Memoir
Hafizah Augustus Geter: On Confronting Complicated Questions When Writing Memoir
Award-winning writer Hafizah Augustus Geter discusses how her experience as a poet helped her take on her new memoir, The Black Period.
How You Know When the Time Is Right To Write a Memoir
Choosing to write a memoir is no small decision. How do you know when the time is right for you? Here, author Peter Quinn shares how to know when to write a memoir.
How To Find and Write the Soul of a Place
When "home" is defined by more than one place, capturing each uniquely can be challenging and rewarding. Here, author Annette Libeskind Berkovits shares how to find and write the soul of a place.
Lisa Nikolidakis: On Writing Emotionally Difficult Material
Author Lisa Nikolidakis discusses how grief fueled her desire to write her new memoir, No One Crosses the Wolf.
How To Turn Artifacts and Research Into a Family Memoir
A century’s old family heirloom acted as a clue to the past for author Cornelia Maude Spelman. Here, she shares how to turn artifacts and research into a family memoir.
6 Things My Career as a Travel Writer Taught Me About Writing a Memoir
After 30 years as a travel writer, Mark Chesnut spent his days exploring the world and writing about what he saw. Here, he shares 6 things his career as a travel writer taught him about writing his first memoir.
How To Write Dark Comedy in Nonfiction: The Other Three S’s
Sometimes a subject is so dark that all you can do is laugh—but there’s an art to writing serious subjects comedically. Here, bestselling author Glenn Rockowitz shares how to write dark comedy in nonfiction using the other three s’s.
Sari Botton: On Finding Compassion Through Memoir
Award-winning writer and editor Sari Botton discusses the transformative process of writing her memoir, And You May Find Yourself.
A Different Angle: How To Revisit a Painful Past Without Re-Triggering Your Present
Writer Sari Botton knew she had a memoir in her but felt conflicted over writing about her traumatic experiences. Here, she shares how she navigated writing her memoir from a different angle.
Mark Kurlansky: On Coincidences Driving Memoir
Award-winning author, playwright, and journalist Mark Kurlansky discusses the experience of channeling Ernest Hemingway in his new memoir, The Importance of Not Being Ernest.
Telling My Story: How to Work Through Painful Feelings While Writing a Memoir
When revisiting your past means unearthing painful memories, it’s important to find solitude somewhere. Here, author Laura L. Engel discusses how to work through painful feelings while writing a memoir.
Florence Olajide: On Perseverance and Persistence Through Memoir
Florence Olajide discusses how the persistence from others led her to writing her new memoir, Coconut.
Memoir as Detective Novel
Every memoir requires searching for the truth of the story. Lilly Dancyger, author of the memoir Negative Space, shows how this hunt can serve as the structure of the narrative.
How I Wrote My Memoir and Lost My Memories
A spotty memory made writing her memoir a 10-year process, and in the end, Laura Davis' remembrance is part literary and part reality. Here, the nonfiction writer describes how she wrote her memoir and lost her memories.
The Differences in Writing a Memoir vs. a Novel
Where fiction writing is about concealing emotional truth for interpretation, memoir is about exposing it for what it is. Writer Jenna Blum discusses the differences she experienced in writing a memoir vs. a novel.
Laura Davis: On the Story That Begged To Be Told
Author and writing instructor Laura Davis discusses the process of starting, stopping, and starting again with her new memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars.
Bobby and Cheryl Love: On the Power of Telling Your Own Story
Bobby and Cheryl Love discusses the process of writing coauthoring their memoir, The Redemption Of Bobby Love: A Story of Faith, Family, and Justice.
3 Tips for Writing a Memoir Everyone Wants to Read
A memoir is an open window into another's life—and although the truth is of paramount importance, so too is grabbing hold of its reader. Writer Tasha Keeble offers 3 tips for writing a memoir everyone will want to read.
Bruce McCandless III: On Remembering His Father Through Memoir
Bruce McCandless III discusses how he finished what his father started in his new memoir, Wonders All Around.
Marilyn Peterson Haus: On Battling Feelings of Disloyalty When Writing Memoir
Debut author Marilyn Peterson Haus discusses the surprises that came with writing her memoir, including struggling with feelings of disloyalty to her family while writing.
Brian Broome: On Letting Other Genres Inspire You
In this article, author Brian Broome explains how a Gwendolyn Brooks poem inspired him to write his memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods.
How to Approach Friends and Family About Your Memoir
No one can decide whether showing your memoir to loved ones before it goes to press is the right choice for you. However, if you're planning to approach your friends and family about it, let memoirist Ronit Plank give you 3 tips for doing so.
Negative Space: An Interview With Lilly Dancyger
Catapult and Barrelhouse Books editor Lilly Dancyger talks about her debut memoir Negative Space.
Writer’s Digest Columns: How to Write a Five-Minute Memoir
Want to write for WD? Here are editor tips on how to submit to one of our most popular columns, 5-Minute Memoir.