Writers Helping Writers
Hosted by San Mateo Public Library
2nd Thursday of most months (check back for updates)
Produced by the San Francisco Peninsula branch of the California Writers Club
November 13, 2025
Writers Helping Writers
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Memoir Momentum: Avoid 3 Common Obstacles That Keep Many Writers Stuck, Frustrated, and Afraid They’ll Never Finish Their Memoir
Wondering what to do next on your memoir? Maybe you started and gave up almost immediately. Or wrote half a book, then stalled. Maybe you’ve written a few personal essays that seem promising, but how could you turn them into a book? And memoir is personal—should you really tell that story?
If you’re feeling stuck, scared, or frustrated because your memoir is not getting written, this presentation will give you an opportunity to move past common obstacles and gain clarity and momentum.
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Darlene Frank is a writer, editor, and writing coach who has helped authors write and publish book-length memoirs about autism, grief, adoption, traumatic brain injury, sexual violence, disability, food and travel, dance, and more. She is editor and publisher of Spirited Voices, an online magazine featuring the work of participants in her writing programs. She also teaches a year-long program for people who are writing a book. Darlene’s personal essays appear in over 12 anthologies, including Fault Zone. She is a decades-long member and former Vice President of the San Francisco Peninsula chapter of CWC. In another life she was an award-winning technical and instructional writer and author of two business books. Read more on her website.
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Attend these free events at the San Mateo Public Library.
Upcoming presenters
Presentations are on the second Thursday of the month, from 6:30 - 8:00pm.
Darlene Frank
Memoir Momentum
About Writers Helping Writers at
San Mateo Public Library
The San Francisco Peninsula branch of CWC hosts a Writers Helping Writers program at the San Mateo Public Library on the second Thursday of the month from 6:30 to 8 pm. This event is managed by CWC member David Strom and co-sponsored by Tuula Laine, a librarian at the library and a member of the San Francisco Peninsula CWC.
Each month, CWC SF Peninsula branch members share learned techniques and experiences in their craft. From scoping out your memoir to finding inspiration for a poem to plotting your novel to learning the ins and outs of blogging—we teach what we’ve learned. This is an opportunity for all writers to meet and share their experiences.
Our purpose? To pass on what we’ve discovered to help other writers.
Anyone can attend, free of charge.
Watch this space for announcements of the month’s topic. Meetings are in-person only.