Your story is important and deserves to be shared.
The Fall 2025 program is already underway but you can add your name to be notified about Spring 2026 offerings!
Fill out the interest form below to receive more information about the program and receive update emails about course offerings and weekly insights into memoir writing.
Steps to Crafting the Story on Your Heart
All of these steps are covered in detail in our small group Memoir Master Plan Cohort, offered 2 times during the year.
This program includes group meetings and troubleshooting so you can get immediate feedback on your ideas and outline while working alongside other writers on a similar journey.
*Not just a DIY downloadable!
Save yourself the time and frustration of weeding through the craft writing books to uncover why your story isn’t landing right. I’ve distilled the key aspects of 5 top craft books into weekly lessons and exercises for your ease in applying them.
01 — Core Message
This is the central theme of your story, the linkage between all the moments and experiences you intend to share that will take the reader through your journey and allow them to walk away with a sense of being seen, motivation to change, and a roadmap for their own healing and self-reflection.
02 — Memoir Structure
Sometimes it seems like there are as many memoir structures as there are memoirs and it can be difficult to figure out how to structure your story to deliver the greatest impact. Should you keep it chronological? Group by theme? Like bones of a skeleton, some patterns are tried and true. We explore 8 of these structures and which types of memoirs are suited for each.
03 — Plotting & Outline
Most people who feel pulled to write memoir don’t come with a background in plot development or story structure, we are simply motivated to share the story on our hearts. Step by step outlining and basic understanding a plot will set you up for a moving story that takes the reader on an immersive journey. Hitting key plot elements give your reader a sense of comfort and predictability about where the story is leading them.
04 — Detailed Outlining
By combining plot points with character development and internal motivations, your story becomes less about the “what” and more about the “how” and “why”. With a detailed outline, you can feel confident that when you sit down to write a chapter or scene, you are capturing all the elements that make it a moving and essential part of the overall story.
05 — Character Development & Emotionality
You know yourself so it may look simple on the surface to create your “character”. However, as many writers attempt to capture their essence in story form, it can be difficult to distill down what aspects of your personality, values, and belief systems are relevant for the story you’re telling and your reader’s understanding of you. This is where we add character motivation, progress, and setbacks into the storyline. This is often done most effectively in memoir by exposing emotionality—not the mentally processed feeling or takeaway, but the visceral reaction in your body—the aspects of your experience that will draw your reader in and allow them to relate.
06 — Storytelling Elements
Once you have your outline complete, you are ready to sit down and write. But there are some great storytelling elements that can enhance reader enjoyment such as upping the stakes or tension and adding humor. There are even permissible lies of creative non-fiction you can draw from to keep the core elements of the story intact while improving reader comprehension and clarification so your bigger message doesn’t get lost in the weeds. Metaphor is also a powerful tool we explore to translate feelings to the reader in a way they may be able to relate to more universally.
You were never meant to go on this writing journey alone.
We offer a community of writers and coaches to provide support and guidance throughout your writing experience. Connect with others at a similar place in their process.