With a headline like that, I shudder to think of the people who will find this post through a keyword search and expect to find something completely different. (Sorry, dude, it's not that kind of blog.) Still, I read plenty of books on the craft and business of writing, and this one was so darn good it demanded its own blog post. Since I have your attention ... Naked, Drunk, and Writing: Shed Your Inhibitions and Craft a Compelling Memoir or Personal Essay (Ten Speed Press, 2010) is a must-read for anyone who wants to write from personal experience. Author Adair Lara teaches writing workshops in San Francisco, and it didn't surprise me to read that most of her students get published within a year of taking the class (that is, the ones who actually submit their work, as she's quick to point out). Reading Naked, Drunk, and Writing almost felt like I was sitting in Lara's class having my own pieces workshopped. With each excerpt from a student or published author, Lara shows readers how to pace a memoir or essay, balance scene with narration, handle revisions, and cut to the emotional core of the piece. She also includes tips on where and how to submit your personal essays and what to do if you get stuck or worry about offending someone in your piece. The book references Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird in several places (in fact, Lamott even blurbed Lara), and it's easy to see similarities. But where Bird by Bird focuses on the psychological challenges writers face, Naked, Drunk, and Writing also delves into the nitty-gritty details of word choice, tense, and syntax. Although I've published essays in two anthologies and two major newspapers, there were plenty of insights that were brand new to me, and I could scarcely wait to incorporate her tips and exercises into my own writing. Interestingly, Naked, Drunk, and Writing was originally self-published and proved successful enough that a publisher snatched up the second edition. With so many tips on the practical and poetic sides of writing, it's easy to see why.