This two-part toolkit series invites you to use journaling as a natural entry point into your personal story, both as a tool for self-discovery and as a foundation for meaningful creative work. We’ll distinguish between everyday journaling and a more intentional memoir practice that helps you uncover significant memories, recognize patterns and themes, and begin shaping the stories that want to be told. This workshop has consistently been a student favorite in my classes at The Writer’s Center, because it offers a clear, supportive way to begin writing about your life without feeling overwhelmed by the scope of it. This series will help you develop a bank of memories and anecdotes you can leverage to illustrate the themes and storylines that shape your life story.

In the second session, we learn another excavation tool, then you’ll be guided through exercises that help you identify themes, storylines, and narrative arcs. These tools focus on narrowing your scope, so instead of feeling overwhelmed by everything you could write, you have some direction. By the end of this session, you will: Identify core themes and questions emerging from your memories | Recognize connections between separate experiences | Develop potential storylines and narrative threads | Leave with a clearer sense of direction for your writing. Register for Zoom meeting here.