Joyce Maynard

When people ask what I write about, that's what I tell them: 'The drama of human relationships.' I'm not even close to running out of material.

I believe every one of us possesses a fundamental right to tell our own story.

I wonder what it is that the people who criticize me for telling this story truly object to: is it that I have dared to tell the story? Or that the story turns out not to be the one they wanted to hear?

Those who rhapsodize about the ease and joy of childhood have perhaps forgotten what it's like to be 12 years old.

As for me, I've chosen to follow a simple course: Come clean. And wherever possible, live your life in a way that won't leave you tempted to lie. Failing that, I'd rather be disliked for who I truly am than loved for who I am not. So, I tell my story. I write it down. I even publish it. Sometimes this is a humbling experience. Sometimes it's embarrassing. But I haul around no terrible secrets.