Online Memoir Writing Courses
We know you have a story to tell. Wherever you're currently at on your memoir project, we're here to support you with our online memoir writing courses.
You’ll get weekly instructor feedback on your work, ongoing collaboration with other memoirists, and a supportive course structure that will help you set and meet your writing goals.
Learn from published authors who have spent decades perfecting their craft, and are dedicated to supporting you and your work. Don’t miss out: find the online memoir writing course for you today!
Upcoming Online Memoir Writing Courses
June Courses
The Body and Soul of Your Memoir: Shape, Focus, and Write Your Memoir
with Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg
Unearth your memoir's soul (its main focus and calling) and body (its organization and structure) as you write toward a completed draft.
Creative Nonfiction: The Art of Telling True Stories
with Nicole Hardy
How do you tell your stories beautifully and authentically? Learn the fundamentals of creative nonfiction with Nicole Hardy.
Finding Inspiration in Dreams
with Amy Bonnaffons
Our dreams are fertile fields of inspiration, meaning, and creativity. Learn how to use your dreams as doorways to future writing.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
Observing What’s Vivid in Prose and Poetry
with Marc Olmsted
Learn how to spotlight beauty through fresh, vivid, and surprising language, in this four week mindfulness writing course.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Story Lab: The Story-Subplot Connection
with Jeff Lyons
Subplots are key to maintaining narrative pace and tension in a story. Drive your story forward with this deep dive into the elements of good storytelling.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
These Fragments: From Journal Pages to Personal Essays
with Rudri Patel
Learn to harvest the raw creativity of journaling into inspired, publication-worthy personal essays.
Creative Nonfiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Personal Essay
July Courses
Show and Tell: How to Write Captivating Memoir and Nonfiction
with Brad Wetzler
Your true story of healing or transformation can captivate and empower your readers. Learn how to balance showing the vivid details of your own journey with telling the broader themes for readers to apply in their own lives.
Creative Nonfiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Personal Essay
Writing Autobiographical Fiction
with Jack Smith
Learn to depart from "what really happened," and write compelling fiction from your own life experiences.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story
Writing Our Grief: How to Channel Loss into Creative Expression
with Rudri Patel
Writing about grief is a powerful healing tool. Turn pain into power in this personal essay course, with instructor Rudri Patel.
Creative Nonfiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Personal Essay
Writing the Memoir-in-Essays
with Margo Steines
Learn how to tell your story through the memoir-in-essays, a form that allows writers to interweave the facts of their lives in interesting and evocative ways.
August Courses
Writing Chronic Illness
with Margo Steines
Creative nonfiction offers a container for the sharing and exploration of illness. Tell the story of your body in this healing-oriented workshop.
Creative Nonfiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Personal Essay
Rapid Story Development: A Master Plan for Building Stories That Work
with Jeff Lyons
In this 10 week story writing class, Jeff Lyons pairs the Enneagram with story development techniques to revolutionize your writing practice.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story
September Courses
A Writerly Life: Develop a Writing Routine that Works for You
with Shelby Hinte
What does a writer's life look like? Build a productive writing habit in this course for writers of all backgrounds.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
Writing with Consistency and Courage
with Tamara Dean
What makes a successful writer? It's not talent, craft, or even the right connections—it's consistency and courage.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Live Workshop, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
Unscheduled Courses
(Live Workshop) Dream Writing
with Zining Mok
How can writers harness the power of dreams? Let your slumber supercharge your creativity in this three hour dream writing workshop.
(Live Workshop) Writing Beginnings and Endings
with Sarah Aronson
How do you write a story that's compelling to start and satisfying to finish? Sarah Aronson explains in this comprehensive one-day workshop.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Live Workshop, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story
*Private Class | Embodied Writing: Improve Your Writing with Full-Body Creativity
with Rosemary Tantra Bensko
Have a grand time with specific physical exercises that honor your health, generate imaginative ideas, explore deeply and make your creative writing entertaining.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story
*Private Class | Embodied Writing: Somatic Practices to Improve Your Work
with Rosemary Tantra Bensko
Have a grand time with specific physical exercises that honor your health, generate imaginative ideas, explore deeply and make your creative writing entertaining.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story
*Private Class | Using Bullet Journaling to Achieve Writing Goals
with Rudri Patel
Looking to keep your writing goals organized? Make it happen in our bullet journaling course. Learn the art of the BuJo with Rudri Patel!
