Penny Lane
Redeemed, A Memoir of a Stolen Childhood 
March 13, 2025
4 PM PST | 5 PM MST | 6 PM CST | 7 PM EST
Sign Up Here

I started my writing process in January 2020 during a leave from work before we even knew there would be a worldwide pandemic, by taking an online workshop with Irene Graham with The Memoir Writers Workshop. Because I am a very organized, linear thinker, I loved her approach of balancing creativity, mind-mapping, lists and photos.  We started by creating a timeline of all of the memorable events in our lives, then labeling each event to see if a major “theme” appeared. These themes could be family, health, travel, change, childhood, divorce, etc. Once we found our theme- and verified with ourselves that that was what we wanted to write about, we threw out all other events or topics that took away from the theme. Since this was a beginner class, we didn’t focus on any fancy techniques for writing, like going back and forth in time, but rather on how to take each event or topic and flesh it out so that the reader is ‘in’ the event with you in the time it took place- as opposed to with today’s knowledge, insight and commentary.  I used mind-mapping thought bubbles before I began writing a new section to access details about people, places, events and emotions so that I had content to write about, and a ‘how’ to write about it.  For me, creating the timeline was very revealing, validating and healing. My memoir is about triumphing over an abusive childhood and a cultish church, so when I saw my timeline and was reminded of all that I had survived and went through to come out on top, it was very emotional- I don’t think of these things every day as I go through my life. It strengthened – and maybe healed me a bit- even though that was not what I was after. Each time I sat down to write, I reread my last work to see if I was happy with it- had I thought of anything new overnight, then if I was, I started with a new topic, fleshed it out on a drawing pad, and kept those pads next to me on my desk as I wrote. I like writing at home, in my office with the door closed, preferably with home alone as I was writing about very painful and personal stuff, things I had never told anyone about.

You will learn:

• Why to write and publish a memoir: Write a memoir for the right reasons.
• Creating a timeline of life events for your memoir
• How to pick a theme for the memoir
• How to flesh out a scene in a memoir to put your reader in the “room.”
• How to use the timeline to avoid “writer’s block.”
• Why you absolutely need an editor.

Penny Lane is a writer, wife and mother with an insatiable passion for life and books. Originally from Jackson Heights, Queens, she loves being outdoors-cycling, hiking, traveling, and connecting to, and inspiring people. She has a BS in business and management from the University of Phoenix and an MA in industrial/organizational psychology from Golden Gate University. In her spare time, she helps underserved youth learn to read, apply to college, and find jobs once they graduate, and in food pantries and other non-profits near her home in Mill Valley, California. Find out more at her website www.pennylanewriter.com