- Author: Clayton Muehlstein
- Memoir
- First draft written by hand, from prison
- Bestseller status
A manuscript written by hand, from a prison cell
Why Me: When One Tragic Night Changes Everything is Clayton Muehlstein’s memoir. He wrote the first version by hand, from prison, and I was the first person to read it.
A handwritten first draft is a brave thing to hand over. It’s also usually the most honest version of a story, before anyone has had the chance to make it polite. My job was to keep that honesty and give it a shape: coaching Clayton through revisions, edits and storytelling so the book carried a strong message and a clear purpose.
What happened next
Why Me reached bestseller status and has collected a lot of great reviews. It’s also one of the reasons I say the job is the same in every room: somebody has a story only they can tell, and my work is getting it out of them and onto the page in one piece.
“I wrote my book, by hand, from prison. Crystal was the first person to read it and coached me through revisions, edits and storytelling so that it had a strong message and purpose. I’ve had tons of great reviews, made bestseller status and I owe so much of it to her.”Clayton Muehlstein, author of Why Me
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