Memoir Writing: Write a Personal Story for a Universal Audience
A course by Courtney Maum , Author and Book Coach
Learn how to write a compelling personal narrative by exploring different literary devices and story structures
Learn how to write a compelling personal narrative by exploring different literary devices and story structures
There’s no right way to tell a story but author and book coach Courtney Maum believes there is a right way to structure one. She’s been using stories to learn about the world for most of her life and, having written and published several with some of the biggest publishing houses in America including Penguin Random House and The New York Times, she knows a thing or two about how to write them.
In this course, she guides you through creating a compelling personal story using a three-act structure and a double timeline. Learn how to use them as a foundation to write about real people and real stories in a way that captures the reader’s attention from the first page.
What will you learn in this online course?
12 lessons & 11 downloads
- 99% positive reviews (460)
- 15,177 students
- 12 lessons (1h 11m)
- 11 additional resources (3 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Write an essay that tells a personal story with a three-act structure and double timeline.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone interested in memoir writing or learning new techniques and structures to incorporate in their writing.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is necessary for this course.
You will need paper and colored pencils or highlighters for planning.
Reviews
A course by Courtney Maum
American author and book coach Courtney Maum has used stories to make sense of the world since she was a child. She studied comparative literature and French translation at university before going on to work in advertising agencies as a copywriter and corporate namer. She has used her love of storytelling to create compelling backstories for everything from nail polish to electric cars.
Courtney is fascinated with the creative process and has written and published several books with some of the biggest publishing houses and editors in America, including Penguin Random House and The New York Times. She also founded a collaborative retreat for creative professionals and has a regular newsletter, Get Published, Stay Published, in which she shares her tips for staying motivated during the writing process.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Memoir and Nonfiction Writing
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Conquering Fear and Guilt
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What Memoir Is and Does
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Deciding What Will Make It Into Your Story
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Voice: What Is It and How to Find Yours?
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U3
Finding Your Story’s Structure
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Plot, Sub-Plot and the Double Timeline
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The Three-Act Story Structure
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Putting It All Together!
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U4
Tips and Tricks to Keep Writing!
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Accountability
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Generating “Buzz” Around Your Story
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Giving Yourself Permission to Write
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FP
Final project
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Memoir Writing: Write a Personal Story for a Universal Audience
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
venkatrakesh
Good Course
christina.vogelsang
A well structured course and a charming presenter. It is a good course for beginners.
ambarizas
Me está gustando mucho, la autora que lo importa es muy inspiracional.
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daesahn
PlusEste es un curso excelente. Bien estructurado y claro en sus contenidos. Te ayudará tanto a escribir una memoria personal atractiva para tus lectores como para planificar y llevar adelante una obra de ficción.
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kimberlylongsworth68
PlusClearly communicated and motivating.