MEMOIR
Greetings, Memoirists!
While there's a lot that you can take from resources on both fiction and nonfiction, memoir is its own art form.
Here is a roundup of inspiring memoir listening as well as some excellent books to get you started.
Recommended episodes of The Secret Library Podcast about Memoir:
Ruth Reichl was brilliant speaking about her most recent book, Save Me the Plums
Raynor Winn on living and writing The Salt Path, the runaway bestseller
Susannah Conway on the process of writing several books including This I Know, her memoir about the sudden death of her partner
Michelle Kuo on writing about her experiences with Teach for America in the deep south in her memoir Reading with Patrick
Scott Stabile on Big Love, his memoir on the murder of his parents, and the impact of writing it on his family.
Alison Pataki, a successful historical fiction writer on being driven to write her memoir, Beauty in the Broken Places
Essential Reading for Memoirists:
Now Write! Nonfiction is a resource full of prompts and insight for all nonfiction, including memoir
William Zinsser, author of On Writing Well, tackles issues pertaining to memoir in Writing About Your Life
Mary Karr, the master, shares how she does it in The Art of Memoir
This should get you started, but if you're still stuck these will help.