Mapping the Self: Life Writing (eight-week course)

Module one – Self: Drawing The Map

How do we map our lives? How do we learn to give ourselves the space and permission to write? Life and memoir writing is not simply the recording of events.

In this introductory session, you will get to know your tutor and fellow students, build your writing community and lay the foundations for the next eight weeks and beyond.

Module two – Perspective: Uncovering the self

Who am I?

In this module, you will understand the power of writing the ‘I’ and locate the map of self. You will explore what it means to write in the second and third person, and learn to see yourself through writing.

Module three – Mapping memory

‘Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.’ – Oscar Wilde

How do we access the past? Memory is slippery. In module three, you will look at your own memories and their relationship with time. You will explore honesty, and the unspoken contract with your readers, as well as admitting the flaws in memory and the difficulty of truth-telling. This module will include your first writing assignment.

Module four – Narrative: Finding your voice

‘There has to be an engaging voice in the writing – a voice that captures personality’ – Judith Barrington

But what is this elusive thing called ‘voice’? In this module, you will explore how your unique voice brings life to the page through techniques like dialogue, gesture and characterising real-life people. You will learn how to show the everyday, and how the language you use and the people you allow to speak within your narrative impacts your work.

Module five – Theme & Ethics: The life within your story

‘We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.’ – Jim Neil Smith

This week, you will explore the concept of theme and how it gives meaning and shape to a story. Storytelling lies at the heart of our history, heritage, humanity, hopes and hearts, helping us make sense of our own experiences and those of others.

As you learn how to craft stories drawn from lived experience, you will consider important ethical questions at the centre of life writing: How do we write about other people with care and integrity? How do we balance honesty, truth and self-expression? What are our moral responsibilities when representing real lives on the page? You will also examine how writing about difficult subjects can build resilience, empathy and understanding, while developing the skills to shape compelling narratives from your own life or the lives of others.

Module six – Playing with form

What form best suits your story?

In this module, you will explore the many different forms of life writing, from auto fiction to lyrical essays to traditional memoirs. Whatever the form, you will learn to craft your writing in candid, authentic and artful ways. This module will include your second writing assignment.

Module seven – The geography of editing

How do you shape your story?

In the penultimate module, you will learn to notice, understand and evaluate the value and meaning of each word on the page. Editing is where you start to find the magic.

Module eight – The map continues

This module will include your one-to-one tutorial with Camilla and the feedback on your written assignments. This will include a discussion of what to do next with your writing, from setting goals and routines to other courses, as well as competitions, agents and publishers.