Hone Your Craft, Spark Your Creativity
Yes, writing is difficult. And that's okay. Although the process of writing may be painful and uncomfortable, it's also cathartic. Keep trying. Push yourself. You may (or may not) love the outcome. Either way is fine. The practice is the reward. Enjoy it and release everything else.
Here are some of my favorite go-to writing books about craft and creativity:
Breaking Ground on Your Memoir: Craft, Inspiration and Motivation for Memoir Writers by Brooke Warner
The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing and Life by Marion Roach Smith
Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir by Beth Kephart
Writing Life Stories: How to Make Memories into Memoirs, Ideas into Essays, and Life into Literature by Bill Roorbach
The Situation and the Story by Vivian Gornick
Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art by Judith Barrington
The Art of Time in Memoir by Sven Birkerts
Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction by Dinty W. Moore
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice by Laraine Herring
Your Book Starts Here: Create, Craft, and Sell Your First Novel, Memoir, or Nonfiction Book by Mary Carroll Moore
Blueprint for a Book by Jennie Nash
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
The Artist’s Way: Creativity as a Spiritual Practice by Julia Cameron
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dryer
Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
I hope these give you the adrenalin shot you need! I'd love to hear your favorites, too!