Why You're Not Married...Yet

Courtesy of ELLE

ELLE sat down with Tracy McMillan, veteran TV writer (Mad Men, United States of Tara) and author of this month's hilariously irreverent Why You're Not Married…Yet (Ballantine Books), a shrewd guide to relationships that stemmed from her viral Huffington Post article (one of Time's Top 10 Opinions of 2011). This thrice-divorced mother goes for the tell-it-like-it-is approach to advice (chapter titles include "You're Crazy" and "You're a Mess"). "It's like Oprah—with swear words," McMillan says. Read on for more of McMillan's take on life and love.

ON ELLE: How Your Guy Friends Can Help You Find Love

ELLE: Let's go back to the beginning. What prompted you to write the original article that would become the basis for your book?

Tracy McMillan: The idea stemmed from positive feedback I had gotten over the years, after talking to many friends about their relationships. When giving them advice, I had just been coming from my own experiences. Taking a hard look at my own life helped me learn how to get on the right track. But when I realized that sharing the insights I had collected was actually helping people, I saw an opportunity. Putting my words piece online was an important part of my plan to help women learn how to love themselves and have a better life.