What’s the Truth Got to Do with It? With Alan Close
Memoir Writing Workshop
‘No-one is boring if they tell the truth.’ Quentin Crisp
Everybody has a story to tell. We might have a deep need to heal and ‘set the story straight’ or simply want to tell an interesting yarn for our family and friends. Either way, ‘the truth’ of our lives is often challenging and elusive. Finding the ‘right’ way to tell our stories can be the hardest part of writing them.
Many questions confront us. How do we decide what to write? Is the story we want to tell really the story we need to tell? What is the difference between the ‘truth’ and the ‘facts’? Where do we start and where do we finish? How do we decide what to leave out and what to put in? Is memory reliable? How can we reconstruct events and conversations which often took place many years ago? And how do we write honestly about our lives without hurting those closest to us?
Based around practical writing exercises and constructive feedback in a supportive environment, this workshop will help you make your story come alive on the page. Importantly, we will also address the ethical and moral issues involved in writing truthfully about the real people your life.
When:
Where; Byron Writers Festival office
Who Is It For: Beginner and intermediate writers
About Alan Close
Over four decades as a writer, Alan has published fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction and written widely in the national print media. He edited the anthology Men Love Sex, which remains a benchmark of men writing about love, sex and relationships. His most recent book is Before You Met Me: A Memoir Of One Man’s Troubled Search For Love. He works as an editor and writing mentor and teacher, both face to face and online. He lives in Mullumbimby.
Please note: In line with the prevailing public health rules, all those attending a Byron Writers Festival workshop in person at the Festival office are required to be double vaccinated as a protection for fellow participants, staff, their families and the community we serve.
For those who do not meet vaccination requirements, we can offer workshop participation via Zoom.