by Writing Workshops Staff
A month ago
Early on in every autofiction course I’ve taught, and that includes both introductory and advanced classes, a student will interrupt one of my craft lectures with the deceptively simple question… what are the rules for autofiction? To my ears, the underlying question for this writer is… why does genre have to be so complicated?
As I see it, this confusion stems from a unique aspect of autofiction which, unlike fiction and memoir, permits, even encourages, authors of a work to oscillate between “I” and “not I” as they navigate the roles of author, narrator and main character and move deliberately between fact and fiction.
The same fluidity that produces this creative freedom can stump a writer, especially one who hasn’t yet completed a memoir or novel, as they traverse, exploit, and even mock rules and craft conventions more commonly associated with one genre alone. Particularly in trauma-centered works of autofiction, the focus of my own books and teaching, the writer is in effect acknowledging the unreliability of memory while exploiting the reader's appeal of a story that resonates as true.
The irony is that, all the while, they’re producing a manuscript whose cover will inevitably identify it as a “novel,” aka a work solely derived from their imagination.
To help writers who are considering writing or rewriting a life-inspired story as autofiction, I’ve drafted this brief list of common FAQs with answers in the form of video clips from my Zoom archive.
You’ll notice these questions deal with typical issues of writing craft, but my answers reflect theory and craft related to autofiction, as a distinct genre with its own rules and conventions.
These excerpts can also give you a taste of my teaching style and the scope of my upcoming classes:
Advanced Autofiction 12-month Workshop and Mentorship starting June 18, 2025
When Memoir Becomes Autofiction 6-week workshop beginning September 8th, 2025.
Autofiction FAQs
1. Why fictionalize your life story in the first place?
2. How does plot derive from character and trauma?
3. What are the rules and conventions for writing autofiction?
4. How does point of view shape your story?
5. What if I’m scared shitless? Spoiler (we all are)
Victoria Costello is an Emmy Award-winning writer, teacher, and the author of six published non-fiction books, including her memoir, A Lethal Inheritance. Her debut novel of autobiographical fiction, Orchid Child (June 2023). Read more about Victoria's approach to writing trauma-informed autofiction at her website, STORIES THAT HEAL.
