Memoir Writing
I am currently teaching Life Stories Writing Workshops at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College.
I also offer private and small group sessions at other locations. Additional workshops include Children’s Creative Writing and Creative Writing for Teens. Please contact me for more information at cindyf@bestweb.net (see contact page).
Since 1995, I have been teaching writing workshops for people of all ages. Some of my students are just beginning. Some have already published some of their work.
What they have in common is their eagerness to share their stories, their philosophies and their life learning experiences with others.
Life Stories is an interactive writing workshop for seniors. This workshop provides a supportive and responsive audience for new work and work in progress, and offers participants opportunities for the intellectual growth, social interaction and engagement that they deserve and require. During the workshop, participants will have time to recall events, discuss memories with others in the group, and write. Each 1 ½ hour session includes: preliminary group discussion about writing topics to encourage interaction among participants, topic-based sample poems or stories by emerging or published authors, a writing assignment, and individual sharing of stories aloud. Tactile and sensory objects are also included to prompt memories. The workshop culminates in group reading from a manuscript of collective works.
Learning Goals: Writing has the potential to stimulate the memory, spark the imagination and keep cognitive thinking sharp. Through thought-provoking readings, group discussions and writing activities, participants will learn:
- Fundamental creative writing techniques that will help them explore personal and family stories through simple writing prompts which stimulate memories
- How to use sensory details to evoke emotion in writing
- How to write descriptively about place
- How to develop individual style
- How to polish a written piece through revising and rewriting