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Books on memoir and life story writing


• Baldwin, Christina. Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of Story

• Barrington, Judith. Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art, Second Edit

• Bateson, Mary Catherine. Composing a Life

• Birkerts, Sven. The Art of Time in Memoir (Then, Again)

• Blachman, Linda. Another Morning: Voices of Truth and Hope from Mothers with Cancer

• Borg, Mary. Writing Your Life: An Easy-to-Follow Guide to Writing an Autobiography

• Campbell, Jennifer. Start & Run a Personal History Business: Get Paid to Research Family Ancestry and Write Memoirs

• Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. You Can Write Your Family History

• Dees, Dee. The Lifenotes Workbook or Write Your Life Story in 28 Days

• Elgin, Duane and Colleen Ledrew. Living Legacies: How to Write, Illustrate, and Share Your Life Stories

• Franco, Carol and Kent Lineback. The Legacy Guide: Capturing the Facts, Memories,and Meaning of Your Life

• Gerard, Philip. Writing a Book That Makes a Difference

• Goldberg, Natalie. Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir

• Hampl, Patricia. Could Tell You Stories: Sojourns in the Land of Memory

• Hessel, Susan T. Getting the Conversation Going…101 Essential Questions for Your Personal Family History.

• Jagoe, Armiger. You Are Next In Line: Everyone's Guide for Writing Your Autobiography

• Kempthorne, Charley. For All Time: A Complete Guide to Writing Your Family History

• Ledoux, Denis. Turning Memories into Memoirs: A Handbook for Writing Lifestories

• McDonnell, Jane Taylor. Living to Tell the Tale: A Guide to Writing Memoir

• Miller, Patti. Writing Your Life: A Journey of Discovery (2001)

• Miller, Patti. The Memoir Book (2007)

• Myers, Linda Joy. The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story

• Norton, Lisa Dale Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir

• Rainer, Tristine. Your Life as Story: Discovering the "New Autobiography" and Writing Memoir as Literature

• Rosenbluth, Vera. Keeping Family Stories Alive: Discovering and Recording the Stories and Reflections of a Lifetime

• Spence, Linda. Legacy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing Personal History

• Sturdevant, Katherine Scott. Organizing and Preserving Your Heirloom Documents (how to safely collect, preserve, and publish diaries, memoirs, letters, papers, or memorabilia from your relatives and ancestors)

• Thomas, Abigail. Thinking About Memoir

• Thurston, Dawn and Morris. Breathe Life into Your Life Story: How to Write a Story People Will Want to Read

• Yost, Paula Stallings and Pat McNees, editors. My Words Are Gonna Linger: The Art of Personal History (foreword by Rick Bragg)

• Zinsser, William, ed. Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir (interesting talks by Russell Baker, Annie Dillard, Alfred Kazin, Toni Morrison, and Lewis Thomas)

• Zinsser, William, ed. Extraordinary Lives: The Art and Craft of American Biography (thoughtful comments and biography shop talk by Robert A. Caro, David McCullough, Paul C. Nagel, Richard B. Sewall, Ronald Steel, and Jean Strouse)

• Zinsser, William. Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past