Writing the memoir / Judith Barrington

Includes index.

What is memoir? -- Who cares? and other thoughts on getting started -- Finding form -- The truth: what, why, and how? -- Scene, summary, and musing -- Moving around in time -- Using your senses -- Naming names -- Writing about living people -- Your memoir and the world -- Watch out for the myths -- Getting feedback on your work -- Appendix: Your memoir and the law.

Since the first edition came out in 1997, this book has been praised as "the best book on memoir out there." 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. Judith Barrington, an award-winning memoir writer and acclaimed writing teacher, is attuned to the forces, both external and internal, that work to stop a writer; her tone is respectful of the difficulties and encouraging of taking risks. Her nimble prose, her deep belief in the importance of this genre, and her delight in the rich array of memoirists writing today make this book more than the typical "how-to" creative writing book.--From publisher description.