Learn how to shape memories into a meaningful narrative.
This introductory workshop offers a supportive entry point into memoir writing for beginners. Through guided prompts, short readings, and writing exercises, participants will explore how everyday memories can be shaped into engaging personal stories. The workshop introduces key memoir concepts such as voice, memory, truth, and scene, while considering the ethics of writing about real life and real people. Writers will be encouraged to move beyond strict chronology and experiment with detail, image, and reflection. No prior experience is required. By the end of the session, participants will have generated new work and gained practical tools to begin writing memoir with confidence.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Understand what memoir is and how it differs from autobiography and fiction
Identify personal experiences and memories suitable for memoir writing
Apply basic memoir techniques such as scene, voice, and sensory detail
Explore the relationship between memory, truth, and storytelling
Develop awareness of the ethical considerations involved in writing about real people
Produce new draft material and gain confidence in beginning a memoir practice
Format
This is an in-person workshop with a focus on writing craft; it will be held at the State Library of Queensland. This workshop is suitable for beginner memoir writers of all backgrounds.
About Sara
Sara El Sayed is a writer based in Meanjin. Her debut memoir, Muddy People, was shortlisted for the 2022 Queensland Premier’s Award for a Work of State Significance, the University of Queensland Non-Fiction Book Award, and the People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award.
For more information about Queensland Writers Centre’s Program of Events and answers to FAQs, please visit: www.queenslandwriters.org.au/program-info