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Memoir Bootcamp: Get Submission Ready with Lily Dunn

Do you write memoir and are you gearing up to get ready to think about finding an agent and a publisher? - You might be interested in this intensive and intimate course, starting in March.

Are you writing a memoir? Have you been working on it for a while and you’re wondering if it has legs and might find a publisher? Are you struggling to narrow it down to theme and story – the perfect elevator pitch – and to make the opening chapters as good as they can be? Do you want guidance from an acclaimed memoirist on how to pull it into shape? And do you want to hang out with a group of other writers working on memoir, and learn from each other? This course is designed for those of you who have been working on your memoir for some time and who now want to take it to the next level, so that it stands out, and has the best possible chance of catching the attention of an agent or being published.

This course is application only (opening three pages and a synopsis) and will have maximum ten people taking part. It is an intensive course over 14 weeks, with weekly commitment in the evenings, and reading commitment in the second half. When you apply, please also include how many words you have written of your memoir.

There are two complimentary elements to Memoir Bootcamp, both of which will involve a lot of face-to-face time with me. During the first month of the course, I will be holding weekly two-hour seminars covering four common stumbling blocks:

  • How do you find theme, when writing about a life that is forever changing, narrowing your idea down to that golden thread that drives the narrative forwards?

  • When does research come in, and how best to use it?

  • The ‘memoirisation of time’ – how to move between scene setting and the reflective voice, and use time jumps effectively?

  • How to write through challenging content, without intruding too much on your own privacy or the lives of loved ones?

In these sessions there will be examples from contemporary memoir, lots of discussion, writing exercises and opportunities to read your work, and give and receive feedback.

The next two months will involve writing and workshopping. I will be facilitating weekly two-hour sessions, and each participant will have two chances to submit work for feedback (up to 3,000 words each submission). You might want to use the workshopping time to discuss overarching story, plot, themes, or prose style: it is up to you.

There will be two weeks of writing time between the first part of the course (teaching) and the second part (workshopping).

There will also be two one-to-one sessions, to talk through any specific challenges with me; one at the start of the course and one at the end of the course. And online masterclasses from two guests – agent,

, of Portobello Literary, and author Marina Benjamin (date and time to be confirmed).

A Slack workspace will be set up to share resources and work in progress, and to keep in touch between sessions.

None of us is guaranteed literary success, but there is a lot we can do to improve our odds!

This course is aimed at those who are serious about their memoir, whether you are yet to be published or already have some publication record, and can put time aside to work hard at getting it submission ready during the three months contact time.

Course dates: 10th March 2025 – 18th June 2025

Wednesday Evenings 6-8pm (UK Time)

All applications should be sent to info@londonlitlab.co.uk, with Memoir Bootcamp in the subject line. Applications will be assessed as and when they come in, and successful applicants can secure their place with a deposit of £200.

Price: £1,100 per person, can be paid in instalments.

Please message me here or email info@londonlitlab.co.uk for more details.

Maximum ten people on the course (minimum 8 people).

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I am an incurable memoir addict. I love reading it, teaching it, and writing it. Here you will find stories from a life, but you will also learn how to write it, and how memoir can be transformative beyond the page.