Welcome to the Memoir Studio Method 1 course:

I am thrilled to have you join this journey of reflection, connection, and storytelling. Over the next six sessions, you’ll uncover meaningful moments from your life, explore your personal history, and craft stories that capture your unique legacy. This is a supportive and collaborative space where we’ll learn from one another’s experiences and create something truly special together.

Get ready to dive into your memories, find inspiration in the stories of others, and discover new insights about yourself along the way. Thank you for entrusting me to guide you through this process—I’m honored to be part of your storytelling journey.

If you have questions before we begin, reach out. I can’t wait to get started with you.

Remember: The rest of the course will be available from Monday, September 8th one section at a time.

Our first online meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 16th at 7pm Eastern. Zoom details to follow.

Warm regards,

Michael Williams

Memoir Studio | memoirstudio.ca

Course Overview

The Memoir Studio Method 1 is a 6-session interactive course designed to help you reflect on and document the key moments of your life. Drawing on my Guided Autobiography training, each session explores a different theme—such as family, career, or resilience—through guided writing prompts, group discussions, and personalized feedback. In each session, you will write a minimum of 2 pages. Of course, you can write more, but when it comes to reading your work to the class, we’ll limit you to two pages, so that everyone has an opportunity to read and receive feedback.

By the end of the course, you’ll have a collection of written stories that capture your unique journey and legacy. Whether you’re writing for yourself, your loved ones, or future generations, this course offers a supportive environment to uncover meaningful memories and turn them into lasting narratives.

Course Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will:

• Have a collection of 6-8 written stories reflecting key aspects of your life
• Gain a deeper understanding of your life experiences and personal growth
• Build confidence in sharing your stories with others
• Create a foundation for continuing your life story into a full memoir or legacy document

What is the Memoir Studio Method?

The Memoir Studio Method is draws on my experience in oral storytelling, creative writing, and legacy work as an end-of-life planning facilitator. It draws on my Guided Autobiography training and offers a structured and thematic approach to life writing with the help of a trained facilitator. Because of this, it is particularly suited to aspiring and experienced memoir writers alike.

The Guided Autobiography approach was pioneered by Dr. James Birren over a 40-year period, during which he sought to find a way of helping his patients discover the meaning and purpose of their lives through writing.

A program is structured over 6-8 sessions, each focusing on a particular theme such as childhood, family dynamics, career and achievements, relationships, money, spirituality and so on. The program doesn't require participants to be polished writers. We view progress as a life story written two pages at a time, though you can certainly write more.

Writing prompts and themes serve as a scaffold helping one to organize one's memories and stories. The facilitator creates a safe space and guides the participant through the process, nurturing introspection while fostering a supportive and collective experience within the group.

As the Birren Center states, "The primary goal of Guided Autobiography goes beyond mere documentation of personal histories. It seeks to stimulate self-discovery, fortify resilience, and cultivate personal growth by delving into and comprehending one's life narrative in a deeper and more meaningful way."

However, we changed the name from Guided Autobiography to the Memoir Studio Method so as not to confuse people who might have thought we helped people write autobiographies. Memoir writing is different. Instead of writing about an entire life, we focus on particular memories and help our students create memorable stories: many are happy to create a collection of stories and some go on to create full-length memoirs. Whatever your goal, the Memoir Studio Method is for you.

During these sessions, you'll have opportunities to reflect and explore memoir writing in more depth. Every session includes questions, writing prompts for inspiration, and detailed explanations of important concepts.

Welcome to "The Memoir Studio Method: A Guided Journey from Memory to Meaning".