For the many amateurs and professionals who write about themselves—bloggers, journal-keepers, aspiring essayists, and memoirists—this book offers inspiration, encouragement, and pithy, practical advice. Twenty of America's bestselling memoirists share their innermost thoughts and hard-earned tips with veteran author Meredith Maran, revealing what drives them to tell their personal stories, and the nuts and bolts of how they do it. Speaking frankly about issues ranging from turning oneself into an authentic, compelling character to exposing hard truths, these successful authors disclose what keeps them going, what gets in their way, and what they love most—and least—about writing about themselves.

'Most of the contributors are likely to be familiar to readers . . . Candid revelations for readers; useful advice and encouragement for aspiring writers.' - Kirkus

About the Author
Meredith Maran, a passionate reader and writer of memoirs, is the author of thirteen nonfiction books and the acclaimed 2012 novel, "A Theory Of Small Earthquakes." Meredith also writes book reviews, essays, and features for newspapers and magazines including "People, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, Salon.com, " and "More." A member of the National Book Critics Circle, Meredith lives in a restored historic bungalow in Los Angeles. Her next memoir, about starting over in Los Angeles, will be out from Blue Rider Press in 2017.