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
*Private Class | Writing with Tarot
with Sandra Novack
Jump-start your creative juices, and explore a world of divination, symbolism, and imagery right at your fingertips: learn short story and novel writing through Tarot.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Use Story and Premise Development for Writing Success
with Jeff Lyons
The premise line is the only reliable tool that can tell you, BEFORE you start writing, whether or not your story will “work.” In this class participants will learn how to master the process of premise line development—the essential first step in any book or screenplay’s development process.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Stage and Broadcast
Block Buster: Turbocharge Your Creativity with Breakneck Writing
with Gretchen Clark
Banish writer's block, unearth fresh ideas, and sharpen your storytelling ability with the practice of fast, timed writing.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Boost Your Imagination and Reap the Literary Rewards
with Giulietta Nardone
It happens to all of us: life gets in the way and our creativity falters. Get back on track with this four-week creativity boosting class!
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Branches of Creative Nonfiction
with Tess Fahlgren
What are the different types of creative nonfiction? From the personal essay to the hermit crab, learn the ropes of CNF in this 8 week class.
But What Is Your Story Really About? Finding the Core of Your Short Memoir, Story, or Personal Essay
with Giulietta Nardone
Take a four-week writing adventure deep into the core of your story, to find the true theme of your personal essay, short story, or short memoir.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Personal Essay, Short Story
Character Transformation Workshop: How to Write Stories that Emotionally Resonate
with Giulietta Nardone
Learn how to write emotionally resonant journeys that stick with the reader, using the power of character transformation.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Claiming Our Stories: Autobiography, Memoir & Autobiographical Fiction
with Anya Achtenberg
Turn your experience into fiction, autobiography, or creative memoir. Bring forward stories with a powerful truth at their core. Instructor Anya Achtenberg.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Personal Essay, Short Story
Craft Your Story: Short Fiction and Memoir Live Workshops
with Margo Perin
Get tailored advice and inspiration for your fiction or nonfiction stories, in this weekly live workshop with award-winning instructor Margo Perin.
Crafting the Poetry Novel: Advanced Workshop
with Kelly Bingham
Want to make headway on your poetry novel? This workshop offers the structure and resources to get it done, with instructor Kelly Bingham.
Creating the Visual Journal
with Lissa Jensen
Go beyond narrow definitions of “journaling" to include visual images and let writing give what is seen a new voice. Surprise yourself.
Creative Nonfiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Personal Essay
Deepening and Organizing Our Stories: Memoir/Creative Nonfiction and Autobiographical Fiction
with Anya Achtenberg
For writers of memoir, creative nonfiction and fiction, with some experience. Particularly helpful to writers in the midst of a longer work.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story
Embodied Writing: Improve Your Writing with Full-Body Creativity
with Rosemary Tantra Bensko
Have a grand time with specific physical exercises that honor your health, generate imaginative ideas, explore deeply and make your creative writing entertaining.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Embodied Writing: Somatic Practices to Improve Your Work
with Rosemary Tantra Bensko
Have a grand time with specific physical exercises that honor your health, generate imaginative ideas, explore deeply and make your creative writing entertaining.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Finding the Real Story: Essential Elements of Story in Fiction and Memoir
with Anya Achtenberg
Address the larger issues of writing story through a look at the essential elements of narrative in fiction and memoir.
Food Writing: Food-Focused Memoir
with Jennifer Billock
The food we eat and enjoy tells volumes about our lives and experiences. Write it all down in this food memoir course, with Jennifer Billock.
