WRITE YOUR LIVING LEGACY
A beginner’s memoir-writing workshop series. No writing experience necessary!
Are there nuggets of wisdom gleaned from your life that will disappear into the ether unless you write and share them before you’re gone? Would you like to integrate hard-earned life lessons in a safe and creative space? Your story matters!
I’m thrilled to invite you to ‘Write Your Living Legacy’ - a 6-week series of guided, interactive memoir-writing workshops!
This series will give you the time, tools and confidence to capture and share your stories.
The Write Your Living Legacy framework is based on the Guided Autobiography (GAB) methodology. Developed by esteemed gerontologist, researcher and author, Dr. James Birren, GAB is a proven, effective technique for gathering, documenting and sharing life stories. I am delighted to be a Guided Autobiography instructor certified through The Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies.
My soulful approach to shaping and delivering the workshop content is informed by my experience as a legacy guide and celebrant. Story is always at the heart of my work as I companion people through life’s various thresholds and guide them toward authentic living.
“People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it’s the other way around.”
— Terry Pratchett
What to expect?
You’ll be joined by like-minded people who are equally eager to dive into their stories and start shaping their legacy. Over the course of six weeks, I’ll lead you through a series of rich and evocative themes that touch us all, such as branching points on your journey, family, work life, health, death and spirituality.
Priming questions and creative, self-reflective exercises will help to unlock memories and events that may have been buried inside you. Here are a few examples of the types of questions you’ll be invited to consider:
Who has most impacted the direction of your life?
How much choice did you have as you set goals for your life?
Is there anything you feel so strongly about that you would sacrifice almost everything for it?
Each week between classes, you will write a story on a specific theme and share the story in your small group at the next class. You get to decide what you want to write and share. You can go as deep as you wish, knowing that confidentiality and community is a guiding principle within the group.
Past Write Your Living Legacy participant
“In just one session and a couple of preliminary emails, you have naturally created an atmosphere of virtual trust that often takes FAR more time to foster.”
Past Write Your Living Legacy participant
“I am so deeply grateful for these sessions and the people in them that each week are impacting my life more than I could ever explain.”
Class format
Each week, we’ll spend just over two hours together.
During the first hour:
We’ll explore a new theme and I’ll also teach you essential skills and elements of creative-writing. I promise to keep it engaging and informative, weaving in examples, flash writing exercises, and opportunities to interact and ask questions along the way.
During the second hour:
You will be placed in small groups, where you will share up to 1000 words (approx. two pages) of writing that you’ve done on the theme of the week on your own time and listen to the stories that your classmates have written as well.
Through the giving and receiving of encouraging and empathetic comments, you will grow to understand yourself better and forge new friendships too! Great efforts are made to cultivate a supportive community. Participants must commit to maintaining confidentiality.
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Through these workshops, you’ll achieve what once may have seemed so daunting: you’ll capture and share your life stories for your loved ones and future generations!
“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."
Søren Kierkegaard
What are the benefits?
Many people want to write their life stories - for themselves or for future generations - but they don’t know where or how to begin. The Write Your Living Legacy workshops are instructed and paced in such a way that, by the end of the six weeks, you’ll be well on your way to writing your own meaningful memoir!
While it is not therapy, this form of capturing life stories has many therapeutic benefits. Through this experience, you’ll:
Better understand and accept yourself,
Strengthen your creative writing skills (even if you don’t consider yourself to be ‘a writer’),
More easily navigate life transitions,
Experience decreased anxiety and tension,
Gain important insights and perspectives on past experiences and events,
Forge a connected community of fellow journeyers,
Pass on valuable wisdom, history and stories to your loved ones and future generations,
Contribute in a positive way to your family’s legacy narrative, AND
Find meaning and shape the way you continue to live your life → your living legacy!
There are many more benefits to this method of life story writing. You’ll find many of them in the articles found here.
“As I relived my life exploring the themes, I relived it through the eyes of an adult. It made me understand things a child could never have understood. Knowing more about where I have been helps me know more about where I am and where I want to go.”
Pauline Abbott (from Telling the Stories of Life through Guided Autobiography Groups, by James E. Birren & Kathryn N. Cochran)
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FAQs
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This workshop series is for writers of all levels. The focus is on reflection and self-discovery rather than writing ability.
While no previous writing experience is necessary, a willingness to write is a must!
This course includes short weekly writing assignments (up to 1000 words) that you will share in a small group. Along the way, you’ll be supported with exercises to help you channel your inner creative writer!
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The magic of the Guided Autobiography method is truly in the small group sharing. It is a powerful — often transformative — experience to give voice to your story within a safe, confidential container. A lot of care is taken to cultivate a positive workshop community. Any feedback given and received must be respectful, supportive, and never critical of the person’s writing or experiences. All participants must commit to keeping stories and discussions to themselves.
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The workshop series that are online are hosted on Zoom. (You do not need a Zoom account to be able to access the meetings.)
A few days before the first workshop, I’ll host a virtual office hour on Zoom so you can confirm access and test your computer’s camera, microphone and speakers.
Besides Zoom, you’ll need basic computer skills, such as:
using the internet and email,
downloading and opening documents,
posting and replying to images and documents in a shared Google Drive (no Gmail account necessary).
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For over a decade, Karla has been helping people tap into their essential stories in order to live and die meaningfully and mark milestones along the way.
She brings to these workshops her great passion and depth of experience in working with people on matters of the heart as a Legacy Guide, Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant, Certified Guided Autobiography instructor, community leader and facilitator.
She believes that stories are an essential tool to understanding oneself and deepening connections with others - both important elements of good living.
Her memoir-writing workshops are a perfect complement to the rest of her legacy work. She thoughtfully weaves the themes, priming questions, and creative exercises throughout to inspire and empower participants to share their stories in a whole new way.
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Life happens. If, after registering for Write Your Living Legacy, you are no longer able to participate, we have a couple of options:
If you cancel your registration within one week of the first class, you will receive a full refund.
If the times and dates of another upcoming session work better for you, we can simply apply your payment and registration to that series.
If you cancel less than seven days before the first class and you’re not available for an upcoming session, we can discuss how the tuition paid can be applied to another of my offerings.
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You can reach out to me at karla@karlacombres.com. I also offer a free 20-minute discovery call, so you can be sure the course is right for you.
About your guide
Humans are storytelling creatures. Through our stories, we share important values and lessons. And in doing so, we also strengthen the foundations of our communities - whether that be our friendships, families or organizations.
I’m Karla Combres. As a legacy guide and celebrant, stories are my jam! Over the past decade, I’ve helped hundreds of people slow down, tap into and express their essential stories, values and beliefs through workshops, ceremonies and 1-on-1 guidance.
I’m thrilled and proud to be certified as a Guided Autobiography (GAB) instructor through the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies. As someone whose vocation includes diving deep into others’ stories, going through the GAB process myself was a transformative experience. This unique, proven method of capturing and integrating life stories is a meaningful complement to my work.
“I have been so taken by Karla’s demeanor, sensitivity to others and philosophy of life... She is someone whose integrity and passion for life is a part of her ‘way of being’ in the world. She is one of those rare people who appears as a teacher in one’s own life journey.”
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“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here.”
Sue Monk Kidd
