Memoir Revision Essentials: Structure & Theme

Class Description

So you’ve finished a draft of your memoir. Now what? This three-hour seminar will give you actionable revision strategies for honing the structure and themes of your memoir draft. Through a series of in-class exercises, you’ll finesse the “story” underlying the “situation” of your memoir and sharpen your narrative arc. We’ll discuss how to decide whether a scene belongs or not, and you’ll identify places to expand and condense. You will also be guided through exercises to help evaluate whether your memoir’s structure is working or not, and how you can make revisions that improve the narrative flow. There will be opportunities for students to share challenges and goals for their projects and to brainstorm revision ideas.

Expect to leave this class with a toolbox of revision techniques for polishing your memoir’s structure and theme.

This course can be taken alone or in conjunction with the other seminars in this series: Memoir Revision Essentials: Setting & Character (May 31).

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.