Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art

by Judith Barrington

Since Writing the Memoir came out in early 1997 it has sold roughly 80,000 copies and is consistently praised as "the best book on memoir out there." It is thought-provoking, explanatory, and 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. In this second edition the author has added new material and reflects on issues raised since Writing the Memoir was written, early in the memoir boom.

"No student of memoir writing could fail to learn from this wise, pragmatic, and confiding book. One hears on every page the voice of an intelligent and responsive teacher, with years of thinking about memoir behind her."â Vivian Gornick

Judith Barrington is the author of A Memoir and numerous individual memoirs which have been published in literary magazines and anthologies. She is the author of three volumes of Trying to Be an Honest Woman, History and Geography, and Horses and the Human Soul (forthcoming in 2002). She has taught creative writing for the past twenty years.

Genres: Writing, Memoir, Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference, Self Help, Education

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[julieta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading a bunch of books on writing a memoir, I think its because I would like to try writing my long story with music, and I´ve gone through a few. This one would be one of my favourites, it is really helpful, concrete, and has some great explanations. Very recommended.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to get serious about writing a memoir a few months ago. It's been a long time coming, but I feel now is the time. As usual, I research the best of the best of books before buying them. I would rather take the time to study a book and its author than waste time reading one that won't benefit me in some way. I'm so glad I did so with this book. The author did a fine job explaining the memoir and how to effectively write one.

I found most helpful the topics of: voice, legal issues, and how to use summary vs. scene. I was lacking in scene writing as I typed away at my memoir. This book has helped shape my writing in scenes and voice so that I (hopefully) have brought the book more to life. Also, the author explains using the senses - visuals which help us put a character together such as scents and color of skin. I was able to rewrite some of my memoir about a friend who wore Bohemian-like clothing when we were twelve:

"Sometimes we invited friends like one I met who Mom did not approve of in the least. Her name was Janet and she was a smoker already at age twelve. I liked her, even though Mom had her suspicions. Janet was a free spirit who wore what she wanted, talked like she wanted, and was an interesting person. Often she wore purple with dangling things on her wrists and clothes. She smelled flowery with perfume and her long, flowing hair and dangly earrings matched her nonchalant kind of attitude. She was allowed to wear purple makeup and lipstick to match her clothes. I was not yet allowed anything but a very pale eye shadow and a hint of blush. Mom called it rouge. “You can wear a light pink eye shadow and a little rouge, Tammy, but that’s it. When you turn sixteen, you can do what you want, but you’re not going to look like a clown like Janet.”"

I believe even if a fiction writer is struggling at all, this would be a great book. The legal issues and answers about whether to include family and sensitive issues would be discarded, but it would still be worthwhile. The book is packed with great help, but is not lengthy and does not drone on like other ones I've picked up (and only read portions of due to the redundancy).

One of the main things I got from this book is to write for the reader. Don't write for yourself. Don't expect anything from the reader except their attention. If writing about hard topics like child abuse, rape, losing a child, and the like, the author says that the reader wants to know that the person made it out okay. She wants to know if the person is okay and not looking for pity. Whether incorporating humor to these tough subjects is up to the author, but however it's done, never expect the reader to wonder, "well, what happened and did she survive it alright?" I chose to use humor for my memoir. It's tough, but with a lot of hard work, can be done!

Also, the author gives many memoirs to look into for style and such. I chose to buy three of the books she mentioned. "When I Was Puerto Rican" and "Half the House" are two of them that I am currently reading.

I'm sure I'll be rereading this book as time goes on.

- Tamara Blickhan
April 2, 2014

[Amelia Strydom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear, concise guide to writing and editing memoir.

[Andy Oram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I'm a professional writer, I got insights from Barrington that I think will greatly improve the memoir I'm writing. I think there's a lot here for writers at all levels of experience, and I hope the book will encourage people with limited writing experience to get started on a memoir.

Barrington's topics include selecting your material, setting a scene, fleshing out descriptions by using your senses and historical events, moving smoothly back and forth through time--all ways to bring your writing alive and make sure it can be meaningful to the reader. She also helps you face painful aspects of your past and figure out how to express them productively in a memoir.

Internet use has expanded greatly in the couple decades since the book was published. It would be interesting to hear how Barrington thinks the modern Web changes research, getting feedback, and handling publishers--or even self-publishing.

[Caitlin Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book for a long time, and it's a wonderful guide for those who want to begin writing their story and /or stories; it's practical and deals with many of the issues writers encounter in trying to tell non-fiction. I'm facilitating a workshop called 'What's Your Story?' and the issues of what to tell, how to dig for the truth, how to make the decisions about what you will tell with family and personal relationships at stake -- these are discussed so that the reader can navigate the landscape of creative non-fiction. All that other stuff, too!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every writer should read this book. It will put an end to your creative blocks and help you remove the mental obstacles that are keeping you from telling your story, and we all have them. It also contains very practical advice about structure, memoir form and how to weave between flashbacks and the present day without confusing the heck out of your reader. I read it in one day and it'll help me for years.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I encourage life writing and finally got around to reading this book! Although it is older (2002), it's still an excellent guide to writing memoir. Chapters cover the important basics, give examples, and end with exercises to help us think deeper about our writing or try different techniques - much more helpful than the usual writing prompts other guides tend to give. This book is generally meant for people who want to publish and sell as it teaches craft and brings up important considerations. People who do not consider themselves writers and just want to capture some family stories may be overwhelmed, but if they are inspired to learn more about skillful writing and storytelling or have questions that need answering, they will find this book full of useful information rather than a lot of fluff and chat. The appendix, "Your Memoir and the Law," will be important for some writers.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing books can be boring, but this one had some good writing ideas at the end of chapters.

