I've spent some time in earlier posts describing my mother's stories about growing up in Jamaica. When she was in her late 80s or early 90s, she took a biography writing class from Windward Community College. The essays she wrote as assignments in that class inspired me to do the same for my early years. Now that I'm retired, I've decided to act on the inspiration.
I enrolled in a semester-long seminar entitled, "Memories and Memoir: Writing Personal Histories." Our first meeting today included a few first-timers, and several repeat students. Students and instructor are all retirees, and the seminar is one of many offered by the Renaissance Society on the California State University - Sacramento (CSUS or Sac State) campus.
Our first assignment is to determine the outcome we want from the class (vignettes, stories, book, ...) and the audience. Then we are to write stories of up to 800 words to read aloud in class. The instructor will offer guidance for developing characters, creating story lines with tension and resolution, and for determining whether we can make the story stronger by including fiction enhancements.
Most are there to - of course - write about themselves or their parents for their children. Everyone has an interesting story, and I'm looking forward to the journey.
