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z-Jumpstart your true story in 2022

z-A live, 4-week challenge to tell your story. Starts January 13.

Autobiography. Family history stories.  Memoir.

Enrollment has now closed

Course Summary

You have a story to tell, and this class will give you practice, confidence, and tools to get it done in 2022. This live class (with replays) will be taught in a challenge format spanning 4 weeks. By the end, you will have written and edited a personal story (your own, an ancestor's, or another loved one's). You will receive question prompts to guide your selection of a great vignette to write, and then you will learn the most important moments that make any true story compelling. You will come to see this pattern in true stories so you can follow the blueprint in the future.

Class will include heaps of encouragement for beginning writers and those with more experience who may be ready to kick off a full book in 2022. No matter where you are in your writing journey, this class will get you off and running in 2022. Your words matter - don't let yourself get stuck in overwhelm, procrastination, or perfectionism. This course is the antidote. You can tell your story, and you should.

Overview of what you will accomplish in class:

- You will start, continue and finish a short story.
- You will map out your story so it hits compelling emotional notes, and so it will inspire readers.
-  You will make important decisions for your story like the right point of view, tense, and how to use dialogue. Not sure what all this means? Don't worry, we'll simplify it so you know what to do and why. Trust us, the lightbulb will go on as we work through exercises.
- You will edit your story so you feel excited about the finished product.
- Not only will you FINISH one story, but you'll see how to repeat this process again and again. This is how you can finish a full book or a series of short stories, if those are your goals.  



How it works...

Dates for live Zoom classes

January 13
January 20
January 27
February 3
Replays will be available for all sessions

Time

5:00 to 6:30 PM Mountain Standard Time

(That's 7 Eastern, 6 Central, 4 Pacific, and 10 AM the following day if, say, you're in Brisbane, Australia.) 

What's included

The interactive workshop will be taught via Zoom, with replays. Classes will include in-class exercises, Q&A, and printable worksheets. Instructors are  professional writers, Rhonda Lauritzen & Rachel Trotter. 

This course would make a wonderful gift

After purchase, you will be sent instructions for how to give your extra bonus gift certificate or transfer both enrollments. You will also get a printable gift certificate. 

If you are giving this as a gift, get a refund within 30 days if your recipient does not love the gift.
(minus our out-of-pocket shipping cost on the bonus, but you keep the goodies)

Rhonda Lauritzen

Rhonda Lauritzen is a professional biographer with multiple published books. She specializes in life stories, collecting oral history, and historical storytelling. She earned an MBA from the University of Utah and was selected as the Outstanding Graduate in her undergrad major. Before she founded Evalogue.Life in 2016, she served as a college marketing director, Vice President, and a corporate CEO. In 2007, her writing journey began with her parents’ family business saga, which became her first book. Since then, she has been hired to help tell the stories of families, cities, and nonprofits. She believes that when you tell your story, it changes the ending. This is why her passion is teaching, coaching, and presenting at conferences.

Rachel Trotter

Rachel J. Trotter is a senior writer/editor at Evalogue.Life – Tell Your Story. She tells people’s stories and shares hers to encourage others. She loves family storytelling. A graduate of Weber State University, she has had articles featured on LDSLiving.com, lds.org, FamilySearch.org and Meridian Magazine. She has been a speaker at RootsTech, Weber State University Family History Conference, Conference on Family History at BYU and the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. She helps people tell and write their life stories and has written six life stories with several more in production. She has also helped several others write their own stories. She and her husband Mat have six children and she recently became a grandma! She and her family live on the East Bench in Ogden, Utah.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This is a live, 4-week class

No, this is an interactive class with live instruction and group feedback. 

We will have ideas on how to start, continue or even finish your life story and leave with a completed writing project. The workshop will be virtual, but will be engaging, with lessons on writing, opportunities for writing, plus reading your work and receiving feedback and coaching throughout the day. 

It is great if you have already done some writing, but all skill levels will feel welcome here. Everyone will learn and can benefit from the structure to complete a story in class. 

What Students Say About our Live Classes

“I never realized how important writing is to me...I feel blessed to have found your class! Thank you for giving me the tools, and now the confidence, to take the words from my head and place them on paper. You are a fabulous teacher.”
Denise, U.S.A. 
“I thoroughly enjoyed the 'Life Story' class. The storyboard was marvelous and extremely helpful.”
Bryan, U.S.A.
“I had a terrific time in your class. It has provided a necessary means of accountability. I felt inclined to write some life stories but just wasn't applying the chair glue to do it.”
Valarie, U.S.A.
“Thank you for teaching this class. It is making my life better and giving me the encouragement I need to finish my book.”
Stephanie, U.S.A.
"Thank you! Best class I attended at RootsTech."
Craig, U.S.A.
I finished the course “How to Write a Memoir…” this morning!!! It was SO WONDERFUL! (The course AND the feeling of finishing.) I will be reviewing the course again and again to make sure it all “sticks.” My review is a glowing one and well deserved. 
Nancy, U.S.A.
"I really enjoyed your class and feel like I was set to go on a journey. I have to confess that I was not sold on the storyboard idea at the beginning of the class, but as I have studied it and learned a bit more, I can see and recognize it not only in books and movies but in real life. Very interesting!"
Santiago, U.S.A. 
"Using what you taught us, I posted photos and short stories about my husband who died thirty years ago. I transferred his voice from cassette to flash drive. I uploaded his voice to FamilySearch. I am amazed at the reticent relatives and friends that appreciate these stories! The process showed me all I've lived through already. I can do this, too. Thank you"
Chris, U.S.A.
“Thank you for teaching this class. It is making my life better and giving me the encouragement I need to finish my book.”
Christina, U.S.A.
“I started searching for someone who could teach me to write with passion and something more powerful. Then Google led me to Rhonda's website and she has been that person for me. I did my research, read a lot of helpful information on her website, and I watched the previews.”   
Bruce, Australia
"Thank you, you helped me realize I am the hero in my own story." 
Kelly, U.S.A.
"I finished your course this morning!!! It was SO WONDERFUL! The course AND the feeling of finishing. My review is a glowing one and well deserved."
Nancy, U.S.A.

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