These days, it is normal for authors to go to writing workshops – or teach them. So why does the idea they produce derivative writers persist?What makes a writer? How do you become one? When I was younger, even asking those questions seemed to disqualify me: a writer isn’t something one becomes, I thought, a writer just is. Despite writing, rewriting and reading all through my 20s, I was no closer to completing, let alone publishing, a novel. I realised I would need help if I was going to succeed, and I applied to several creative writing MAs.This was, depending on who you ask, either a decision that condemned my writing to being forever derivative and tired, or, an important step on the path towards the publication of my first book. The debate about the value of a degree in creative writing has been done, one might think, to death – good writing depends on an innate facility that cannot be taught, versus good writing depends on devoted time, support, and elements of craft that can be studied – yet it continues to rage. This week, a much-lauded debut novel was criticised in a review by an author for its “MA creative writing-speak” and “oh so tediously writing workshop description”. For some, “writing workshop” is shorthand for bad. But why?'One must have in mind between 68 and 73% of the ending' before starting a story, my teacher once advised Related: Buy a cat, stay up late, don't drink: top 10 writers’ tips on writing Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2018-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author and bookseller Mitch Johnson talks about writing his debut children's, Kick. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In an interview that raised many hackles, Gregory dismissed erotica as ‘pornography’ and crime novel villains as ‘blindingly obvious’ – despite her own novels occupying a distinct genre themselvesIn a bizarre miscalculation, the historical novelist Philippa Gregory took a sideswipe at the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble Education has bought writing skills services company Student Brands for $58.5m (£45m). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Neil Carmichael, a former Conservative MP and recent chair of the Education Select Committee, is to write on education reform for independent John Catt. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Perhaps it was because today is the last hurrah before A-listers head off to the beach and the mountains to escape summer's dog days. Whatever the reason, Michael's was jumping today. I was joined by CNN's Alisyn Camerota, whose new book Amanda Wakes Up was released July 25. I read it in three... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2017-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new £80m programme will see the UK's creative industries partnered with universities for a series of funded research and development projects aimed at boosting innovation. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michèle Laouénan, the owner of The Book Shop in Liskeard, Cornwall, has put the shop up for sale as she prepares for retirement. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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“My father was dying and I was pregnant,” is a haunting echo from Edwidge Danticat’s 2007 memoir “Brother, I’m Dying,” the story of the deaths of her father from pulmonary fibrosis and her uncle in a detention center awaiting to enter the United States from Haiti. Like her acclaimed works of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US actor Neil Patrick Harris, star of hit TV series "How I Met Your Mother", is writing “a magical middle grade series” for Egmont. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Max Winter, author of the novel "Exes," shares 10 old and tired writing "rules" and why you should break them. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zadie Smith is publishing two new books with Penguin imprint Hamish Hamilton, including her first historical novel. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nearly 20 years after her début bestseller Ralph’s Party, Lisa Jewell reflects on her long career and her recent move into psychological thrillers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We meet four finalists in the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and ask them how they create the words and images that capture kids' imaginations. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2017-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-published authors share what they wish they’d known from the beginning. If you haven’t written a book yet, you probably know someone who has—particularly if you’re an entrepreneur. A recent industry report found ISBN registrations for self-published titles have grown more than 375% since... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2017-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sudanese writer Bushra al-Fadil has won the £10,000 Caine Prize for African Writing for a short story which explores freedom. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As the US Book Industry Study Group surveys new awareness of rights, China's markets are seeing positive trends in copyright-based exports. The post China’s ‘Copyright Industry’ Shows Rapid Growth, Exports in Creative Products appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Quill & Quire: A part of this discussion among food book authors has to do with Canada’s deep multiculturalism and ‘What am I actually entitled to write about?’ By Dennis Abrams | @DennisAbrams2 How Canadian Is It, Really? t Quill and Quire, Sue Carter hosts a discussion with authors on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Creative Industries Federation has issued its Brexit "red lines” in the week the Article 50 negotiations formally begin. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Audible has launched a £10,000 audio-exclusive writing grant for unpublished writers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two decades ago, Arundhati Roy released her first novel, The God of Small Things. The response was pretty much everything an author could hope for from a debut. (It was a huge best-seller and won the Booker Prize.) But in the past 20 years, Roy has followed a different path than one might have... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2017-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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