Class Title: "Writing a Healing Memoir" Instructor: Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D. Class Term: Fall 2008 enroll in this class We are not accepting any more enrollments for Linda Joy's class; it is now full. Synopsis Writing a memoir is a powerful process of self-identity, healing, and integration. In this course (taught by a therapist who uses writing to heal), you will learn how to write a memoir that helps to heal, as well as create a meaningful story. In this class, you will explore ways that writing helps to heal and find out how to take care of yourself during the creation of your stories. We will talk about the roles in the family that challenge the memoir writer; explore the "I" narrator and the "I" character; learn about emotional themes; discuss "what is truth"; write scenes that show more than tell in several turning point stories, and understand how to cope with both inner and outer critics. The class is designed for beginning and intermediate writers. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor only and is limited to 6. Class Description Our lessons and prompts will be based on my book, Becoming Whole: Writing Your Healing Story as well as prompts that I will send through email. We will use a Yahoo email group, where I will make assignments and you can post your writing (if you wish) and read the writing of others. You will send your written work to me via Word attachments to an email. I will return it to you with my comments. There will be one private 20-minute phone consultation during the course. We ask that a safe space be created by committing to full confidentiality when reading the work posted in this class. Feedback will be supportive, with an eye to the visions and the goals of the writers. Issues of grammar and spelling will be addressed only to point out an error you might not have seen, but the essence of the writing is what we are looking for—your intention to write things you may not have written before. Class Outline This six-week class is made up of six units. You should expect to spend 2-4 hours each week in reading and writing. Book chapters will present the text about the subject matter that will help you to think about your writing through the lens of healing. Extra prompts and exercises will be offered for each lesson, as people have different needs in writing a memoir, and it helps to have many to choose from. Unit One: Introduction. Writing to Heal; Research; Witnessing; Themes. Unit Two: Writing from the Heart. The inner and outer critic; Vignettes. Unit Three: Taking care of yourself. Dark and light stories; How healing works in writing. Unit Four: Family psychology and roles. Turning points. Unit Five: Writing Your Truth. Narration and Character "I" voice. Scenes. Unit Six: Your Writing life. Boundaries with family; Support. Student Skills, Equipment required This class is designed for beginning and intermediate writers who are able to use MS Word and email. One telephone call required during the course (to be paid for by the student). An additional telephone call is required before the course begins, for screening purposes. Enrollment is limited to 6. Required Reading (click on title to purchase from the instructor) Becoming Whole: Writing Your Healing Story Tuition/Fees for this course SCN members: $225. Non-SCN members: $250. Instructor Bio Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D., author of Don't Call Me Mother and Becoming Whole: Writing Your Healing Story—finalist for the 2008 ForeWord Book of the Year Award—has been a therapist in Berkeley for over twenty-nine years. Dr. Myers combines her background in art, clinical work, and writing (she received her MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College) to offer unique memoir workshops and trainings in the Bay Area and nationally. She is president of the National Association of Memoir Writers, and is on the board of Story Circle Network. Her websites: Memories and Memoirs; National Association of Memoir Writers.