From 10:45 am until 1:00 pm
At West Branch Regional Library and on Zoom
1425 Chaffee Rd S, Jacksonville, FL 32221
Susie Baxter
Susie Baxter teaches memoir writing in the Community Education program at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. She is the author of Pumping Sunshine: A Memoir of My Rural Childhood, which won gold in the Royal Palm Literary Award contest for memoir in 2018. Her other books are C.G. & Ethel: A Family History; Write Your Memoir: One Story at a Time; and I, Susanette…, a coming-of-age memoir. For more information, see https://susiehbaxter.comWorkshop: Historical and Memoir Writing with Accuracy
Susie Baxter believes that every person has a story to tell, and she wants to help you tell your story whether the goal is to discover yourself, leave a historical record for your family, or create a bestseller.
In this workshop, you will receive prompts, handouts, exercises, and other tools aimed at helping you create a compelling memoir by writing about one experience at a time. She will discuss the use of pictures, letters, and other memorabilia to help you tell your story and the importance of your voice as you write past fear, dig deep, and show vulnerabilities. “The goal,” Susie says, “is to make your book read—not like a history book with boring dates, names, and places but—like a novel that readers will not want to put down.”
The workshop will also answer questions like these: Why write a memoir? How to begin? What if my memory is patchy and imperfect? How can I improve my storytelling skills? When does dialog work and not work? How do I structure my stories? How do I keep my reader turning the pages? When and how to show and tell? When and how to protect my work? When do I share my work with others? How best to obtain constructive feedback? How long will it take to write the book? How will I find the time? How do I avoid hurting others? How can I get my memoir published?