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By Louise Julig

I've read close to 75 books on writing over the past decade. These ones continue to earn their space on my shelf. Some are specifically about craft, others focus more on the business of writing, and still others explore the writer's life. All are relevant to writers of memoir or creative nonfiction, even if they aren't specifically written for nonfiction writers. 

 

In 2023, any earnings from this shop will be donated to the Strong Hearted Native Women's Coalition in San Diego County.

 

Louise Julig (she/her/hers) is a creative nonfiction writer living in Southern California who writes Be Your Own Hero, a newsletter about being brave in small moments. Find her essays, performances and upcoming events at www.louisejulig.com.

bookcover for Voice First

Voice First

Sonya Huber 

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Paperback

$23.95

$22.27

Huber explodes the concept that writers need have one authentic voice we need to find and get right, instead positing that we have a range of voices to draw on for different purposes and to different effects.

bookcover for Why We Write About Ourselves

Why We Write About Ourselves

Meredith Maran 

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Paperback

$24.00

I keep returning to this book for inspiration and practical advice from other memoirists. Plus it led me to a lot of great authors I hadn't read yet.

bookcover for Body Work

Body Work

Melissa Febos 

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Paperback

$16.95

$15.76

After reading her essay "Mind Fuck: Writing Better Sex," included in this collection, I knew I would be pre-ordering anything Febos writes on craft.

bookcover for The Situation and the Story

The Situation and the Story

Vivian Gornick 

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Paperback

$18.00

$16.74

The first time I sat down with this book I wasn't ready for it, but the second time I couldn't get enough. Essential reading for anyone attempting to nail down what feels elusive in writing essays or memoir.

bookcover for The Memoir and the Memoirist

The Memoir and the Memoirist

Thomas Larson 

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Paperback

$16.95

This is the only book I have read that examines how the act of writing memoir affects and changes the writer themself as it situates them within the greater story. A good companion to Gornick's The Situation and The Story.

bookcover for Before and After the Book Deal

Before and After the Book Deal

Courtney Maum 

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Paperback

$17.95

$16.69

With verve, wit, and compassion, Maum offers guidance for writers no matter where you are on the publication journey.

bookcover for Family Trouble

Family Trouble

Joy Castro, 

Joy Castro 

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Paperback

$34.50

This anthology illuminates the vast range of experiences memoirists and essayists can experience when writing about family. Worth it just to know you're not alone.

bookcover for You Can't Make This Stuff Up

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

Professor Lee Gutkind 

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Paperback

$19.99

$18.59

A crash course in creative nonfiction from The Godfather of the genre himself. Includes writing exercises.

bookcover for Crafting The Personal Essay

Crafting The Personal Essay

Dinty W. Moore 

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Paperback

$17.99

$16.73

Dinty W. Moore walks you through how to craft personal essays of several different styles. Includes examples and a comprehensive reading list.

bookcover for Braving the Fire

Braving the Fire

Jessica Handler 

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Paperback

$17.99

$16.73

Jessica Handler gently and courageously guides the writer through writing about grief and loss. Includes writing exercises and stories from her own work.

bookcover for Wired for Story

Wired for Story

Lisa Cron 

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Paperback

$15.99

$14.87

Pretty much what it says in the subtitle. A practical guide complete with helpful end-of-chapter checklists.

bookcover for Seven Drafts

Seven Drafts

Allison K Williams 

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Paperback

$19.95

This eminently readable and encouraging book walks you through all the steps you'll need to make your finished manuscript a reality.

bookcover for Attack of the Copula Spiders

Attack of the Copula Spiders

Douglas Glover 

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Paperback

$17.95

$16.69

Worth it for the title essay alone, which changed how I edit my work.

bookcover for A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

George Saunders 

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Paperback

$20.00

$18.60

Though it focuses on fiction, this in-depth walk-through of seven Russian short stories is a master class on what makes for compelling writing. Definitely contains lessons to apply to memoir and nonfiction narrative. The audiobook features multiple narrators that add a whole new dimension.

bookcover for Beat by Beat

Beat by Beat

Todd Klick 

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Paperback

$28.95

$26.92

Even though I never intend to write a screenplay, I found this scene-by-scene breakdown of three different movies highly instructive when thinking about nonfiction narrative storytelling.

bookcover for Understanding Comics

Understanding Comics

Scott McCloud 

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Paperback

$27.99

$26.03

Fascinating. Even if you aren't a graphic artist or really into comics, I guarantee you will come away with some new ways of thinking about storytelling.

bookcover for Craft in the Real World

Craft in the Real World

Matthew Salesses 

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Paperback

$16.95

$15.76

Why had I never heard anyone talk about how craft is the product of cultural expectations before this? I underlined like crazy.

bookcover for The Art of Memoir

The Art of Memoir

Mary Karr 

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Paperback

$18.99

$17.66

If Mary Karr is writing about memoir, I am reading it.

bookcover for The Art of Slow Writing

The Art of Slow Writing

Louise DeSalvo 

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Paperback

$20.00

$18.60

DeSalvo interviewed dozens of writers as well as drew from her own experience to curate pithy chapters on all phases of the writing process. I will definitely be pulling this off the shelf periodically for wisdom nuggets when I'm looking for inspiration at any point in my writing. My one complaint is I wish more diverse voices had been included.

bookcover for 7 Essential Writing Tools

7 Essential Writing Tools

M S Lmft Freedman 

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Paperback

$25.29

Freedman touches on all the basics of character, plot, arc, scene, and voice in this very accessible book.

bookcover for The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction

Dinty W Moore 

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Paperback

$15.95

$14.83

Includes flash essay examples and writing prompts. Great for both learning about the genre and getting started writing flash.

Louise Julig (she/her/hers) is a creative nonfiction writer living in Southern California who writes Be Your Own Hero, a newsletter about being brave in small moments. Find her essays, performances, and upcoming events at www.louisejulig.com.