Workshops and Presentations
	Herding Butterflies: The Art and Craft of Memoir Writing
						Memoir writing often feels like “herding butterflies” as the writer sits and tries to capture ideas, emotions, memories, and events that flutter chaotically about. This workshop leads writers through taking their memoir from the idea stage to completion. Herding Butterflies provides writers with the pragmatic steps necessary to organize and write their memoir. The task of writing a memoir can be daunting to the point of crippling for a writer. The intricacies of remembering forgotten memories, reading through stacks of journals, trying to remain true to the story without hurting those you love, and stringing these disparate episodes into a compelling narrative can leave a writer overwhelmed with her head in hands at the computer. Blending practical tools of the craft with inspirational examples from memoirs this, workshop provides practical tools that will benefit writers of all writing abilities and at all stages of writing a memoir. Presented in an engaging and lively style a few of these tools include: how to organize journal entries for practical use; how to identify key events, passages, and emotions; delving memories for hidden meanings or events; discovering and following events that carry the most emotion, and how to decide the best organization of the material.  Writers will leave this workshop prepared for the arduous and surprising inner journey of memoir writing, of herding butterflies.
	If your group or conference would like additional information about available presentations, please contact Dawn at dawn@dawnwink.com