Resources for Teaching
One of the benefits of reading the various books that discuss memoir writing as a craft is that most include exercises or tips to practice the craft. Here, I've culled several resources to share some of the more effective--or unique or unusual--exercises.
Reading to Learn About Memoir Writing
Finding Topics to Write About
Writing Memoirs
Revising Writing
Possible Assignments
The following is a bibliography of all the resources consulted for this portion of the project. For convenience, I've created a topic-specific works cited list for each of the links listed above.
Works Cited
Barrington, Judith. Writing the Memoir: A Practical Guide to the Craft, the Personal Challenges, and Ethical Dilemmas of Writing Your True Stories. Portland, OR: The Eighth Mountain P, 2002.
Bullock, Richard, and Maureen Daly Goggin. The Norton Field Guide to Writing, with Readings. New York: WW. Norton, 2006.
Elbow, Peter. Writing with Power. New York: Oxford UP, 1981.
Haines, D. Writing Together. New York: Perigee Trade (Penguin), 1997.
Rainer, Tristine. Your Life as Story: Discovering the "new Autobiography" and Writing Memoir as Literature. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1998.
Roorbach, Bill. Writing Life Stories: How to Make Memories into Memoirs, Ideas into Essays, and Life into Literature. Cincinnati, Story P, 1998.
Selling, Bernard. Writing from Within: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your Life's Stories. Claremont, CA: Hunter House, 1989.
Trimbur, John. The Call to Write. New York: Longman, 1999.
Zinsser, William, ed. Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir. Boston: Mariner, 1998.
