Hi Reader,

I'm excited to see you live on Tuesday for the first session of the Mini-Memoir Method led by me and Linda Joy Myers. Please set aside 30 minutes before Tuesday to review these instructions — it will make a real difference in your experience.

Required Reading

Please login to the Mini-Memoir Method course. All the information you need lives here. Find links to access the sessions, the course materials, and the discussion group.

Please get familiar with the rules and discussion group etiquette guidelines. These are here to ensure a productive, fun, and safe place to share our stories, discuss ideas, and ask questions.

• ​Access instructions (Web access & Circle app access for mobile devices) View to find the course link, discussion group link, Zoom link, dates, times. Please put the 4 Tuesdays on your calendar now. I send reminders but invariably someone misses the class because they have not recorded the Zoom link or put it on their calendar.
• ​Discussion group etiquette guidelines (SUPER IMPORTANT!) It's about more than being kind and collaborative. You'll learn exactly how to post and ask for the feedback you want (writer), and about how to respond constructively as a writing partner. The ask is as important as the response.
• ​Choosing your story and learning about turning points. This section will warm you up for our first session.

A note about Circle notifications in your inbox

While you may receive emails like this one from me (carla@carlaking.com) you are already receiving lots of emails from a circle.so address. (If you have not seen them - please check junk, updates, and promotions for them, and direct those emails into your primary inbox.)

Why so many? Because an email is triggered whenever someone posts in the discussion group. Right now you're getting introductions from other writers in the course as well as updates from me and Linda Joy.

While you are welcome to turn off notifications (login and go to your PROFILE > NOTIFICATIONS) I recommend you keep notifications on for our group. We're going to get to know each other pretty well during our journey together in June and July. (The discussion group will be open in July, after the live sessions end.)

How to modify notifications

1) Login and go to your Profile > Notifications

You will only see groups you're a member of. So you can safely turn off everything except CRAFT: Discussion: Mini-Memoir Method.

2) As in the image below: check and uncheck as you wish. By the way, the Say Hello area is public to hundreds of people. Please post your introductions and writing in our private Mini-Memoir Method Discussion Group instead.

Week 1 Assignment

You don't need to do all of this before Tuesday but the more you explore, the richer your first session will be. This week we'll focus on:

• Finding the story (or the first story) you want to work on
• Identifying a possible beginning, middle, and end
• Crafting the first scene (with hook) - see this lesson​

In addition to the live session on Tuesday, there are several lessons you can read now that will help you get up to speed.

• ​Assignment: Craft your opening scene​
• ​The hook: Action and interiority​
• ​Story structure: Creating momentum with your scenes​
• ​Example: Deconstructing When the Road Calls, But You Can't Answer​
• ​Example: Deconstructing Crazy Annie's Girl​
• If you want to dig deeper: Story, essay, vignette, or article?​

Technical difficulties? Private question? Here's how to reach me.

Email can be unreliable and your request may go unnoticed. However, when you post in the discussion group or DM me on Circle, I get a notification on my iPhone immediately. If you have a topic you feel uncomfortable posting in the discussion group, go to my profile and direct MESSAGE me using the red button.

This is your journey

This is your journey and the more you put in, the more you'll get out. Come to the sessions. Do the assignments. Post in the discussion group. Share your work and respond to others. Writers who engage fully end the month holding something they've been trying to write for years: a complete story, ready to publish. I can't wait to see what you create.

See you Tuesday!

~Carla

PS: Most of the questions you have are probably in the access instructions. However, if you can't find what you need, please post in the discussion group. Others may have the same question. Thanks! 😀