You’ve got a story you’ve been meaning to tell, but you don’t know where to begin. You’ve always had this idea for a memoir kicking around, but you keep pushing it aside. You’re mid-stream in your memoir, but now you’ve hit the rocks. In this generative writing workshop we’ll unburden ourselves from the blockage that keeps us from writing about our lives. Learn how to start small, follow the energy of your emotions, and tell the story you’ve been keeping locked inside. Together we’ll translate the memories we carry into words on the page, and learn how to craft stories that compel others to tell their own.

Concepts we’ll cover: Where to begin, truth vs. memory, making the personal universal, turning points, historical context, what to leave in/out, research, composites, specificity, lists, length, and “how does it end?”

Jeanne Hodesh's essays, interviews, and articles have been published in Literary Hub, Lenny Letter, and The Hairpin, among other publications. She holds an MFA from Hunter College, where she also taught literature and writing. She has led workshops at Grace Church School, Girls Write Now, and the New York Writers Coalition, and is at work on a coming of age memoir about navigating public and private personas while growing up in a family business.

*Paragraph Online members get a discount on this workshop. Become a Paragraph Member today.