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Try a Fast Class – now available to all CreativeLive subscribers! Fast Classes are shortened “highlight” versions of our most popular classes that let you consume 10+ hours in about 60 minutes. We’ve edited straight to the most popular moments, actionable techniques, and profound insights into bite-sized chunks– so you can easily find and focus on what matters most to you. (And of course, you can always go back to the full class for a deep dive into your favorite parts.)

Full-length class: Writing Your Story with Joyce Maynard

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Everyone’s got a story to tell. Some are funny. Some are inspiring. Others are tragic. But no matter how compelling your story might seem, it won’t resonate with readers unless you’re able to effectively translate your concept onto the page.

Celebrated journalist, novelist, and memoirist Joyce Maynard will give you the tools you need to transform your brilliant idea into an absorbing memoir that readers won’t be able to put down.

Maynard will begin by walking you through the process of identifying your story and how best to tell it. She’ll then help you develop your story through language, story structure, dramatic tension, dialogue, description, and editing. Finally, she’ll address the challenges of the writing life such as how to create a productive practice, design a comfortable writing space, deal with rejection, and find an audience.

In this class, you’ll learn how to:

• Understand the difference between telling what happened and exploring your journey.
• Figure out what to include in your story and what to cut out.
• Decide on a point of view, a point of entry, and a structure.
• Get over your fears of revealing embarrassing truths about yourself.
• Stop worrying about being judged.
• Deal with loneliness and find your tribe.
• Develop the arc of a sentence, a paragraph, and a story.
• Listen to the sound and rhythm of your sentences.