Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art, Second Edit (Paperback)

by Judith Barrington (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Seems like everyone wants to write his or her own memoirs these days. Memoirist and creative writing teacher Barrington (An Intimate Wilderness: Lesbian Writers on Sexuality, LJ 10/1/91) tells us how to do it. Her practical guide leads both experienced and novice writers through the writing process from idea to publication, addressing such technical problems as theme selection, voice, tone, form, plot, scene, and character development, as well as how to stimulate creative thinking and build necessary discipline. Barrington draws on the writings of Alice Walker, Kathleen Norris, Annie Dillard, Frank Conroy, and Virginia Woolf to illustrate her techniques. Her common-sense approach strives to temper the emotional honesty of the genre with the integrity of artistic skill. Libraries supporting a writers' group (for which Barrington includes a do's-and-don'ts section) will want several copies. Academic and school libraries might want it to supplement creative writing curriculums.?Denise S. Sticha, Seton Hill Coll. Lib., Greensburg, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
The current renaissance in literary memoirs pleases readers and inspires writers, while raising a number of questions about this most fluid and open-ended of genres. Barrington recognizes and addresses both the memoir's great appeal and the issues it raises pertaining to voice, structure, the transformation of fact into truth, and the elevation of personal experience and revelation into art. Like many fellow contemporary memoirists, Barrington is a poet who found herself "needing the expansiveness of prose," but as soon as she began writing her memoir, she realized how challenging a form it is and how unsettling the act of writing about one's life so openly, without the artifice of poetry or the mask of fiction, can be. After asking the key question, "What were the rules of memoir anyway?" she ended up answering it with this intelligent and insightful book, which combines stimulating literary analysis with a great deal of practical information and excellent advice. Donna Seaman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: The Eighth Mountain Press; 2 edition (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933377509
• ISBN-13: 978-0933377509
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,658 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a helpful and pleasant read..., September 19, 2002

By	Benjamin K. Potter "loyal reader/writer" (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

All in all, this book was easily digestable, and more importantly, very useful for those who want to experiment with biographical or memoir writings. Although the book is short and sweet, it also points to many other books (Bird By Bird, Writing Down The Bones, Autobiography of a Face, dozens more) that both legitimize the book and offer further reading.

The topics were thorough without bogging down the book: You will get valuable tips on how to describe things with all five senses, how to write scenes, how to move around on a timeline, how to tie your writing into "the bigger picture" and so on. There are also ethical and legal topics Barrington touches upon: when to use names, what constitutes libel, what to consider if you're writing about living people, etc.

Moreover, there are several writing exercises at the end of each chapter to help you develop ideas. The exercises are nice because they make the book flexible. If you don't do the exercises, you could read the book in about 2-4 sittings and get a good overview of the memoir. If you invested the extra time to do the exercises, you would be able to hone your craft to a much greater degree. It's really up to the reader...

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is amazing..., June 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art (Paperback)

I decided that I wanted to write a memoir and then sought out to find books on how to write one. I read three before I got to this one, and I must say, that by far this is the best collection of writing insights, advice and encouragement I have come across. Every one of my questions and concerns were dealt with in this book. I began writing my memoir even before I finished reading "Writing the Memoir" and I did so with total confidence. I can't say enough about how helpful this book was.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on writing memoir by far, July 21, 2002

By	"elizabethpollak" (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

I teach memoir and have looked at nearly all the books on the subject. Writing the Memoir is by far the best (and as far as I can tell, the one most often used by classes). It's useful for a writer at any level. It's comprehensive, extremely well written, and has a kind tone. I'm a big fan of Judith Barrington's memoir, Lifesaving, and recommend that highly as well.