# Fiction writers who have written damn fine autobiographical memoirs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-writers-who-have-written-damn-fine-autobiographical-memoirs/550615>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 18, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-writers-who-have-written-damn-fine-autobiographical-memoirs/550615 "2010-08-18T14:04:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-writers-who-have-written-damn-fine-autobiographical-memoirs/550615/1 "2010-08-18T14:04:49Z")

</div>

I’m currently reading Roald Dahl. While he is a legendary fiction writer, I was totally blown away by his two memoirs _Boy_ and _Going Solo_. And his story _Lucky Break_, about how he became a published writer, would not even be believable fiction!

Basically, writer C.S. Forrester asked Dahl to write some notes so he (Forrester) could write a sotry about fighter pilots in World War II. Dahl agreed, and spent seven hours writing them, had them typed and sent to Forrester, who responded “I asked for notes, not a finished story. I was totally blown away. This is the work of a gifted writer. I didn’t change a word of it.” He did, however, submit it to his agent, who submitted it to the Saturday Eening Post, who bought it for $1,000and published it. When Dahl got the letter, he thought “It can’t be that easy.” But it was.

Did you know Dahl’s second published story _Gremlins_ introduced that word into the English language?

Stephen King’s _On Writing_ is part a memoir and part a course in writing fiction, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Who else?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-writers-who-have-written-damn-fine-autobiographical-memoirs/550615/2 "2010-08-18T14:56:08Z")

</div>

> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> .
> 
> Basically, writer C.S. Forrester asked Dahl to write some notes so he (Forrester) could write a sotry about fighter pilots in World War II. .

So Forrester asked him to blow his own horn?  
William Goldman (“The Princess Bride”, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”) has written some fascinating stories about his experiences as a screenwriter and showbiz in general. I can recommend “Hype and Glory”.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-writers-who-have-written-damn-fine-autobiographical-memoirs/550615/3 "2010-08-18T15:07:06Z")

</div>

It’s not really the same as what you’re looking for, but James Ellroy’s _My Dark Places_ is amazing in how he transfers his writing style to the true story of looking for his mother’s killer.