Creative Nonfiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Personal Essay
From Memory: Writing Fiction or Memoir from Lived Experience
with Chin-Sun Lee
In this class, you'll use a nearly infinite resource—your own memory—to craft compelling fiction or nonfiction stories.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story
From Pitch to Publication: Writing Narrative Journalism
with Rudri Patel
Explore literary journalism as a powerful means to share fascinating characters, stories, and perspectives. Learn all you need to start pitching, landing, and writing reported essays and features.
From the Source: Journaling for Self-Knowledge and Creativity
with Amy Bonnaffons
Journal to discover yourself, find a wellspring of creativity, and produce publication-ready pieces.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Get Back to That Book
with Donna Levin
For any number of reasons, the book we want to write gets waylaid. Get back to it in this motivational two part workshop.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel
Get Clear on Your Story and Voice
with Nadia Colburn
What is your story about? What is your voice? Whether you write poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, hone your writing in this 3 hour workshop.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Live Workshop, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
Get It Done: Create the Scaffolding to Start (and Finish) a Writing Project
with Eman Quotah
Get your butt in the chair, your mind roaming freely, and your creative juices flowing in this motivational, all-genres writing class.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Live Workshop, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Get Your Book Done Intensive! 4 Weeks to Measurable Progress
with Giulietta Nardone
The summer is the best time to get the ball rolling on your book. Join us if you really want to get your book into the world.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Get Your Book Noticed: Writing Loglines That Sell
with Jeff Lyons
Your logline helps you query agents, market your book, and figure out the story itself. Hone your logline and set your book up for success in this Zoom workshop.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
How to Firm Up the “Mushy Middle” of Any Story
with Jeff Lyons
Ensure a strong middle throughline for any story. Say goodbye to the "mushy middle," and hello to stories that work.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Humor Is The New Black!
with Giulietta Nardone
Ready to add a splash of fun to your writing life? Join us for a four-week humor writing class. We’ll read. We’ll laugh. We’ll write. We’ll experiment.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
I’ve Drunk Your Poisoned Nectar: Writing with the Goddess
with Shankar Narayan
Dig deep into the rich mythology of South Asian goddesses to find new inspiration for your work in this generative, open-genre writing class.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
In Your Own Words: Transforming Life Into Memoir and Fiction
with Margo Perin
Learn how to draw inspiration and material from your life experiences or those of people you know, or want to know, to craft compelling, publishable memoirs, personal essays, autobiographical novels and short stories, and/or narrative poetry.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story
It Starts with Play: Get (Back) into Writing
with Janée Baugher
Harness the joy of creativity in this inspiration-focused class, where we'll uncover new ideas for writing projects and draft loads of new material.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Let It Rip: The Art of Writing Fiery Prose
with Giulietta Nardone
You'll write prose that gets folks so hot and bothered they won't be able to put it down, even if it isn't about sex.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story
Make Your Prose Sing
with Leslie Lawrence
Enrich your prose with techniques from poetry. Bring paper and pens; leave with a better ear and lots of ideas about how to make your prose sing.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Live Workshop, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story
Next-Level Creative Nonfiction: Elevating Essays, Memoir, Travel Writing & Literary Journalism
with Wendy Call
Elevate your memoir, travel writing, literary journalism, & lyric and personal essays.
No More Excuses! Four Weeks to Finish and Submit Your Personal Essay or Short Memoir
with Giulietta Nardone
Join us for this insightful four-week “get the writing done” program, give and receive thoughtful comments from your fellow writers and the instructor, and enjoy heaps of encouragement and writing wisdom along the way.
Oral Storytelling Techniques for Writing Flash Nonfiction
with Corey Rosen
In this class, you'll harness the power of oral storytelling to craft exceptional pieces of written nonfiction.
Overcome Writing Anxiety: Boost Your Storytelling Confidence in Four Short Weeks!
with Giulietta Nardone
"Who are you to want to write?" Someone great, that's who! Politely ask Mr. or Ms. Fear to step aside while you sign up for this fun, freeing and functional adventure.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Scene Study: Strengthen Your Writing with Compelling Scenes
with Susan Pohlman
Great stories are constructed with great scenes. Immerse your reader in your stories by learning the ropes of scene development.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Short Story, Stage and Broadcast
Secrets & Confessions: Writing Deeply Personal Nonfiction
with Margo Steines
In this fully anonymous class, we will write and share the secrets we hold closest to our chests, and turn those secrets into compelling creative nonfiction.
