The Puma Years – Master Class with Laura Coleman

In this month’s master class, we had the exceptional author of The Puma Years, Laura Coleman, with us on a live call.

Laura generously answered all of our questions about writing and discussed the many decisions she made in writing her memoir.

Watch the video, and get ready to be amazed.

00:00:01 - Introduction of Laura Coleman

00:04:25 - Laura talks about her experience writing "The Puma Years"

00:10:38 - Did you keep a journal at the sanctuary and use it to write your memoir?

00:13:10 - Was writing "The Puma Years" in scene a deliberate choice or something that came naturally?

00:18:15 - Kit Dwyer points out passages that impacted her.

00:22:32 - How do you move from lighthearted to serious scenes?

00:26:08 - What made you decide to write this book?

00:29:39 - Did you write your memoir organically, or did you use outlines?

00:33:34 - Did you have help writing your descriptive passages?

00:35:50 - Is Wayra still alive?

00:37:37 - Do you work with different animals now?

00:37:58 - Do you intend to write about book about the sanctuary?

00:39:36 - How did you get the nickname Frodo?

00:44:30 - Did being an artist help you write so descriptively?

00:46:27 - How did you sustain yourself through the editing process?

00:50:10 - What was it like working with an agent/editor through all that time?

00:54:19 - Were you working full-time when you were in the rewriting process?

00:55:37 - What did you learn about yourself in writing this book?

01:00:33 - How did you choose your agent/editor and publisher?

01:03:32 - Did you consciously include so many descriptions relating to eyes?

01:04:53 - When writing your book, did you organically use present tense, or was it a conscious decision?

01:06:25 - What are the names of memoirs that influenced you and helped you write your memoir?

Life Writers