[Denise Billings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Judith Barrington.

[Kirsty Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a couple of days and found it to be incredibly helpful. I intend on writing memoir for my dissertation in creative writing next semester at university and was looking for some guidelines and tools to assist me, this book has it all. Barrington takes the reader step by step through the process of memoir writing and highlights the do's and dont's in each informative chapter. Her greatest piece of advice is to read, read, read as many memoirs as possible prior to the task. This book is not for everyone, after all not everyone wants to write a memoir, but for me, the book did its job and will be a very useful tool in the coming year.

[Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a beginner writer I found this book to be a great read. The author offers lots of helpful pointers and practical advice on writing memoir in a concise and straightforward manner. Along the way the author references her own writing as well as that of others and each chapter ends with some writing exercises (although there is no necessity for the reader to do these). Having read a few other books about writing memoir, I especially noticed and appreciated the lack of author ego in this one by comparison.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with excerpts from others' memoirs and practical suggestions about getting started and keeping with it, Judith Barrington's guide left me wanting to read her memoir, "Lifesaving," as soon as I can locate it. If you never learned verb tenses, or forgotten about metaphor, Barrington brushes up your skills. Her detailed, progressive writing exercises at the end of each chapter frame your thinking about writing even if you decide not to do them. I liked her handling of ethical issues and hope never have to think about the legal issues she carefully outlines.

[Brandi Skyy · Rating 3 out of 5]

i skimmed this book. It was worth it for these two chapters alone:

FIVE: Scene, Summary, and Musing
SIX: Moving Around Time

Everything else was was meh.

Grab the book from the library and dig into to the two chapters above. You'll learn a lot.

[Zuska · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid book of advice with examples from published memoirs; probably most useful to people just beginning to write. The writing exercises are interesting and even short ones can be very helpful. The guidelines at the end of the book for giving (and receiving) feedback in critique groups are VERY good and these alone would be helpful to any writer. Even if you are only in a group of two you can implement these guidelines and it would vastly improve your experience of getting and receiving critique.

Side effect of reading this book is that you will likely want to add one or several memoirs to your TBR list!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful exploration of memoir writing! After my misstep with my last book about memoir writing this was a breath of fresh air. Barrington's writing is crisp and pointed, and while she uses illustrative examples they are just enough to prove her point and no more. Her writing style is approachable and made me want to read more of her writing. The book is filled with practical writing exercises, and a very useful section about legal liabilities of memoir.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

As somebody planning/in the processs of working on a memoir, I found this book completely invaluable. It's brief and to the point, immediately accessible (to this British reader), uses really good examples to illustrate points, has clear and concise chapters, fun exercises to get you writing, and takes about really important elements that other books sometimes don't mention. My favourite part is about the importance of mixing scenes, summary and musing into a coherent and well-rounded whole.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but very nicely written book about writing memoirs. I read this as part of a creative writing course that I took with an eye toward writing some memoirs of my own. The advice provided by Barrington is clear and straightforward, yet also insightful.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used as a textbook for my creative writing with a concentration on memoir course. It was an easily digestible book that clearly outlines the principles and practices around writing creative non-fiction.

I would definitely recommend to anyone considering the craft.

[Allyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to try your hand at writing "your story" or memoir, this book lays out the nuts and bolts in a practical, succinct fashion. You can jump around and find what you are curious about and feel satisfied.

[Tracey Curzon-Manners · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the How to... books on Memoir I've read, I found this one to be the most helpful. The chapters are clearly defined, lead the reader through a step by step approach and each chapter ends with suggestions for writing. Highly recommended.

[Martha Gies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've taught many memoir classes and always recommend Judith's book, an indispensable text. Have no idea when I first read it, probably '97 or '98, but I continue to admire it when I take it down and prep a new class.

[Jen Grogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't write memoirs myself, but I found this to be a clear and useful writing guide in general, and a good look at an interesting genre.

[Hannah Comerford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was helpful in that it gave great writing prompts and helped motivate me in my writing. However, it felt a little basic for where I'm at, personally.

[Janessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic guide for those who want to write and craft their own stories

[Mina Widding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and thorough advice, particularly like that it refers (and defines) only the memoir as such, and also very good writing excercises, and writing group guidelines.

[Joyce Lefler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my reference books I used to research what makes a memoir. It is very good but not my favorite.

[Dede Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one I've read multiple times. It's the best resource I've found as a creative writing instructor and writer of memoir.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technically I read this as a textbook for a class, but I'm counting it on Goodreads 🤷‍♀️

[Kerri Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was easy to read and I will give it 5 stars if I am successful with my memoir.