Do you have a personal story to tell that will move, delight, stir and inform readers? This short course guides students in planning and crafting a memoir.
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
Some moments in our lives are so powerful they beg to be shared with the world. Learn all about where to start your personal story and the techniques that will make your writing shine.
What will we cover?
- Where to start your story. - Language techniques that work well in the genre. - Structural techniques that work well in the genre.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Select an appropriate starting point for your memoir. - Develop an engaging opening to your memoir. - Understand language and structural techniques that work well in the genre.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
Although this is an introductory course, it would be useful for students to have working knowledge of language techniques used in creative writing.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Students will be guided through a mix of pair work, group work, formal instruction from the tutor, writing exercises and workshopping.
All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.
For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please bring writing materials.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
City Lit offer a range of courses on autobiographical writing. For more information browse the writing section of our website.
All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Julie studied at the University of Essex, the Central School of Speech and Drama and Dartington College. She has written several plays for young audiences for, amongst others, the Unicorn Theatre for Children. She currently writes articles about landscape, heritage and nature. Julie won the 2014 British Czech and Slovak creative writing prize for her personal essay about the Czech Poet and dissident Ivan Blatny.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/how-to-write-a-memoir285492How to write a memoirhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/h/o/how_to_write_a_memoir-1080.jpg8989GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Writing/Creative non-fiction/Creative non-fiction/Courses/Short Courses/Courses/Short Courses/History, culture & writing/Courses/Writing/Courses/vm/Summer offers/Courses/Writing/Creative non-fiction228515931341113417135811361413593122851358113593134111653Do you have a personal story to tell that will move, delight, stir and inform readers? This short course guides students in planning and crafting a memoir.152822280How to write a memoir8989https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/h/o/how_to_write_a_memoir-1080_5.jpgInStockEveningWed-ThuOnlineAvailable courses1 to 4 weeksWeekday2026-07-29T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allJul 2026WritingHW5208989How to write a memoir894589Julie Gartonhow-to-write-a-memoir/hw520-2526Do you have a personal story to tell that will move, delight, stir and inform readers? This short course guides students in planning and crafting a memoir.0000-Available|2026-07-29 00:00:00Some moments in our lives are so powerful they beg to be shared with the world. Learn all about where to start your personal story and the techniques that will make your writing shine.Do you have a personal story to tell that will move, delight, stir and inform readers? This short course guides students in planning and crafting a memoir.- Where to start your story.<br/>- Language techniques that work well in the genre.<br/>- Structural techniques that work well in the genre.- Select an appropriate starting point for your memoir.<br/>- Develop an engaging opening to your memoir.<br/>- Understand language and structural techniques that work well in the genre.Although this is an introductory course, it would be useful for students to have working knowledge of language techniques used in creative writing.Students will be guided through a mix of pair work, group work, formal instruction from the tutor, writing exercises and workshopping.<br/><br/><br/>All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit. <br/><br/>For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines. <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.Please bring writing materials.City Lit offer a range of courses on autobiographical writing. For more information browse the writing section of our website.<br/><br/>All students are invited to join us at <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/citylitwriting">Twitter</a>.Creative non-fictionCreative non-fictionvirtual898945HW520NONEWed-Thu29/07/26 - 30/07/2618:00 - 21:0018:0021:002 sessions21 to 4 weeksWeekdayOnlineOnlineJulie GartonBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-07-29T00:00:00+00:00EveningJul 2026Writing8989How to write a memoirhow-to-write-a-memoir/hw520-2526Do you have a personal story to tell that will move, delight, stir and inform readers? This short course guides students in planning and crafting a memoir.0000-Available|2026-07-29 00:00:00Some moments in our lives are so powerful they beg to be shared with the world. Learn all about where to start your personal story and the techniques that will make your writing shine.Do you have a personal story to tell that will move, delight, stir and inform readers? This short course guides students in planning and crafting a memoir.- Where to start your story.<br/>- Language techniques that work well in the genre.<br/>- Structural techniques that work well in the genre.- Select an appropriate starting point for your memoir.<br/>- Develop an engaging opening to your memoir.<br/>- Understand language and structural techniques that work well in the genre.Although this is an introductory course, it would be useful for students to have working knowledge of language techniques used in creative writing.Students will be guided through a mix of pair work, group work, formal instruction from the tutor, writing exercises and workshopping.<br/><br/><br/>All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit. <br/><br/>For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines. <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.Please bring writing materials.City Lit offer a range of courses on autobiographical writing. For more information browse the writing section of our website.<br/><br/>All students are invited to join us at <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/citylitwriting">Twitter</a>.Creative non-fictionCreative non-fictionconfigurable
