For: Unpublished English-speaking women aged 30 or older

Where: Quinta Valentina, under the palapa furthest from the cashier

When: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday—January 23, 25, and 27— from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (includes a 15-minute break)

Cost: $600 pesos, payable in cash on the first day

Number of participants: minimum of three, maximum of seven

Please bring: a notebook and a pen or pencil for taking notes and writing short exercises, plus a colored pen or pencil for making comments. (Constructive comments are welcome, but criticism is prohibited.) Of course, you can use a computer instead. The restaurant will not charge us, but please order a beverage. (No food at the table during class.)

Facilitator: Lynne Willard, La Manzanilla full-time resident and veteran of “The World of Words”

The workshop is designed to be fun, interactive, and non-judgmental. Although some participants might want to write an autobiography—her entire life story—we will focus on fine-tuning the parts and pieces of a memoir. Normally, a memoir covers a shorter time period, from a few memorable days to a period of many years; its length can be anywhere from 19,000 to 70,000 words. Of the 18 women who have taken the workshop to date, all of them wanted only to write a story for herself and/or her family; for those who want to publish, I will give you a complete guide to the process at the conclusion of the workshop. (You would be under no pressure whatsoever to hire me as your editor!) After every workshop, I think of ways to make it better, so I hope that at least three women sign up.

Here is some unsolicited feedback:

Lynne, you are an inspiring, informative, and supportive teacher. Keep teaching!

I'm sure I speak for this group when I say you are a natural teacher, and you did a fantastic job. Professional, fun, and truly present to each of us. Honestly, you went way beyond my expectations with all the extra information you provided around publishing, etc. If you saw room for self improvement in the teaching department, it wasn't anything we noticed!

BONUS: I will send a free copy of my own memoir, The Accidental Immigrant, to all workshop participants this summer. (Shipping costs to Mexico are so high that I asked my publisher to send my copies to a friend in Ohio, where I will pick them up in July.)

If you are interested in attending, please contact me at lfwedit@gmail.com no later than noon this coming Sunday, January 21. We will communicate via email so that I can send everyone documents as attachments prior to and during the workshop. I will notify you if the workshop is canceled due to a lack of participants; if it’s not, I will send you some preliminary material on Sunday.