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By Ethan Gilsdorf

What follows is Part II of Ethan Gilsdorf’s conversation with Cheryl Strayed, author of the memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. Her book has been adapted into the recently-released film Wild. Read Part I of this interview here.
Ethan Gilsdorf: The journey you describe in your book Wild is an external journey: You go somewhere physically

By Ethan Gilsdorf

If you’re interested in memoir, then you’ve heard of Cheryl Strayed and her book Wild.

Strayed’s memoir --- its full title is Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail --- is the 2012 account of her 1,100-mile trek from the Mojave Desert into California and Oregon, and as far as the border of Washington State, to recover her life. The mega-selling book moved a zillion copies, and inspired millions of readers, many of them female, to take risks of their own.

Actor, writer, performer, and very tall man John Cleese has a new book out So, Anyway..., which hit bookstores last week.

The memoir revisits Cleese’s childhood, school years, and early comic influences that led him down a fortuitous path to radio, TV, and movie success. His accomplishments include being co-founder of the genius comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus, co-star and co-writer of Fawlty Towers, and writer, co-star, and co-director of the cult film A Fish Called Wanda, among other feathers in his dead parrot, er, cap.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Cleese during one of …

Editor's Note: Put Gilsdorf's advice into practice in his upcoming class, "Writing Great Scenes for Your Personal Essays"!

 

Another entry in the monthly column, The Freelance Life, by Ethan Gilsdorf, about the trials, tribulations, triumphs—and tips to share—along the path to becoming a freelance writer.