I bought this audio CD set about two years ago and it has proved to be one of the best value CDs ever. I'm glad I decided to go for the audio version rather than the book even if once or twice the book would have been handy for quick reference.
I have enjoyed listening to Natalie talk about writing memoir, reading excerpts from other people's and giving me patient encouragement. I put it on MP3 and have listened and re-listened on the train, or whilst doing some household chore, or just relaxing over a morning coffee.
Like her other writing 'how-to' books this one encourages you to try out different approaches rather than just listing topics, and these approaches can take you deeper into your memories so you start to write not just about the events but about what it felt like to experience them.
The tracks on this double CD set include:
What is memoir
How do we begin
Writing Practice
How to uncover hidden memories
Ways to Begin Writing
'Sprinting' exercises
The importance of detail ( and how to handle it )
Finding the deeper structure of your life
Three rules for a healthy writing practice
How to ground your writing
How to employ your obsessions
Ways to enter your memories
Weather as a backdrop
Lists
Memoir as a long-term project
How to complete it.
Each time I listen to one of these sections I get more out of it, and the excerpts she reads from published memoirs inspire me. It's like having a personal memoir-tutor on hand any time you want to listen. I find it helps keep me 'in the world' of memoir-writing, which can be an otherwise solitary place.
( PS As a UK male listener I find Natalie's US accent easy on the ear, and her delivery is not rushed, but it's worth listening to a sample track to check for yourself.)
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