So you want to write your memoir but have no idea where to start...

You feel you have some basic writing skills, have a good idea of what your memoir will be like and that you have a good story line with lots of interesting things to say. The thought of writing a 500-page book, though, is daunting. So is the thought of writing the first few sentences to get going.

Well, it doesn't have to be a nerve-racking experience.

Join New Jersey author, longtime journalist, and writing teacher Lorraine Ash for an informative and interactive two-day workshop June 11-12 and learn how you—yes you—can write a memoir you'll be proud of.

"For most people, hard becomes easier when they learn how to structure a story," says Ash. "Knowing how to shape a story empowers new writers. A structure is like a mold into which people can pour their experiences and insights. It's the difference between living raw reality and producing a piece of art."

How to Write a Mini Memoir (Because Every Great Story Doesn't Have to be a Book) will be held at Cuppa Pulp Writers' Space, 119 Main Street, Nanuet, N.Y., from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. each day. This workshop is open to both men and women.

"Many people are motivated to write a memoir because they had a powerful experience and need to both process and bear witness to it," states Ash. "Often they hope their story helps others who go through similar experiences. Some memoir writers want to leave a legacy for their families and community. Others write to make meaning of their lives. In the course of writing, they can lay out the different chapters of their existence, side by side, and see connections and patterns they could not see in the course of living."

Writing a mini memoir "helps us dive directly into the heart of our own story and its central questions and seminal images," adds Ash, "in a way that is emotionally satisfying for the writer and the reader."

The market demand for mini memoirs (5,000 to 30,000 words) and its cousin, the personal essay (1,000 to 5,000 words), is high. Readers love these popular forms, which are immersive, take less time to read than a full book, and often cost less.

In this 2-day workshop participants will:
· Outline and write a piece of their own mini memoir
· Outline and write a piece of their own personal essay

Participants will learn:
· The difference between a mini memoir and a personal essay
· Techniques for short memoiric writing, including story silhouetting and time telescoping
· The three essential elements to a marketable personal essay
· Markets and venues to sell/distribute their work, including Kindle Singles,Medium.com, and a variety of excellent online/print magazines such as The Atlantic and The Sun
· Ways to use their mini memoirs, which can be artistic ends and commercial products in themselves or instruments to gauge public interest in, or market, a full-size book
· Ways to use their personal essays, which can be instruments of education and advocacy on myriad platforms

During this workshop, participants will understand that longer doesn't necessarily mean better. In fact, it can be the total opposite in this day and age of social media immediacy.

"We live in a world where people are getting used to short-form writing of many types," says Ash. "If an author can efficiently write a memoir using 5,000 to 30,000 words, instead of the 60,000 to 80,000 a book requires, that author is likely to enjoy two advantages: The first is more venues in which to sell his work. The second is more readers, which is particularly important for quality writers who are not celebrities. Readers are more likely to spend two hours -- not ten hours -- reading a memoir by a non-celebrity author if the topic engages them. Besides, not every story requires 80,000 words to be told well, and it's important to remember that shorter doesn't mean lesser. Writing more tightly requires artistry and skill and a short read can be every bit as satisfying as a longer one."

The fee for the two-day workshop, which includes a mini-reflexology session with the wonderful Elle Levenson, is just $215 ($165 Early Bird Rate if registered by May 15 ). Register online at www.cuppapulp.com/…/write-mini-memoir-every-great-story-doe… .

Cuppa Pulp Writers' Space is the perfect location for this workshop.

"The pure and simple need for creative professionals to encounter other creative professionals, that is what our space is about," says Donna Miele, who owns Cuppa Pulp with her husband Ken Herndon, both of whom are media freelancers. "We have this wonderful space that can nurture so much more than two freelancers’ offices. We crave a connection with others working creatively in our community in every field from engineering to poetry to gourmet cuisine."

Ash, M.A., of Allendale, N.J., is the author of Life Touches Life: A Mother's Story of Stillbirth and Healing (NewSage Press, 2004) and Self and Soul: On Creating a Meaningful Life (Cape House Books, 2012). She also is editorial director of Cape House Books, a boutique collaborative publishing company. For more about Ash, visit her website, www.LorraineAsh.com.

NOTE: Cuppa Pulp Writers' Space will be hosting another outstanding two-day writing workshop in June, Which Way Do I Go? Life Stories in Fact or Fiction, with Debra Scacciaferro, Saturday-Sunday, July 16-17. "Which Way Do I Go?" explores thinking outside the box of a traditional memoir when it comes to writing your Life Story as a book. Scacciaferro, a writing coach and former journalist, explores many genres and styles (novels, cookbooks, generational memoirs, essays, humor) that memoirists have chosen to work in. She offers insight into the pros and cons of writing Life Story in fact or fiction, or both.