Uploaded August 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
You Should Write a Memoir! - Nori Muster
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Disclaimer: This session was delivered for the 2023 ICSA Conference. The speaker of this session does not speak on behalf of ICSA as an organization.
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Abstract: In 1997, Nori Muster published "Betrayal of the Spirit," a memoir about her ten years with the Hare Krishnas. For most of those years, she participated in covering up the organization's secrets. When she realized what was going on, she signed up for the UCLA Extension Writer's Program to learn how to tell the story. By the time she left the temple, she had a five-hundred-page doorstop of a manuscript. The final book was 213 pages.
Nori has been writing for publication since 1981 and will share what she's learned. The subjects include: how to decide what story you want to tell, what to include or leave out, the importance of your working title, how to obey slander and libel laws, where to seek feedback, when not to talk about your work, how to manage writer's block, whether to join a writing group or class, whether to publish, whether to self-publish, how to self-publish, how to write a memoir for future generations of your family, whether to use a pseudonym, how to choose a title, how to write a book proposal, and how to work with an agent or publisher.
Nori will present the information first and then open a group discussion. If you have ideas for writing a memoir or you're already in the process, this workshop will address your concerns. This workshop is designed to be inspirational, to help you get past the obstacles and on the road.
Your goal may or may not include publishing, but simply putting your memories on paper is therapeutic because it helps get them out of your head. Reading and editing what you write helps you process your experiences. After the discussion, Nori will lead a writing exercise to brainstorm a title for your memoir.
You Should Write a Memoir! - Nori Muster
-
Disclaimer: This session was delivered for the 2023 ICSA Conference. The speaker of this session does not speak on behalf of ICSA as an organization.
-
Abstract: In 1997, Nori Muster published "Betrayal of the Spirit," a memoir about her ten years with the Hare Krishnas. For most of those years, she participated in covering up the organization's secrets. When she realized what was going on, she signed up for the UCLA Extension Writer's Program to learn how to tell the story. By the time she left the temple, she had a five-hundred-page doorstop of a manuscript. The final book was 213 pages.
Nori has been writing for publication since 1981 and will share what she's learned. The subjects include: how to decide what story you want to tell, what to include or leave out, the importance of your working title, how to obey slander and libel laws, where to seek feedback, when not to talk about your work, how to manage writer's block, whether to join a writing group or class, whether to publish, whether to self-publish, how to self-publish, how to write a memoir for future generations of your family, whether to use a pseudonym, how to choose a title, how to write a book proposal, and how to work with an agent or publisher.
Nori will present the information first and then open a group discussion. If you have ideas for writing a memoir or you're already in the process, this workshop will address your concerns. This workshop is designed to be inspirational, to help you get past the obstacles and on the road.
Your goal may or may not include publishing, but simply putting your memories on paper is therapeutic because it helps get them out of your head. Reading and editing what you write helps you process your experiences. After the discussion, Nori will lead a writing exercise to brainstorm a title for your memoir.
