How to Write a Life

Programme

Week one, Monday 15 September: Fact or Fiction?

Memoirs are true, but they are not affidavits. To explore a deeper truth, many memoirists write fictionalised versions of their lives, while fiction writers base their novels on true experiences. This first session will explore the differences between memoir, autobiography, autobiographical fiction, auto-fiction, biography, micro-biography and biographical fiction, as well as looking at the other forms – essays, poems, scrapbooks – that your story can take. With the help of excerpts from a rich variety of examples, you will decide which genre is best for the story you have to tell.

Week two, Monday 22 September: Voice and Character

In a memoir, the voice of the writer provides the central character, in a biography we need to hear the voice of the subject, and in a novel we are introduced to a cast list of different voices. In each case, it is the narrative voice that keeps the reader glued to the page or makes us want to throw the book out of the window. This session will explore capturing voices, hearing voices, and the art of dialogue. We will also look at the issues of tone, volume and speed in a voice, the difference between spoken and written voices and suggest how to find the best voice for the tale you have to tell.

Week three, Monday 29 September: Genius loci

All stories need a location, whether it is a bed, a town or a desert island. But a description of a place is not the same as the spirit of a place. A description is what we find in a brochure, a guidebook, or an estate agent’s details, but to capture the spirit of a place we need to go that extra mile, because genius loci is an intangible quality. In this session we will explore ways of transporting your reader into the world of your subject without resorting to cliché or the language of tourist boards.

Week four, Monday 6 October: I remember, I remember

Having a good memory doesn’t mean that you will write a good memoir because a memory is not a story. People with elephantine memories can be very boring, while many excellent memoirists have no memory at all. Memoir is about how rather than what we remember. This session will show how a single memory can capture a life, and how to distinguish between episodic and narrative memories. For biographers, we will explore how to work with the often selective memories of your subjects, and how memory forms the essence of who we are.

Week five, Monday 13 October: Plots and Plotting

Our need for plot is hardwired into us. We follow the plots of politics, family rows, soap operas, films, thrillers and box sets. We are familiar with the plots of our friends, and families can fall out violently over different interpretations of plot. We are also, whether we know it or not, living according to our own plot structures, casting ourselves as the heroes, villains, victims or survivors of our stories. This session will introduce the Seven Basic Plots and help find the best plot for your story.

Week six, Monday 30 October: Research for life writing

In our final session we are joined by a British Library curator to explore our collections. In a joint Q&A we’ll discuss personal record-keeping, with some tips on how to keep yours for the future writers of your life. We’ll also discuss how to research the archive for life writing, including making use of resources like the Library. We’ll present you with a roadmap for the next steps of your writing journey.

Programme is subject to change.

No preparation is required for this course. It is suitable for all levels. All course materials will be accessible on the course Padlet. Links to the sessions and the Padlet will be emailed to you.

Live captions are provided by Microsoft Teams.

If you have any further accessibility requirements, please email adultlearning@bl.uk.

A range of concessions are available including discounts for Members, young people, registered unemployed as well as a number of others. Please press Book Now to see the full range of options.