Class Title: Finding Your Voice in Memoir and Personal Essays Instructor: Carol O'Dell Class Term: January 9-March 5, 2012 We are not accepting any more enrollments for Carol's class; the class has started. Synopsis Finding your voice—what does that mean? It's being you on the page. We'll discover your style in dialogue, setting, description, characters, and exposition. Voice is everything from your unique vocabulary to your slant on life. Whether you're quippy, witty, dry, or possess quiet insights, you will discover how to consistently bring you to the page. Class Description In addition to weekly writing assignments and exercises focused on mining your work for voice and style, we will also study three major authors who are known for their voice (Alice Walker, Mary Karr, Jeanette Walls). We will form your own vocaublary lists, begin to notice repeating phrases, areas of interest, and your syntax style. We'll analyze where it works and where it doesn't. We'll look for inconsistencies and where you begin to doubt yourself and then move toward confidence based on vulnerability and truths you've earned through a lifetime of experience. At the end of the class, students will be able to write an essay or memoir chapter that stays consistent in voice and style. You will hone, revise, and complete one essay/memoir short that will be clean and consistent and ready for submission. We will also discuss marketing possiblities for your work and how best to approach and work with editors. We will have a once a week conference call and will discuss in detail 2-3 participant's work. The other submissions will be handled via email between the instructor and peer-to-peer feedback. Materials will be submitted to the group via Googledocs and feedback (written and verbal) on other's work is crucial. Materials include: handouts, exercises, vocabulary and topics list, marketing information, manuscripts, and written feedback. Suggested reading materials (we will only read certain chapters/excerpts so I suggest you purchase the books from a second-hand bookstore or borrow it from a friend if you don't already have these): The Liar's Club & Lit (Mary Karr); The Color Purple & Living by the Word (Alice Walker); The Glass Castle & Half-Broke Horses (Jeanette Walls). Outline Unit 1: What is voice? How do you "get" style is it something you're born with? How to recognize voice and what makes a work unique. We'll discuss Alice Walker's works. Getting acquainted with each other's work—short readings from a submitted work. Beginning our vocabulary lists. Short in-class exercise. Unit 2: Voice and Subject: A discussion of Mary Karr's work, explore her subjects and mine our own stories for subject matter. What do we write about again and again? We'll share vocabulary lists, have an exercise based on vocabulary, and recognize our own themes and archetypes. Unit 3: Voice and Emotion: What emotions do you rely on? What words and images do you use to express your "set" of feelings. We will begin to notice in our work and others how we handle anger, frustration, loneliness, sorrow, elation and forgiveness. We'll also discuss Jeanette Walls' memoirs and how she tackles childhood emotions as well as complete an exercise based on emotions. Unit 4: Voice and Childhood: We'll look back at Walker's, Karr's, and Walls' childhood voice and how they weave their past and then step into the present without losing their voice. We'll have an exercise based on our childhood voice and move into critiques. Two participant's works will be critiqued. Unit 6: What are you good at? This week we'll focus on what we're good at. We'll look at each participant's work and highlight areas of strength. We'll complete two in-depth critques of participant's work and begin to look at the body of our work—as a whole—and as excerpts/short essays. Unit 7: Self-doubt—and When we lose our voice: This week we will discuss what causes you to doubt yourself and your writing and how it begins to break down the fiber of your work. We'll discuss tactics to help you recognize when you're overworking your work, when you're forcing your voice and style, and how to get back into the flow of your authentic style. Two more critiques so that every member's work is thoroughly discussed. Unit 8: Memoir and Markets: For the last week we'll finish up on critiques and then discuss possible markets for each person's work. We'll look at a final draft of everyone's stories, make last comments and create a system of accountability so that each work is submitted to at least 3 markets. We'll discuss how to work with editors, when to stand your ground, and when to listen and consider a change. Student Skills, Equipment, and Time Required Word, email, phone. Skype individual consulations will be considered. Time Commitment: Two hour confernece call per week as well as emails and critiques. Plan to commit to at last 4-5 hours per week for this class—plus writing time. Tuition/Fees for this course SCN members: $256. Non-SCN members: $320. Instructor Bio Carol O'Dell is the author of the bestselling memoir, Mothering Mother: A Daughter's Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir (Amazon/Family, Bio, Caregiving, Alzheimer's). Carol is a creative writing instructor at the University of North Florida/OLLI program. She's taught for the Florida Governor's Honors Program and has presented at many conferences including The International Teaching and Learning Conference, Harriette Austin/Univeristy of Georgia Writer's Conference and for the First Coast Festival Writer's Program. Carol is a graduate of Jacksonville University and the director of Chats Noir and Chats Nuit Writer's Circles in Northeast, Florida. Visit her website.