Guides to writing your first book
How to write a memoir, a book about your life, a nonfiction book or a first novel — with outlines, question lists and word-count tables you can use today.
Your life story
- How to Write a Memoir: A 7-Step Method From Memory List to Finished ChaptersA memoir isn't your whole life. It's one slice of it, told well. Here's a seven-step method that takes you from a messy memory list to finished chapters.
- Memoir vs Autobiography vs Biography: The Differences in One Table, and Which to WriteAn autobiography covers a whole life. A memoir covers one part of it. Here's the full comparison, plus a simple way to decide which one you're writing.
- 15 Memoir Examples Worth Studying (2026), and What Each One TeachesFifteen memoirs worth reading like a writer, grouped by what they teach: structure, voice, theme, writing about someone else, and three recent prize winners.
- How to Write a Book About Your Life: From 'I Want To' to a Chapter PlanYou've said 'I should write a book about my life' for years. Here's how to go from that sentence to a real chapter plan, one step at a time.
- Free Memoir Outline Template: 12 Chapters, a Filled-In Example and 3 StructuresPick one of three proven memoir structures, then copy a ready-made chapter template for a 12-chapter memoir or a whole-life autobiography.
- 60 Questions to Ask Your Grandparents, and How to Turn the Answers Into a BookSixty open, specific questions grouped by chapter of life, plus how to run the conversation and turn the answers into a family book.
- What Is a Legacy Book? How to Make One for Your Family, Step by StepA legacy book holds one person's stories, values and advice for the people who come after them. Here's what to include and how to make one.
Books of what you know
- How to Write a Nonfiction Book From What You Already KnowYou know more than you think. Here's how to turn your job, hobby or hard-won experience into a nonfiction book, with a chapter template you can copy.
- How to Outline a Book (Nonfiction and Memoir): A Method and TemplateOutlining a nonfiction book or memoir isn't like plotting a novel. Here's a five-step method and a copyable outline template.
Book basics
- How Long Is a Memoir? Word Counts, Page Counts and Chapter LengthPublished memoirs usually run 70,000–90,000 words. Family books have no rule. Here are the ranges, the page math and how long each chapter should be.
- How Long Is a Novel? Word Counts by Category and GenreA novel starts at 40,000 words, but most debuts land between 70,000 and 100,000. Here are the categories, genre ranges and page math.
- How Many Chapters Should a Book Have? Typical Ranges by Book TypeThere's no fixed number, but there is simple math. Typical chapter counts and lengths by book type, with real examples and a way to decide yours.
- How to Start Writing a Book: A 7-Day Plan for First-TimersFor anyone who has wanted to write a book for years and never started: a seven-day plan that works for novels, memoirs and nonfiction alike.
Free tools
- Life story questions120 questions across ten chapters of a life — for your memoir or for interviewing a parent or grandparent.
- Words to pages calculatorTurn a word count into pages, chapters and reading time — with typical lengths for novels, memoirs and nonfiction.
- Chapter plan generatorPick a book type and a chapter count; get a chapter-by-chapter plan for a memoir, autobiography, legacy book, nonfiction book or novel.