Books About Writing

The Art of Memoir, by Mary Karr (2016)
A comprehensive guide from one of the most respected memoirists, offering practical advice and sharp insights into the craft of personal storytelling.

Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art, by Judith Barrington (2002)
A classic text that provides in-depth guidance on memoir writing techniques, structure, and ethical considerations.

The Truth of Memoir: How to Write about Yourself and Others with Honesty, Emotion, and Integrity, by Kerry Cohen (2014)
A deep dive into writing authentic, powerful personal narratives while navigating emotional complexity.

The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life, by Marion Roach Smith (2011)
A practical guide that breaks down the memoir-writing process into manageable steps.

Permission: The New Memoirist and the Courage to Create, by Elissa Altman (2025)
A master course not only on how to craft memoir, but how to begin and keep going when you’ve been told you can’t.

Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America, by Natalie Goldberg (1994)
While primarily a meditation on writing, this book offers invaluable insights for memoir writers.

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays, by Alexander Chee (2018)
An essay collection about writing through the intersections of life, literature, and politics, and how what we read and write changes you.

The Memoir Workbook: A Step-by Step Guide to Help You Brainstorm, Organize, and Write Your Unique Story, by C.S. Laskin (2017)
A step-by-step guide through how authors can write their memoir from beginning to end.

Breaking Ground on Your Memoir, by Brooke Warner and Linda Joy Myers (2015)
A book of the craft and skills memoirists can draw upon to write a powerful and moving story. It includes inspiration to write, finish, and polish their own story.

Deep Memoir: An Archetypal Approach to Deepen Your Story and Broaden Its Appeal, by Jennifer Selig (2024)
An odyssey into the heart of memoir writing and neuroscience about our brain's affinity and affection for archetypal patterns.

Why We Write About Ourselves: Twenty Memoirists on Why They Expose Themselves (and Others) in the Name of Literature, edited by Meredith Maran (2016)
Beloved memoirists, including Cheryl Strayed, Sue Monk Kidd, and Pat Conroy, share about what drives us to write memoir, making a compelling case for why the work matters.

Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative, by Melissa Febos (2022)
One-part memoir, one-part master class that tackles the emotional, psychological, and physical work of writing intimately.

Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative, by Jane Alison (2019)
A book about writing with forward momentum that is created by way of pattern, rather than the traditional arc.

Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life, by Dani Shapiro (2013)
A memoir and mediation on the artistic process with advice about craft.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King (2000)
A book that’s part memoir, part master class and shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped Stephen King and his work.

Opacities: On Writing and the Writing Life, by Sofia Samatar (2024)
A contemplative exploration of writing life, publishing, and friendship, among the work of beloved writers.

How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill, edited by Jericho Brown (2023)
An anthology curated by Black writers for the creation and proliferation of Black thought. New and previously published essays and interviews provide encouragement, examples, templates, and lessons.

Letters to a Writer of Color, edited by Taymour Soomro and Deepa Anappara (2023)
A book of essays on the power of literature and the craft from an international array of writers of color. Featured authors share the experiences, cultural traditions, and convictions that have shaped them and their work.

Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief, by Victoria Chang (2021)
A book that offers a model of how family relics like letters, marriage licenses, photographs, etc. can become a collage-style memoir of the self.

Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir, by Beth Kephart (2013)
A book on memoir form—on how it gets made, on what it means to make it, on the searing language of truth, on the thin line between remembering and imagining, and, finally, on the rights of memoirists.

Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace, by Jennie Nash (2023)
An exploration of the difference between writing a memoir for yourself and writing a memoir for others to read with included methods for having the best chance of success on the market.

Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir, by Natalie Goldberg (2009)
A book that teaches writers how to tap into their unique memories to tell their story through timed, associative, and meditative exercises.

The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life, by Julia Cameron (1998)
A revolutionary book with exercises, techniques, and instruction that examines how conventional writing wisdom pushes a false doctrine that stifles creativity.

The Journey of Memoir: The Three Stages of Memoir Writing, by Linda Joy Myers (2013)
A workshop in book form that gives you the tools you need to begin, develop, and complete your memoir.

Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives, by Louise DeSalvo (2000)
A book with valuable advice and practical techniques to guide and inspire both experienced and beginning writers.

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, by Julia Cameron (1992)
A book that guides readers in uncovering problem areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow, offering techniques that open opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery.

Is something missing from our list that you’d like to elevate or celebrate? Let Clara Woolf know and she’ll add it to our list!