“Slowly, slowly, I am learning to listen to the book, in the same way I try to listen in prayer. If the book tells me to do something completely unexpected, I heed it; the book is usually right. If a book like this present one, a strange kind of book for a storyteller, pushes me […]
Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay. I’m always irritated by people who imply that writing fiction is an escape from reality. It is a plunge into reality and it’s very shocking to the system. FLANNERY O’CONNOR Jon Winokur’s Advice to Writers once again […]
My friend Carolynne makes the best book recommendations. So when she said, “Everyone should read God’s Hotel,” way last summer, I ordered a copy. I read the first half or so, and I did like it, but I found myself bogging down in the descriptions of the patients — it was too close to home for me […]
I recently recommended this “Short Guide to Writing at 50 and Beyond” to the members of The Writing Lab, but having now read it, I want to recommend it to all of you, even if you are not yet 50. “Writing isn’t a breeze,” Jepson explains, “it’s a challenge.” The rewards go not to the […]