Books to Read

When my brother and I give presentations to others on writing their memoirs, we usually have a handout that mentions a number of good books to read on writing.

Your Life as Story, by Tristine Rainer, is a fabulous book. It gave me a great deal of encouragement and inspiration to forge ahead when I was only a wannabe writer--at a time when I needed all the encouragement I could get.

On Writing Well, by William Zinsser is another good book. It offers the type of help a person needs to know inorder to write well. I originally got the book from the library to read, but after I read it, I purchased it so as to have it on hand as a reference book when I needed it.

Another book I found most helpful once we had finished our book was Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Contract, by Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook. This book is indispensable when it comes to writing query letters and synopses.


And a book that I highly recommend, although it is not an advice type book, is The Education of Little Tree. This is a memoir type book that the author claimed was non-fiction, but it was later proved not to be true. While my brother and I were at Barnes & Noble for a book signing and a discussion of memoir books, their representative asked whether knowing that The Education of Little Tree was not true made any difference in the way we thought about the book. I was quick to respond that it made no difference to me whatsoever. Any book that can bring about such emotion and feeling as this book gets a five star rating from me whether it's true or not. It is the only book that I continue to purchase again and again to give away to others--not because of what is said, but how it is said. It is a book I never tire of reading.