I've written my memoir, The Accidental Writer. It contains sex. It contains violence (a bit). It contains writing. And there is more in the book that happened more or less by accident in my life — like how I became an accidental dad and accidental dog lover. I am biased, but I feel I've produced an entertaining and engaging book — a fun read with serious overtones.

I had a blast writing it and feel that anybody over 50 should write their memoir, as I told a writer I know. He said, "My memoir would be as boring as watching paint dry." (Yes, writers are allowed to use clichés.) My reply was immediate: "When writing your memoir or autobiography, you leave the boring bits out!" In other words, you are not writing everything that ever happened to you. If I were to write a truly comprehensive autobiography even I, the writer, would fall asleep before I finished writing chapter one.

With that in mind, Tell Your Story tells you how to writer your memoir or autobiography, and to make it as engaging as possible.