You: The Story

A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

By: Ruta Sepetys

Narrated by: Ruta Sepetys

The nonfiction debut by #1 New York Times bestselling and Carnegie Medal-winning author Ruta Sepetys. Perfect for fans of Burn After Writing and Bird by Bird.

Life is story in motion. Each day, you add to your story, revise it, and view it from a different angle. You erase things. Tear pages out. And sometimes, in hindsight, wish you could put them back. A day is a story. A year is a story. A life is a story.
You are a story.

Ruta Sepetys is known for creating vivid characters and harrowing plots. After five award-winning works of historical fiction and countless hours of meticulous research, she can affirm that the secret to strong writing is embedded within your life experience.

You: The Story is a powerful how-to book for aspiring writers that encourages you to look inward and excavate your own memories in order to discover the authentic voices and compelling details that are waiting to be put on the page. Masterfully weaving in humorous and heartfelt stories from her own life that illustrate an aspect of the craft of writing (such as plot, character development, or dialogue), Sepetys then inspires readers with a series of writing prompts and exercises.

Perfect for fans of Burn After Writing and Bird by Bird, You: The Story awakens the emerging writer and reveals that with some reflection, curiosity, and courage, you have a story to tell.

Critic reviews

★ "Instructive and inspiring for storytellers of all ages." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Part writing guide, part memoir, Sepetys’ fresh, fun handbook is all inspiration." —Booklist, starred review

★ "With the same skill and craft that Sepetys employs to write relatable and moving invented characters, she paints a picture of her family, friends, and acquaintances, proving she is capable of more than enthralling fiction. . . . This is a must for any collection where young readers have an interest in storytelling, as well as generally a good pick for fans of the author." —School Library Journal, starred review

"This is an inspirational book that gives readers direction as they begin writing and will make them want to keep writing, and rewriting, their own stories." —SLC

"Sepetys discusses the principles that underlie good fiction and recounts details from her own life to illustrate how personal anecdotes can fuel literary creativity. . . . Novice writers will appreciate a bounty of writing prompts." —Publishers Weekly

wonderful listening

I heard an interview with Ruta on my local radio station (KPCW)... and she was so compelling as a guest I decided to get this book. I was expecting a book that would give me more mechanics on songwriting, but it really speaks to general storytelling - whether it's in a book or possibly in a song. The reason I left a five-star review is because her performance, the reading of this material dash is really entertaining and very compelling. I highly recommend this book as I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Best Book About Storytelling!

I read this book as a part of the book club for my scrapbooking group and I also happen to be a writer. It was delightful in that it wasn't bogged down in author speak but full of vibrant real life stories and anecdotes and through those, taught the reader how to create our own stories, whatever those might be. Plus, just the right length for an audiobook.

The magical manner in which Ruta shared her life experiences was a joy. It warmed and melted my heart. Thank you.

I loved her humor, her warmth, her joy. She made me laugh out loud, she made me cry, she made me love her!