Sunday, March 18, 2007
JUST FINISHED: Reading Like a Writer: A Guide For People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose. As someone who's trying to work up the nerve to start writing again, the title struck me in a good place, and the book didn't disappoint. Prose builds the book around the sensible idea that with the great writers, every word and every sentence is there for a reason, and if you want to figure out how to they do it, you should start with a close reading of what they put on the page. She then walks us through (sometimes lengthy) excerpts ranging from Tolstoy to Cheever to show us what you can get out of paying attention, both as a reader and a writer. It's a very engaging read, with a style that shows where all those books will get you. She also includes a list of "books to be read immediately", which is more or less a handy bibliograhy of books covered in the main text. Considering one of the selections is Tales of Anton Chekhov Vols. 1-13, to which she dedicates a whole chapter, Prose must have an odd concept of "immediately".
At least one online critic doesn't see advice to writers in anything but the first and the last chapters. He obviously read a different book than I did, or more likely has the maddening idea that writers are too busy writing to read somebody else. If you're just looking for exercises, Writing Down The Bones is still in stores.
At least one online critic doesn't see advice to writers in anything but the first and the last chapters. He obviously read a different book than I did, or more likely has the maddening idea that writers are too busy writing to read somebody else. If you're just looking for exercises, Writing Down The Bones is still in stores.
Labels: books
|| Eric 1:45 PM#
