Imagine...
The excitement of getting started on your story.
The enjoyment as your story grows.
The pride when you first hold your book.
The joy of signing copies for everyone who's said 'you should write a book.'
The thrill of earning from your creative passion.
According to a recent study of writers, 97 out of 100 stories are languishing in drawers and on hard drives.
Write your Life Story in a Year will ensure that your story is NOT one of them!
This course will support you from the first to the last word of your book, whilst nurturing your talent as a writer.
You will start by deciding whether you want to write an autobiography, (your life so far in its entirety,) or a memoir, (a slice of your life.)
Then you will explore the reasons you want to write your life story, the experiences and commitment you will be bringing to it, and then I support you every step of the way from generating those memories to completing your book.
The path I'll take you on ensures you won't just wander, you'll know exactly where you're going.
"I have loved the opportunity to take part in this creative writing course. Maria is a fantastic teacher who knows how to bring the best out in a writer. This is the most rewarding thing I have ever done."
Yvonne, Knaresborough
"The course is well-paced to fit in with the demands of my working life and other commitments. I’m so glad I found it!"
Maggie, Leeds
“Due to my busy life, I’m taking the distance learning course, and it easily fits into my schedule. It’s always been my dream to write my life story. This course really points you in the right direction.”
Karen, Leeds
Course Overview
Part One (10 sessions) Getting Started and Planning:
Gathering material, planning, opening, your focus, development of skills such as character, setting and dialogue.
1. Reflecting on your life - choosing aspects to write about
2. Considering autobiographies of other writers
3. Main and Secondary character development
4. Developing a Setting
5. Planning to Write Strategies
6. Identifying Key Moments
7. What makes a good story opening?
8. What hooks a reader in the first chapter?
9. How to use dialogue to bring your writing to life
10. Further Dialogue Development
Part Two (10 sessions) Keeping it Going:
Honing skills such as pace, tension, show, don't tell, audience and structure, continuing your first draft.
11. Who might to want to read your story?
12. Writing with a reader in mind
13. Writing a first draft. Using Diary Entry to Tell your Story
14. How to get the words flowing. Using letters to tell your story
15. Show, don’t tell. Mid-point review
16. Don’t get stuck, keeping momentum
17. Pace
18. Tension
19. Point of view
20. Narrative tense and voice
Part Three (6 sessions) The Professional Writer:
Editing, presentation, outlets for publication, networking, promotion.
21. Editing and proofreading your work
22. How to make your work the best it can be
23. How to write a synopsis and cover letter
24. How to present your work
25. What aspects of yourself as a writer do you need more help
with?
26. Celebration of your Achievements and planning next steps
Bonus Material
Networking Offline
Building an online author platform
Traditional Publishing – Agents and Publishers
Independent Publishing
You will be writing one-two pages a day (250-500 words) and will complete your first draft within one year.
If you answer YES to one or more of the following questions, this course will be perfect for you…
Are you unsure how or where to start?
Does the prospect of writing a full-length memoir or autobiography feel huge, to the point of overwhelming?
Are you a writer who would benefit from tackling a project such as this in a methodical way?
Would your existing writing talent benefit from some further direction and development?
Have you already had one or more false starts with your writing?
Read on…
You will love this course and it will help you achieve your dream of writing your life story and being a published author.
I am so confident of this that I promise a risk-free 14 day money-back guarantee. (Subject to a £15 admin fee - see t&c's for further details.)
Will I really write a book within one year?
Yes! If you follow my method of working on your book every day. Some days will be spent going forward with your word count. However, recalling memories through photographs and conversations all counts towards time spent on your book.
Won’t I need a lot of discipline to get going?
Not discipline, more desire. Once you start, you won’t be able to bear to stop. The story will all come back to you and you'll be burning to keep going with it.
How will it fit into my lifestyle?
I send your life story writing course in 26 sessions to your in-box every fortnight, on a Monday at 8am. (gmt) You decide when you complete the exercises. And you arrange your writing time when it will fit in with your other commitments.
Isn’t it isolating trying to work on my own?
Writing is a solitary activity, so later in the course, I provide information about networking as a writer, both online and socially.
What if I change my mind?
This course comes with a risk-free 14 day money-back guarantee. (Subject to a £15 admin fee - see t&c's for further details.)
What does it cost?
£30 per month for 5 months or one payment of £125. (This investment in yourself has the potential to return to you many times over with all those future book sales, and even more if you use the course to write subsequent books.)
How will I know what to do with my book once I have written it?
In the latter stages of the course, I give guidance around getting your manuscript ready for submission, along with details of getting an agent and/or publisher. I also signpost towards other outlets for publication such as self-publishing and competitions.
How will I know if what I am writing is any good?
As you progress through the course, your writing will strengthen. Writing is a craft and the course will equip you to improve and be able to self-assess and edit until your manuscript is as polished as can be.
Will I get individual feedback on my writing?
This course does not include an individual critique service as this would increase the cost of the course significantly. It is designed to develop your writing skills, and provide self-editing support. See the private consultancy question below if this is something you would like to add to your course.
Is private consultancy available?
You have the option to add one, or both of the following to your course, as and when you feel they may help.
1. A 60 minute one to one private consultation session with me. (via video call.)
2. A detailed report which critiques a 500 word extract of your work in progress.
These services are by arrangement and will incur an additional fee.
