“Are you a writer first, or a family member?”: Memoir with GWN

Family. Writing. How to write about family? We found out at the latest GWN writing workshop all about Memoir. Open Road Integrated Media authors Patricia Bosworth and Susan Morse helped mentees and mentors learn the delicate exercise of shaping family members into characters and childhood events into plot twists and turns. Thinking about turning that Thanksgiving disaster into a memoir some day? Here’s some advice from Patricia and Susan:

• There are three things you need for a good book: the voice, the hook, and the audience.
• You don’t know what you think until you put it on paper.
• Your voice will find the classic elements of your story, your family.
• Keep writing, all the time.

• Patricia wrote about her experience at GWN — why not check it out? Then see what mentee Rachel and mentor Nina thought of Patricia’s craft talk.
• Susan Morse says Girls Write Now rocks. Read her side of the story, then see if mentee Katherine and mentor Amy thought Susan rocked too (hint: they did).