Writers on Writing

"An ambitious inquiry into the art of writing and an unprecedented insider’s view of the writer’s universe, from the beloved author of The Handmaid’s Tale.

What do we mean when we say that someone is a writer? Is he or she an entertainer? An improver of readers’ minds and morals? And who, for that matter, are these mysterious readers? In this wise and irresistibly quotable book, one of the most intelligent writers working in English addresses the riddle of her art: why people pursue it, how they view their calling, and what bargains they make with their audience, both real and imagined. To these fascinating issues Booker Prize-winner Margaret Atwood brings a candid appraisal of her own experience as well as a breadth of reading that encompasses everything from Dante to Elmore Leonard."

-Powell's

Margaret Atwood identifies common concepts in writing with the help of metaphors and handpicked quotes.

The book represents a guide for future writers and as well as a biography of the author. It brims with examples from classical to contemporary works, highlighting a writer's multifaceted and sometimes conflicting roles, challenges, and opportunities. At the same time, much of Negotiating with the Dead has a conversational tone that undoubtedly stems from both its origin as a series of lectures and Atwood's singular, robust voice. As a result, this book is approachable, digestible, and memorable, a helpful guide for writers who aim to follow in Atwood's footsteps.

"Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King’s critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.

“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have.

Stephen King details how everyday occurrences molded into "what-if" questions became the basis for many of his bestselling novels.

King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told."

- Simon and Schuster

On Writing is a valuable book, suitable for aspiring and experienced writers to explore the writing life. He'll take you through the hardships and rejections he encountered in his young career to his breakthrough and continued success of today. Follow one of the largest voices in horror as he lets you take an inside look at the journey to becoming a world-renowned writer.

"Who owns ideas? How clear is the distinction between fiction and nonfiction? Has the velocity of digital culture rendered traditional modes obsolete? Exploring these and related questions, Shields orchestrates a chorus of voices, past and present, to reframe debates about the veracity of memoir and the relevance of the novel. He argues that our culture is obsessed with “reality,” precisely because we experience hardly any, and urgently calls for new forms that embody and convey the fractured nature of contemporary experience."

- Penguin Random House

David Shields expands on the idea of plagiarism, highlighting its pervasive nature through different forms of media, yet defending its ability to elevate one's craft.

This book encourages the development of new writing styles, advocating for the benefits of an emerging postmodern twist in contemporary work. Learn how blurring traditional writing guidelines can stretch your writing in ways previously undiscovered. Reality Hunger is for the writers of today who are seeking to pave the road for the new age.

"In this remarkable blend of memoir and criticism, James Wood, the noted contributor to the New Yorker, has written a master class on the connections between fiction and life. He argues that of all the arts, fiction has a unique ability to describe the shape of our lives and to rescue the texture of those lives from death and historical oblivion. The act of reading is understood here as the most sacred and personal of activities, and there are brilliant discussions of individual works--among others, Chekhov's story "The Kiss," W. G. Sebald's The Emigrants, and Fitzgerald's The Blue Flower.

Wood reveals his own intimate relationship with the written word: we see the development of a boy from the provinces growing up in a charged Christian environment, the secret joy of his childhood reading, the links he draws between reading and blasphemy, or between literature and music. The final section discusses fiction in the context of exile and homelessness. More than a tightly argued little book by a man commonly regarded as our finest living critic, The Nearest Thing to Life is an exhilarating personal account that reflects on, and embodies, the fruitful conspiracy between reader and writer (and critic), and asks us to reconsider everything that is at stake when we read and write fiction."

- Penguin

James Wood analyzes a line of writing to show how the smallest of indicative suggestions can affect the weight and imagery of a piece.

In a series of four beautifully written lectures, James Wood explores several ideas and expands them to show the role of literature in making us see the world and our place in ways no other medium allows. Wood identifies how literature and the reading experiences have affected himself as well as others. The Nearest Thing to Life is certain to inspire you to improve as a writer, reader, and appreciator of literature.