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Have you started a memoir only to get lost in a sea of endless stories that either seem to go nowhere or could go on forever?

Are you wading through the messy middle of the revision process and searching for your narrative arc?

Have you received vague feedback from agents or publishers or been explicitly told your book contains a lot of interesting and well-written stories that don’t hold together or follow an “and then, and then, and then” format?

The solution to all three problems is the same: find your memoir’s beats.

While you can buy a copy of Blake Snyder’s book Save the Cat!, or look up his beat sheets online, it’s not a perfect fit for memoir. In fact, many memoirists get confused by certain beats (what to do with “fun and games”???), or fail to recognize how their story fits this format. Some feel certain that this contrived Hollywood method is useless for their book.

In this class, you’ll learn how to capitalize on the benefits of a beat sheet, scrap the parts that might not serve your story, discover how a beat sheet can be used even with nonlinear books, and gain confidence as you shape your material into a cohesive whole.

During this 90-minute webinar, you’ll:

• Learn what a beat sheet is its relationship to your book’s narrative arc
• Discover which beats are essential to memoir and which ones might not work
• Examine beat sheets written for both linear and nonlinear memoirs
• Find out how this applies to your book
• Explore the ways you can use your beat sheet to revise efficiently, slant your material, and both build and maintain your story’s momentum 

While most of examples in this class will be memoir, Lisa will touch on autofiction and include at least one autofiction example.

Who should take this class

This class is for beginning to intermediate memoirists, including:

• New writers who want to understand how stories are built
• Memoirists looking for a way to tame their early drafts 
• Memoirists struggling to find their book’s narrative arc
• Memoirists who’ve been told their manuscript is well written, but “not cohesive” or “doesn’t hang together”
• Memoirists who know certain episodes belong in their book but aren’t sure why or what to do with them

This class is not suited for

• Essayists who are not moving toward a book-length work
• Fiction writers and novelists
• Memoirists who’ve published one or more books
• Writers intimately familiar with beat sheets

How do I attend the live class?

This class uses Zoom webinar technology (see system requirements). You will join through your Internet-connected computer or mobile device. When you register, you will receive information via email on how to join the class. If you don’t receive it within 1 hour of registering, please contact us.

• When: Wednesday, April 3, 2024
• Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Eastern / 10:00 a.m. Pacific
• Registration fee: $25

The webinar is broadcast via the internet with live audio delivered through your computer or mobile device speakers. The visual presentation is displayed directly from the presenter’s computer to your computer screen. The Q&A is managed through a chat-style submission system with questions read and answered by the presenter for the entire class to hear.

Closed captions are provided during the live class. We use Zoom’s automated closed caption service (powered by Otter), which is about 80%+ accurate. We also use Otter AI to generate an unedited transcript, provided with the recording.

Testimonials

All students receive the following

• Access to live class. After roughly 75 minutes, the instructor will take questions during class using in-class chat/text. The class will end after roughly 90 minutes.
• A recording of the class—audio and video. This is especially helpful if you have a conflict with the class time or something comes up and you can’t make the session. Each registration comes with access to the archived version of the program and the materials for 30 days. You do not have to attend the live event to access the recordings.
• Presentation slides. All participants receive a copy of the slide presentation in PDF form.
• Rough transcript. We use Otter to create an automated transcript of the entire webinar, which we’ll share with you in addition to the audio and video recording.

Event Attendance & Anti-Harassment Policy

We strive to provide an environment where all present—whether attendee, presenter, or staff—can feel supported. In order to ensure a welcoming event, here is what we expect from all who participate.

• That the presenter and the presenter’s work be treated with respect by attendees and that all attendees treat each other with respect and a generosity of spirit.
• That attendees will refrain from harassment of any sort including (but not limited to) comments or questions of a racist, homophobic, sexist/sexual, or threatening nature. This includes actions that disrupt or interfere with anyone’s ability to participate. Offenders will be disconnected from the live event.