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An enjoyable peek into many author's brains.
This is short 3-4 page essays from a range of writers on the subject of writing that originally appeared in the New York Times. I get the feeling that since this is volume II the better essays were probably used in the first. There are a few good ones sprinkled in here, but also a lot of self-importance and people describing how they came up with characters that you've never heard of and could care less about. The main idea: writing is hard and lonely work. If you are going through a bit of writ...
I love reading advice and insights from other writers as well as getting some ideas for new writers to try. This book fits the bill well. I didn't like all the essays equally well, but that's usually the case with collections of anything.
I enjoyed the range of voices and glimpses into diverse writer's lives, including some authors I wasn't aware of.
This book consists of 41 essays by writers that range from Margaret Atwood, Frank Conroy, Elmore Leonard, Andrew Greeley, P. J. O’Rourke, Ann Patchett, Arthur Miller, Donald Westlake, and Amy Tan. If you are looking for a writing instruction book, this book is not for you. All of the essays are approximately six pages long. The authors write about whatever their heart fancies. These subjects range from the Selectric typewriter, to childhood memories, to writers block, to music, to current events...
This is an interesting collection of short essays from a variety of authors, each ruminating on some aspect of the writing life. In the introduction, Jane Smiley recommended reading the book in either one sitting or over a single weekend, so that one can better allow the different voices "to come and go, to blend, to harmonize with and to echo one another." I concur.
Some essays are worth it. Some are not. But a recommend nevertheless.
Incredibly inconsistent, but there were some good quotes to pull for teaching, as well as entire essays to set aside.
This morning I finally finished read Writers on Writing Volume II from The New York Times. That book has been part of my writing practice for a few months now, one essay at a time, and I really enjoyed it. Some essays were more fitting for where I am than others because the topics range the gamut of genres and styles, but all in all, I really enjoyed seeing the practices and thought processes of various writers.Here are a few quotes I underlined: So much of life falls between the seams of the sa...
This book is not the how-to-write manual that many beginning writers seem to be seeking. I sometimes go to book readings and I am continually amazed (and bored) by the people who cross-examine writers about how they write. If you are a frustrated writer who is hoping to find some magic formula about how it's done, this book isn't for you. If you are a writer who is looking for kindred souls, you will be blown away and feel comforted by how much the writing process of writers like William Sarayon...
Short blurbs, anecdotes, lessons, and stories about writing from the literary likes of Frank Conroy, Arthur Miller, Donald Westlake, David Mamet, Ann Beattie, Elmore Leonard, Margaret Atwood, Stephen Fry, Ann Patchett, Amy Tan, P.J. O’Rourke, and about 35 others. If you like reading, this book is filled with many a gem. My favorite was Donald Westlake discussing his somewhat complicated relationship Richard Stark, the pseudonym under which he wrote his “Parker” series of novels. Interesting, int...
I enjoyed the essays, but at times I thought they were a bit condescending. I guess if I was published in the New York Times I would be full of myself too:)
Very insightful; gave many great pointers about the writing process; it was amusing to read about the frustrations that writers usually encounter
