MEREDITH MARAN is the author of more than a dozen nonfiction books, including Why We Write About Ourselves, Why We Write, and My Lie; and the acclaimed 2012 novel, A Theory of Small Earthquakes. She's a book critic and essayist for newspapers and magazines including the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and Salon.com. The recipient of fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo, and a member of the National Book Critics Circle, Meredith lives in a restored historic bungalow in Los Angeles.
Initial reaction: Excellent compilation of twenty writers who recount their experiences in writing - from its highs and lows to personal and professional encounters. I also loved the endnotes here where each writer gives tips to the aspiring writer what to keep in mind as they're building upon their craft. It was incredibly inspiring on a number of levels, and for the most part, I appreciated much of what the contributors had to say. There were some points where I didn't see eye to eye on approaches to the craft, but I still think it was worth looking at where each individual person came from and what their writing shaped to over time and circumstance.
Full review:
I enjoyed hearing from this collection of 20 authors and their insight and advice on the trade. It's a compilation that not only showcases their respective biographical information, accomplishments, publications, and accolades, but also gets into the heart of the reasons why they write, what their process entails, and advice they have for up and coming writers in the industry. I really appreciated many of the perspectives that I read in here, from Isabel Allende to Walter Mosley. Some I didn't really see eye-to-eye with on perspective (i.e. James Frey, but I think given how he approaches the writing industry, that was a given.), but I still respected - on an overarching note - being able to use this as a source of writing inspiration.
Meredith Maran did a fantastic job of compiling these 20 accounts and organizing them in an easy to follow format to refer back to. I know one of the reasons I continue coming back to this as a resource is not just for the advice within, but also to look into the works of the authors that I hadn't been exposed to before this book. So it's an informative resource on both the writing profession and something of a writing history for the author's noted here. Not comprehensive, but definitely a strong foot in the door.
Overall score: 4/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Plume.
This book is fabulous, even if you don't write. It is one of the best I've ever read on this subject. I particularly like the way each author's stats are broken out into boxes so you can see what they've written, and each author's wisdom for writers at the end of each section.
These short essays are also especially honest, and I appreciate that. I've never read one of Michael Lewis's books - though I have a copy of "Moneyball" around somewhere - but was fascinated by his process and history. He sweats when he's writing, which I find hilarious. He also left a cushy secure job when he was young because he could see that people older than he were trapped by the money.
slightly misleading title, and more accurate subtitle., in that it's much more about the how than the why: specifically how these 20 authors navigated 20th century traditional publishing. A useful step appears to be: marry well.
What I liked the least about this book: it was only 228 pages. What I liked the most about this book: it was only 228 pages. Okay, that's not what I liked the most, but it certainly was helpful. Because frankly I really don't need a book about writing that takes days to read when I should be spending that time writing. This book offered just enough information about each author to keep me interested and get me inspired without bogging me down in the details.
I liked that the writers were all well known, which meant that I'd read something by almost all of them. Too often books like this include writers I've never heard of. I also liked that the writers' bios and bodies of work were included in each chapter as well as pithy words of writerly advice.
It also felt like the writers answered honestly and thoughtfully, and that they were enthusiastic about the project. Sometimes these books seem boring and repetitious.
Bottom line: I enjoyed this book so much I was truly sorry to see it end.
Reading about why authors write one would expect quite a bit of repetition and while there was of course some, this book turned out to be so much more. Why they write, where they write, interesting tidbits of their lives, what is important to them when they write and so much more. Allende is very picky with her word choices, Rick Moody wants his paragraphs to sing and Ann Patchett opened in book store in Tennessee after the closing of two bookstores and her closest friend is Elizabeth Gilbert. I am sure I will be reading many of these authors in the years to come and after reading this book I am pretty sure I will be reading their books just a little differently.