The Best Books on How to Write a Memoir
Writing a memoir—a good memoir—is a challenge. A rewarding one, but a challenge nonetheless.
You probably know this by now.
So here are some of the best books on writing a memoir that I’ve encountered over the years as a nonfiction editor and publishing coach (I don’t edit memoirs but have read just about all of these books).
The best books on how to write a memoir
My top 10 picks (book descriptions, details, and star ratings below!)
Each memoir writing book is on Amazon, most in multiple formats.
Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art, Second Edit by Judith Barrington
(The Eighth Mountain Press, 2002, 224 pages, 4.5⭐)
“Since Writing the Memoir came out in early 1997 it has sold roughly 80,000 copies.”
“It is thought-provoking, explanatory, and practical: each chapter ends with writing exercises. It covers everything from questions of truth and ethics to questions of craft and the crucial retrospective voice. An appendix provides information on legal issues.”
One critic calls it a “wise, pragmatic, and confiding book.”
Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir (For Aspiring Writers) by Natalie Goldberg
(Atria Books, 2017, 336 pages, 4.7⭐)
“To write memoir, we must first know how to remember. Through timed, associative, and meditative exercises, Old Friend from Far Away guides you to the attentive state of thought in which you discover and open forgotten doors of memory.”
“At once a beautifully written celebration of the memoir form, an innovative course full of practical teachings, and a deeply affecting meditation on consciousness, love, life, and death, Old Friend from Far Away welcomes aspiring writers of all levels and encourages them to find their unique voice to tell their stories.”
The Truth of Memoir: How to Write about Yourself and Others with Honesty, Emotion, and Integrity by Kerry Cohen
(Writer’s Digest Books, 2014, 240 pages, 4.6⭐)
“In The Truth of Memoir, best-selling memoirist Kerry Cohen provides insight and guidelines for depicting the characters who appear in your work with honesty and compassion. You'll learn how to choose which details to include and which secrets to tell, how to render the people in your life artfully and fully on the page, and what reactions you can expect from those you include in your work--as well as from readers and the media.”
“Featuring over twenty candid essays from memoirists sharing their experiences and advice, as well as exercises for writing about others in your memoirs and essays, The Truth of Memoir will give you the courage and confidence to write your story--and all of its requisite characters--with truth and grace.”
Deep Memoir: An Archetypal Approach to Deepen Your Story and Broaden Its Appeal by Jennifer Leigh Selig
(Mandorla Books, 2024, 310 pages, 5.0⭐)
“While many books on memoir writing acknowledge this, none are dedicated to showing you precisely how to and where to tap into the universal. Until now. In Deep Memoir, author and popular memoir teacher Jennifer Leigh Selig distills decades of experience in writing, teaching, and research into nine chapters focused on the archetypes essential to memoir writing.”
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
(Harper Perennial, 2016, 256 pages, 4.5⭐)
“In The Art of Memoir, she synthesizes her expertise as professor and therapy patient, writer and spiritual seeker, recovered alcoholic and “black belt sinner,” providing a unique window into the mechanics and art of the form that is as irreverent, insightful, and entertaining as her own work in the genre.”
“Anchored by excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers’ experience, The Art of Memoir lays bare Karr’s own process. . . . The Art of Memoir is an elegant and accessible exploration of one of today’s most popular literary forms—a tour de force from an accomplished master pulling back the curtain on her craft.”
Write Your Story: A Simple Framework to Understand Yourself, Your Story, and Your Purpose in the World by Allison Fallon
(StoryBrand Books, 2024, 224 pages 4.7⭐)
“Allison Fallon’s Write Your Story provides a simple framework that will help readers capture, in writing, the depth of life events and, in turn, to make sense of their lives.”
“When you know your story, you know who you are and why you matter. You understand the many ways you can help others, and you develop a resilience over pain that can make you unstoppable.”
“Allison’s simple formula will help you process your life and get your whole story down—in only five pages! This isn’t a formula to teach you to write a book (although the exercises may lead to that), but it will help you understand yourself, your story, and your purpose.”
The Memoir Workbook: A Step-by Step Guide to Help You Brainstorm, Organize, and Write Your Unique Story by C. S. Lakin
(Ubiquitous Press, 2017, 132 pages, 4.5⭐)
A step-by-step guide with “passages from memoirs and writing prompts” to “get your creative juices flowing.
It teaches you the “essential aspects to memoir writing: How to identify your unique story as well as the things that make your story universal; The many ways memoir can be structured, with examples to help you decide how to lay out your story; How to determine a beginning and an ending point; Ways to bring your story to life with sensory detail; What “voice” is and why it’s important to write from the “mature self”; How to craft distilled dialogue that is engaging and sounds natural; How to protect yourself and others when you write your memoir; What theme is and why you need one; How to pick an appropriate title for your memoir.”
Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace by Jennie Nash
(Tree Farm Books, 2023, 290 pages, 4.4⭐)
“There is a big difference between writing memoir for your own purposes—to share your legacy, to heal, to learn to write, because you are curious or called to do it—and writing memoir for other people to read. If your intention is to publish your memoir, there are concepts you need to understand and decisions you need to make. The Blueprint method will help you understand how to approach the work of writing memoir so that you have the best chance of success in the marketplace.”
“Blueprint for a Memoir is a step-by-step process for defining what you want to say, deciding what to leave out, and crafting a pitch to the industry professionals who can bring it life. All you need . . . is a story you want to share with the world and the willingness to take a few weeks to work through 14 tough questions.”
The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story by Linda Meyers
(Jossey-Bass, 2010, 272 pages, 4.5⭐)
“The Power of Memoir is a pioneering how-to book that provides a new step-by-step program to use memoir writing as a therapeutic process. By going through these steps you'll learn how to choose the significant milestones and turning points that make up a coherent story leading to a life-changing epiphany.”
This book will “help uncover the secret stories that are the keys to healing; explore the dynamics and roles of dysfunctional families; [and] heal old wounds, creating a better present and brighter future.”
“Using many examples from her students and clients, the author shows how creative, well-planned, and carefully researched memoir writing can offer a process for sorting out the truth from lies and family myths.”
Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past by William Zinsser
(Da Capo Press, 2004, 240 pages, 4.6⭐)
“Written with elegance, warmth, and humor, this highly original ‘teaching memoir’ . . . gives you the tools to organize and recover your past, and the confidence to believe in your life narrative.”
“His method is to take you on a memoir of his own: 13 chapters in which he recalls dramatic, amusing, and often surprising moments in his long and varied life as a writer, editor, teacher, and traveler. Along the way, Zinsser pauses to explain the technical decisions he made as he wrote about his life. They are the same decisions you'll have to make as you write about your own life: matters of selection, condensation, focus, attitude, voice, and tone.”
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If you’re looking for the best books for writing a memoir, these titles will serve you well.
You can find them all for purchase online and in many libraries. Get your copy (or copies) today!
Best to you as you write your memoir!