Inger Dybvig Kenobi
Write | FREE MEMOIR WORKSHOP
THIS IS WHERE YOU GO FROM HOARDING YOUR STORIES TO WRITING THE FIRST CHAPTER OF YOUR MEMOIR.
And no. You don't have to get up at 5 am or be a famous person to do this work.
But if you're sitting on stories and experiences you're itching to write about, this workshop is for you.
Whether you've started 38 books, or your memoir is a big fat mess, or you haven't written a single word, you will love it here.
Plus, you didn't spend all that time thinking about your book only to miss out on the writing part.
Your story wants to be told, and if you don't do it, who will?
WRITE: a powerful, practical, and entertaining approach to starting your memoir. Hello, first chapter!
"If writing your story has been something you’ve thought about but haven’t done, get yourself into this free workshop with Inger.
Not only is she a genius at clearing away the stuff that gets in our way, but she’s also loads of fun!"
- Tracy Hewitt /Artist & Coach
This is WRITE in a nutshell:
1. You choose the memoir you want to work on and write the first chapter.
2. No feedback will be given, and you don't have to read anything out loud. Phew.
3. But you will learn how to make the first sentence POP, plus tools and tricks that will remove guesswork and boost your creative self-trust.
Cost: Free.
IMPORTANT DATES
The workshop will run from October 21st-23rd
During our time together, we'll have 3 live classes:
1. Wednesday, October 21st, at noon Central Time (USA)
2. Thursday, October 22nd, at noon Central Time
3. Friday, October 23rd, at noon Central Time
All classes will last 60 minutes, and we will meet on Zoom.
You want to show up live ( but yes, all the classes will be recorded ).
Which one are you?
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You've started and stopped a million times. You call yourself a quitter. Super frustrating. But the book is still calling you. You are ready to start again.
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Your memoir is done, but only inside your head. It's time to put pen to paper.
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You know you could become the next Elizabeth Gilbert. But who has the time? However, you like the idea of diving into the first chapter. That's totally something you can and will do!
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You're a perfectionist and can't stand that everything isn't amazing from the get-go. But now you're waking up to the fact that it's called a shitty first draft for a reason.
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You know you're sitting on an amazing story. But will you do it justice? And what if other people don't remember it the same way? Now you're ready to tell your story, not manage what other people will think of your version of it.
Maybe your situation isn't exactly like that, but. . .
. . . This is where you finally learn to move with your thoughts and keep writing.
This workshop is a gift to yourself, to your creativity, and to all the stories you're not done with.
Hi! I'm Inger Dybvig Kenobi, your writing instructor.
The winter after I turned 16, my uncle and I were in a smoke-filled pub in Norway. He looked around and said, 'If we closed the doors and asked everyone to tell their life story, there would be no need for fiction.'
He was right.
Growing up, I always read about Helen Keller, Florence Nightingale, and Walt Disney. Memoirs and biographies are the best!
As a memoir writer, I love that you don't have to worry about world-building. And no, you don't have to have done something super impressive to write about your life, and your memoir doesn't have to be a big epic production starting with your birth and droning on and on about everything.
My first memoir is about the year I stopped shopping. My second memoir is a collection of journal entries from when I went from thinking about writing to publishing my first book.
The one I'm working on now is about the ten years I lived at a Tibetan Buddhist centre. What will yours be about? Only one way to find out!
WRITE is both a memoir workshop and a turning point.
It's designed to ignite your muse and put you in the creative flow. All you have to do is show up.
So if you love the idea of immersing yourself in notebooks, seeing your hands fluttering across the keyboard, hot drinks, cozy sweaters, and spending time with your book guilt-free, this is where you need to be
Some of the topics we'll cover:
THE SECRET BEHIND ALL GREAT MEMOIRS.
Hint: it's not being almost famous or having an 'and then I almost died' story. It's running with the idea that makes you feel most alive.
THE POWER OF JUMPING IN
Find a way or make a way energy. Channel your inner Nora Ephron. The best time is always now. The circumstances will never be ideal.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR FIRST SENTENCE POP!
Useful examples. We'll practice together. The fog will be lifted.
COLLABORATE WITH YOUR MUSE
Become a great friend to your memoir. Be in the flow. Gather clues, ideas, and answers along the way. Creativity goes hand in hand with mystery and magic.
WRITE THE FIRST CHAPTER
Just write. Make it exist first. You can improve it later. Less thinking, more writing. Less worrying about being a good writer. More becoming a person who writes.
Writing the first chapter leads to awesome things like:
- Letting go of the illusion of 'the perfect time.'
-Letting go of the illusion that you need to be a good writer before you start to write.
-Letting go of the illusion that you need to know all the answers up front.
- Discovering how many cool stories you're sitting on.
-Actual, physical progress!
-Feeling like a million bucks.
THIS PROCESS WORKS.
People who want to write but don't. . . have a super high need to know the answers to questions like:
-What will this lead to?
-Will I get an agent?
-What about money?
-What if no one likes my book?
-What if I become famous overnight? Shit! I need a new haircut.
People who write have the same questions, but they're less concerned about the answers. They just write. They are in the flow. They know Picasso was right when he said, 'Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.'
People who write don't turn it into a big production. They just show up and write. So will you.
'Inger is a brilliant write and super fun teacher. I recommend this memoir workshop wholeheartedly to all my writer buddies out there. Whether you’re an experienced or brand new writer, you will have a wonderful time. I’ll be there; I say yes to everything Inger offers. She’s that fabulous.'
- Melanie Phoenix / haiku poet and author
YOUR BOOK IS CALLING YOU
This workshop is for budding memoirists who are ready to:
- Learn tools that are specific to memoir writing.
- Spend time with fellow writers.
- Soak up inspiration and ignite their creativity
- Shed the idea that they missed the boat.
- Own that their story matters.
- Write. Even if they don't know what it will lead to.
So many of you want to write, but you don't understand why. No need to. Wanting to do it is enough.
Your next step? Fill in the form below.
RESERVE
YOUR
SPOT
(After you've filled out this form, you'll receive a welcome email with all the relevant details. Can't wait to meet you and your memoir! )
But, but. but!
I'm not sure what I want to write about. I have so many ideas. Will this workshop be useful?
OMG! Yes! Doing beats pondering, every single time. Once you start, you know what you're dealing with, not what you might hypothetically be dealing with. . . .
And no, you don't have to wait until you feel ready. The secret is to start, and that's when all the ideas, insights, and inspiration that's been hiding in plain sight will become visible.
I have written my first chapter. I need help with the rest of the book. Should I register or not?
Come! Nothing you learn here will go to waste. You might see your chapter in a new light. You might write a different first chapter, just to see. You will walk away with ideas for how to start chapter two. . . .
Some memoir ideas to get the creative juices flowing:
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It can be funny and deeply moving, like David Sedaris' books.
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It can focus on only one year of your life, like Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love, or like Cheryl Strayed's Wild.
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It can be camouflaged as fiction, like Nora Ephron's Heartburn.
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It can be both spiritual and playful, like all of Anne Lamott's books.
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It can weave together two events, like theft and suicide, as in Sloane Crosley's book Grief is for People.
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It can weave together universal themes and personal experiences, like in Caitlin Moran's How to be a Woman.