Are you writing a memoir? Have you been working on it for a while and you’re wondering if it has legs and might find a publisher? Are you struggling 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 hang out with a group of other writers working on memoir, and learn from each other? This course is designed for those of you who have been working on your 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, with weekly commitment in the evenings, 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?
- When does research come in, and how best to use it?
- The ‘memoirisation of time’ – how to move between scene setting and the reflective voice, and use time jumps effectively?
- How to 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 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 be two weeks 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 masterclasses from two guests – agent, Caro Clarke, of Portobello Literary, and author Marina Benjamin (date and time to be confirmed).
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
- Four live Zoom seminars (2 hours) during the first month of the course. These will happen on a Wednesday evening, from 6-8pm.
- Two writing weeks between the teaching sessions and workshopping.
- 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)
- Two masterclasses, one with guest agent, Caro Clarke, of Portobello Literary, and one with guest author and memoirist, Marina Benjamin. Dates to be arranged.
- 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 just over 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 14 weeks of the course.
10th March 2025: introductory session
One to one session with Lily will happen during the first week, tbc
Wednesday 12th March: first teaching session
Wednesday 19th March: second teaching session
Wednesday 26th March: third teaching session
Wednesday 2nd April: fourth teaching session
7th April Week: Writing week, therefore no teaching
14th April Week: Writing week, therefore no teaching
Wednesday 23rd April: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 30th April: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 7th May: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 14th May: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 21st May: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 28th May: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 4th June: Memoir Workshopping
Wednesday 11th June: Final week one-to-one sessions with Lily.
Testimonials about Lily’s teaching
“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.”
