time will be arranged by Lily to suit everyone’s needs
- An online discussion with therapeutic coach Dr Deborah A Lee about ethics and self care when writing memoir
- Four live Zoom seminars (2 hours) during the first month of the course. These will happen on a Wednesday evening, from 6-8pm.
- One writing week between the teaching sessions and workshopping (with a communal writing session on request if people want it).
- Seven workshopping sessions (2 hours) during the last two months of the course, again on a Wednesday evening, same timing.
- Guided peer feedback on work-in-progress or writing exercises throughout the course. Feedback from tutor Lily, also.
- Two one to one sessions with Lily, one at the start of the course and one at the end of the course (This is to discuss ideas, or next steps. Lily will not read work in advance)
- A visit from an agent (to be confirmed).
- A guest slot with an editor / memoirist (to be confirmed)
- Resources shared on how to write a proposal, query letter, and get your work ready for submission. Can keep as reference after the course is over.
- An online writing community, lasting beyond the end of the course
This course is three months long (14 weeks). It is mainly made up of live Zoom sessions on Wednesday evenings (6-8pm). This is a selective course and dependent on application (three pages of sample material and synopsis). It is for intermediate writers who are serious about publication. Please note there is a weekly commitment to read participants’ work in the second half of the course.
Course Timetable and Content
Dates and times for the one to one sessions, and the guest author and agent masterclasses will be arranged once the course has started. But they will happen within the 15 weeks of the course.
Monday 14th September: introductory session
First one to one session with Lily will happen during the first week, tbc
Wednesday 16th September: teaching session
Wednesday 23rd September: teaching session
Wednesday 30th September: teaching session
Wednesday 7th October: teaching session
Wednesday 14th October: guest session with Dr Deborah Lee, therapeutic coach
19th October Week: Writing week, therefore no teaching
One of the following sessions will be with guest agent. The remaining seven sessions will be Memoir workshopping
Wednesday 28th October: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 4th November: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 11th November: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 18th November: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 25th November: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 2nd December: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 9th December: Guest Agent
Wednesday 16th December: Memoir Workshopping
Final one to one sessions (to be arranged) will happen in the final two weeks of the course
Testimonials about Lily’s teaching
“I’d reached a point with my manuscript where I needed a key to unlock the final draft of my book. Lily Dunn’s Memoir Bootcamp on Wednesday evenings over 12 weeks was just the ticket. Lily is a super smart tutor, enthusiastic and supportive, and her classes on memoir writing are first class; she curates an excellent reading list, and shares her own experiences alongside her compelling insights on memoir as craft and practice. She’s warm and good humoured, and made all of the writers in our cohort feel at home in her online classes and workshops. I’d highly recommend this course to anyone who’s eager to progress their memoir in progress.” Rosie
“Lily is gentle and yet she keeps a tight ship. Also, she chose the writers very well. I appreciate her approach and her wisdom about publishing.” Molly
“I really enjoyed Lily’s teaching style. It’s quite minimal—I mean that in a good way—and focusing on lots and lots of examples in a paired down fashion really worked for me. It was quite meditative and well paced and with plenty of opportunities to ask questions.” Melissa
“I loved the space that Lily created. It did really work – the listening to everyone’s response. It was very sensitive too. I think there were some brilliant technical input things, from the written feedback, but also just the old fashioned respectful relationship to all the students as writers.” Jessa
“I was very impressed by the breadth and depth of Lily’s knowledge of the art of memoir, by her passion for this medium, and by how closely she read our material. She is genuinely committed to bringing out the best in her students. Her feedback was not only honest and sharp, but thoughtful and caring.” Marguerite
“Lily displayed an impressive combination of academic discussion and warmth towards course members. I would definitely take another course taught by her.”
“Lily is fantastic! She’s very attentive, cares and clearly an expert. Bringing in her own experiences of proposal writing and the publishing process was very interesting and insightful. I found sharing a personal and sensitive story in a small group of like-minded people really helpful. It was a good way to get some exposure and feedback in a safe setting. Reviewing other people’s work was very useful and a great way to learn from each other. Stimulating, Unique and Fascinating.”
