Writers on Writing « Knopf Doubleday. Account | Cart | Feedback | Help | Search: Random House LLC | More Sites Newsletters Latest news: Read More Author Sites Writers on Writing Writers from the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group share advice and insights into the craft of writing. Mark Z. Alexander McCall Smith Annalena McAfee Cheryl Strayed Peter Behrens Alix Ohlin Brian Castner Hari Kunzru Laurie Frankel Darcy Lockman Simon Sebag Montefiore Heidi Julavits Nathan Englander Chris Bohjalian Alan Lightman Will Schwalbe Alex Wilkinson Ben Marcus James Curtis Michael Lindsay-Hogg Julie Otsuka Isabel Wilkerson Karen Essex Charles C.
Daniel Polansky Peter Spiegelman Jim Shepard Roger Hobbs Carsten Stroud. Author Angela James on the Use of Secondary Characters and Internal Conflict in Romance Fiction. Interviews, Writers, Quotes, Fiction, Poetry - Paris Review. GITS: On Writing - scottdistillery. Clarkesworld Magazine - Online Science Fiction and Fantasy : The Spaces Between the Words: A Conversation with Lauren Beukes by Jeremy L. C. Jones. South African novelist Lauren Beukes enjoys writing. And it shows in every word and on every page of her fiction. "It's a great privilege to be able to play, to make up stuff, to see where it takes me," Beukes said. "I love the craft and assembly of it. I love how type on a page can carry you into someone's head, transport you somewhere unexpected. I love subverting language to my own diabolical purposes, making interesting things happen in the spaces between the words, in how something is said or in what's left unspoken.
" Beukes writes non-fiction, TV scripts, and fiction. She's written for such publications as Elle, Marie Claire, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Sunday Times. Beukes' writing is musical and muscular, lyrical and layered, fast yet precise. "I'd like to think that the most common characteristics of my writing are that it's sharp, dark, witty, vicious and playful," Beukes said when asked to describe her style.
The heart of Beukes' fiction is her characters. I have a roadmap. Literary Fiction: Highbrow or Raised Eyebrows? When an editor mentioned that An Irishwoman’s Tale contained literary elements, I cringed. Should my debut novel be tossed in the recycling bin? Should I hold down the “delete” button until “those elements” disappeared? What were literary elements, anyway? Logic trumped fear, and I busied shaky fingers by turning to Webster’s. Since the 1970s, scholarly types have thrown paper wads in faculty meetings and fired off verbose barbs when debating this term. Other heavyweight critics dump these ideas in the “reject pile.” Books labeled literary fiction tend to transcend their genre, whether mystery, women’s fiction, or romance, perhaps by “breaking the rules” of the who-dun-it or letting the heroine not live “happily ever after,” instead focusing on life’s realities, powerful messages, the unique distinction of the writer’s voice.Whether you set out to write literary fiction or not, use its elements to your advantage. 1. 2.
Wow. 3. 4. Cara Putman “transcends” in Canteen Dreams. 5. 6. 7. 8. P.D. James: About the Author P.D. James. Noir comme polar : L'essentiel du polar. Vingt règles pour le crime d'auteur Article de S.S. Van Dine publié en septembre 1928 dans L'American magazine 1. Le lecteur et le détective doivent avoir des chances égales de résoudre le problème. Tous les indices doivent être pleinement énoncés et décrits en détail. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. La découverte de l'identité du coupable en comparant un bout de cigarette trouvé à l'endroit du crime à celles que fume un suspect.
What Are Your Favourite Books on Writing? UPDATE: See the end of this post for a complete list of recommendations given by the wonderful readers here at Write It Sideways. Here’s an email I got yesterday: I was wondering if you had any suggestions on books I should buy as a reader who wants to become a writer. The library close to me doesn’t have a very good selection so I’m hoping to buy these books, which limits me to about four.
Do you have any books that you think I should have right now as opposed to later? I feel this reader’s pain. At the moment I live in a very small and isolated town which doesn’t have a great selection of books on the craft of writing. Buying the books I want usually involves ordering them over the internet or downloading them to my Kindle. I’m not sure what kind of writing this person is looking to do—fiction, creative nonfiction, freelance writing, etc. If I had to suggest the books that have had the greatest impact on my writing thus far, they would be: 1. Brooks says: 2. Larry describes it as: 3. Writer Unboxed.
Writer’s Digest - Interview Techniques. [When researching your novel], reading has its advantages, but it has limitations as well. You can’t ask a book a question. It won’t bring up information you didn’t think to ask. It can’t clarify anything. A real person, on the other hand, instantly overcomes these limitations and may even hand you information you didn’t realize you needed. But just how do you find someone to talk to? And how do you ask? The first step, obviously, is finding someone to consult. Luck, of course, doesn’t work all the time.
You can also do cold contacts. The department’s Web site wasn’t very helpful, so I was forced to go down to the university for a quick visit. Do I get nervous calling people I don’t know? A note here: Always introduce yourself as a novelist, never a writer. So you’ve completed the preliminary research and are making the call. Let’s assume, however, that your contact is willing to talk to you. If you only have a few quick questions, a phone consultation will often do. Dear Ms. Terry Pratchett About Writing. Orwell's Rules for Writing. In our society, the study of language and literature is the domain of poets, novelists, and literary critics. Language is considered a decorative art, fit for entertainment and culture, but practically useless in comparison to the concrete sciences. Just look at the value of a college degree in English versus one in computer science or accounting. But is this an accurate assessment of value? Language is the primary conductor between your brain and the minds of your audience.
Ineffective language weakens and distorts ideas. If you want to be understood, if you want your ideas to spread, using effective language must be your top priority.In the modern world of business and politics this is hardly ever the case. In many instances, imprecise language is used intentionally to avoid taking a position and offending various demographics. This is hardly a recent problem, and as George Orwell wrote in his 1946 essay, Politics and the English Language, the condition is curable. 1. 2. Poor Faulkner. Archive - In Their Own Words: British Novelists - Words Fail Me | Virginia Woolf.
Rules for writers. Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity. WOW! Women On Writing Issue 39: Book to Film: Adapting Your Nove. Martin Amis - Writing Advice. What a Bestselling Author Can Teach You About Hooking Your Reade. Vonnegut Advice: Short Stories. Kurt Vonnegut and Joyce Carol Oates on Censorship. On Writing - Neil Gaiman. Garrison Keillor: Finding your voice as a writer. Objectivity and Subjectivity - Explore Writing (UK) Author: Angelique Caffrey - Updated: 28 August 2012| Comment As a professional writer, you may be asked by editors or publishers to write using a variety of methods. Two of the most common viewpoints that you will be expected to understand are "objectivity" and "subjectivity".
Objective versus Subjective When you look at a topic area from an objective viewpoint, you are looking at it as an outsider or "third person". Take, for instance, a party. Notice that there are no emotions in this report that can be attributed to the author. Alternatively, take a look at the same party from a subjective standpoint where the writer inserts his or her own interpretations into the mix. The subjectivity of the above paragraph is obvious and changes the meaning of the article completely because the author has inserted his or her personal feelings on the party. When to Use Objectivity/Subjectivity Sometimes, it's difficult to determine when and where to use objectivity or subjectivity. Right or Wrong? Title: Ray Bradbury on Writing Persistently. Joyce Carol Oates - On Writing Characters. Ray Bradbury speaks about WRITING!