with Louisa Deasey

Each student inside The Art of Memoir receives extra support via bonus weekly email content, student surveys and checkins. Talking to someone about the process when you’ve met your goal is a reward in itself, so even when you join the Art of Memoir self-study, you can book a 1:1 milestone call with Louisa once you meet your chosen deadline! Every student is expected to choose their deadline [use the lessons in Foundations for Success to do this!] and fill in their success forms inside the course platform upon joining the programme.

The programme is hosted inside a private member platform (not facebook!), where you can ask questions and share insights as you work through the trainings and implement the material. Louisa is very ‘hands on’ inside this community, so you can be sure if you have a question about any piece of the curriculum, you’ll get an answer. You can also rest assured that your comments are only seen by other members of the community who are also dedicated memoir students.

Each month, Louisa hosts a coaching call inside the member platform where students can pre-submit questions (or just turn up) and get clear, action-based coaching on their story and gain an insights into what it takes to succeed as a memoir author. This is one of the most valuable pieces of this programme – whether you attend live or not. All calls are recorded as videos and available for replay immediately.  Students are encouraged to share insights and ask questions. Real, live interactive feedback on your story and your approach to the manuscript is incredibly valuable, and everyone is encouraged to attend these calls.

Need an example of a certain stage in the Hero’s Journey or a particular character archetype? There’s a guide for that. Want to write your focus sentence, your chapter breakdowns, or identify your midpoint reversal? There’s checklists, templates and cheatsheets for those, too. Every step of the way, you have examples broken down for you and plug-and-play templates for the tough stuff (like the synopsis – no writer likes those!). I’ve included some of my own examples from various drafts and broken down the principles of memoir and writing in detail, so you don’t need to worry that you’re missing anything in your process. The best thing? You can use these for years to come – they’re yours to keep!

Learn the framework that underpins this entire process and get a clear overview of what to expect, what pathway to take dependant on your circumstances, and how to succeed in this programme.

Clarity on the memoir genre – and what sells specifically in this category – is crucial. In Foundations for Success you’ll learn the what, why, how, when and where of memoir.  Includes What is Memoir, the Why for your Memoir, Map Your Memoir, When & Where to Write, as well as important templates, guides, exercises and checklists to use to set your deadline, clarify your motivation and set up a consistent writing practise.

Many memoir writers feel intimidated by the idea of writing a ‘book’, so this 30 day process will help you form a nourishing daily writing routine that has no big expectations except that you simply show up on the page each day. Some students have completed 50 000 words of their memoirs from this process alone!

The archetypal Hero’s Journey is explored in depth here, specifically to the memoir genre, so you can take it week by week and complete your draft as you understand new layers of the human growth experience. Each stage is explained via video class and with a comprehensive volume for you to keep, so you can use this process again and again in any of your future writing.

One of the most powerful aspects of writing memoir with this process is seeing events, characters, problems and aspects of the self as functions in a greater human story. These archetypes trainings delve further into the symbolic people and events revealed in personal stories, and the patterns and forms in which they might appear, so you can pay close attention to the specific details that are going to make your narrative richer and relatable.

Choosing the sequence in which to reveal your story is crucial to a compelling and page-turning narrative. These plotting masterclasses are here to give you an overview of the essential plot structure devices to use in a book-length narrative.

The simple truth is that most writers never become authors because they never make it past the messy middle of the manuscript writing process. This mindset masterclass will show you a clear-cut process to follow to walk yourself through the messy middle of the memoir writing process – so you can reach new levels of success and fulfilment. Not just with your memoir – but with any creative task!

How do you ensure your draft is as polished as you can get it before you start the submission process? Manuscript Finishing School walks you through Louisa’s six-stage process to revise your memoir as a professional editor would do. With clear video guidance, downloadable checklists and examples and a synopsis writing guide including a step-by-step template for you to follow, you’ll finish with a polished and revised draft and the know-how to put together the submission documents for your memoir.

In 7 separate bonus presentations and coaching replays you can learn a year ahead visioning and reflection ritual, explore deep dives into elements of the memoir process and explorations of questions about structure, writing about real people, seeing yourself as the ‘hero’ and more. Recorded during live iterations of the programme, you get to learn from others’ questions and experiences writing and revising their memoir.

When you complete your memoir draft and want to go through the traditional book publication submission process, it’s important to get an overview of what goes into a traditional book deal for published nonfiction books. This 5-class training walks you through exactly what and how going for a traditional book publishing deal for memoir works, and how to shift from the writing process to the mindset for sales and pitching in the publishing world.

I engaged Louisa on a very complicated and technical book project. She not only delivered on the promised turnaround, she identified and noted a few issues that were beyond the scope of what I engaged her for. Issues that, once corrected, significantly improved the quality of the book. I’ve since engaged her for three further book projects. Thank you Louisa!
Kelly Exeter, CEO of Swish Publishing

I’ll never forget you simplifying my deadline for me when I was completely overwhelmed. Thanks to your brilliant plan, I got my first book to the publishers on time! 
Karina Machado, Hachette author & Who columnist

I really want to say thank you again for your fabulous guidance, reflecting on the year, doing your program was a major highlight… I’d highly recommend anyone to do your Memoir program, there is loads and loads of valuable content, from practical tools to broad stroke thinking…my relationship with my writing has transformed as a result, and I’ve been chipping away for 7 years!
Lani Theresa Rose, Writer

Louisa Deasey is the real deal. She’ll save you time and offer solid lessons and inspiration in the memoir journey. The mindset techniques in her programs are fantastic, and I return to the lessons again and again. Writers would do well to chance upon your program sooner than later! I will never write a book again the way I did before, I’ll follow Louisa’s steps from the start…
Alice Lundy, writer

Louisa is one of those rare writers who is always researching and searching for a better way to do things… Louisa reviewed different assets for my writing course and her great eye for detail meant that she not only spotted gaps and inconsistencies, but also made lots of valuable suggestions for improvement.
Lindy Alexander, The Freelancer’s Year

Thank you for your encouragement, expertise and for pouring kerosene on my tiny aims. I finished my memoir in the first week, instead of the last week. Then, somehow, I reviewed all 20 chapters and reduced 1M+ words to a mere 285K. AND I have a hook, plot points outline/table, query and synopsis. I told my son how you changed my paradigm on what was possible and I will never forget it. Merci, Louisa!
Carolyn Barnabo, Writer

Thank you for your expertise. With other programs I’ve been a little left behind because I didn’t know the basics. I didn’t need to worry because you cover everything!
Kate Morell, Writer

Your course is such a gift. I’m learning so much about writing, story structure and most importantly about myself. I love the exploration of my story and am walking into further healing as I write. I have been inspired, stretched and challenged by your course. You truly are with us every step of the way – you’ve done an amazing job of making things clear for a newbie such as myself, I am being transformed from your hard work.
Kem Stickl, Writer

If i hadn’t rejigged a few of the chapters and thus, my chapter summaries, I don’t think the narrative would feel as cohesive as it feels now. And that’s all due to 90 Day Memoir! I’ve just received an email to say that my essay won the non-fiction category and will be published… thank you SO much for your feedback which helped me refine it.
Tash Agafonoff, Writer

If you’ve never experienced it before, publishing can seem like an enigma, the sort of industry that’s closed to all but insiders. Louisa knows traditional publishing, both as an author and from the back end where agents, editors and sales teams operate. She has a knack for coming up with new ways to ensure your manuscript gets in front of the right people.
Carrie Hutchinson, award-winning travel writer, ghostwriter & editor

Louisa can see possibilities for you that you can’t see because you’re too close to it all. 
Mary Adkins, HarperCollins author