Creative Nonfiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Personal Essay
Suspense Sells! Power Up Your Writing With Conflict, Tension and Emotion
with Giulietta Nardone
Inject suspense into your stories to keep readers turning pages. For writers of all kinds of fiction: thrillers, mysteries, romance, humor, literary and memoir. A four week class with Giulietta Nardone.
Tales From The Memory Palace: 6 to 250 Word Memoirs
with Giulietta Nardone
If you want to be an in demand storyteller in the digital age, you need to get in, get out and get going. In this "short" four-week memoir writing adventure, you'll learn to scope out, swoop down and snatch up important memories from your life then speed write them into miniature masterpieces.
Techwashed!: Writing with AI, Data, and Surveillance
with Shankar Narayan
Raise a mirror against society's relationship to technology in this two part workshop series where we will learn how to write about tech.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Live Workshop, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
The Chronology of Mind: From Journal to Poem or Prose
with Barbara Henning
Gather material through writing and experimenting with journaling, researching and taking notes to develop into poems or prose works.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
The Soundtrack of Your Life: Writing About Music, Memories and Mix Tapes
with Giulietta Nardone
In a song inspired class, write several essays about the music that has moved you through life: the emotions, the relationships, the events, the outcomes.
The Surprising Sentence: Honing Your Prose Style
with Jessie Roy
Great sentences stack up into great stories. Learn how to hone your style and voice at the most basic unit of writing, the sentence, in this workshop.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Live Workshop, Memoir, Novel, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
The Wandering Heart: Tales of Connection
with Giulietta Nardone
Wander through the rooms of your own life to discover stories of deep connection, reconnection or loss of connection and fashion your findings into stories suitable for blog posts, essays, short memoirs, short plays, scenes in screenplays, or chapters of novels.
Toying with the Truth: Writing the Personal Essay
with Shelby Hinte
Experiment with creative nonfiction forms and find the best way to tell your personal stories. Write a short piece each week, and choose one draft to polish.
Using Your Poetry Skills to Write Memoir
with Freesia McKee
How do poets tell their stories in prose? Take the leap from poetry to memoir in this hybrid writing workshop.
Word Flashes & Eye Snapshots: Sketching Your Life Awake
with Marc Olmsted
For any writer wanting to root writing in vision and vision in the body: for poetry, fiction, essay, memoir & pleasure.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
Write Your Memoir in 12 Weeks
with Blaise Allysen Kearsley
Writing a full memoir takes energy, momentum, and moral support. Find all three in this memoir writing intensive.
Writing About Family
with Rudri Patel
Family is complicated, and so is writing about it. Navigate the complexities of writing about real relationships in this generative essay class.
Writing Circle Workshop: Writing for Happiness, Healing, and Health (Monday/Friday)
with Susan Vespoli
Course full. Contact us to join waitlist.
Text and Live VideoExpressive writing can be a powerful elixir for what ails you. Learn and practice tools for writing expressively, including two virtual writing circles each week, turn raw writing into poetry or prose, and come away with a better understanding of how writing can lead toward wellness.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
Writing Circle Workshop: Writing for Happiness, Healing, and Health (Tuesday/Saturday)
with Susan Vespoli
Course full. Contact us to join waitlist.
Text and Live VideoExpressive writing can be a powerful elixir for what ails you. Learn and practice tools for writing expressively, including two virtual writing circles each week, turn raw writing into poetry or prose, and come away with a better understanding of how writing can lead toward wellness.
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Lifestyle and Wellness, Memoir, Personal Essay, Poetry, Short Story
Writing Place in Creative Nonfiction
with Tess Fahlgren
In Creative Nonfiction, place is a character in itself. Deeply explore a narrative and a place of your choosing, and make weekly progress on your essay or memoir.
