Writing a First Novel: Reflections on the Journey – review

Karen Stevens's collection of essays offers practical advice and inspiration for those embarking on the long, lonely journey of writing a novelAccording to Karen Stevens, "writing a novel is the longest and loneliest journey a writer can embark upon". Her collection of essays by established and new writers splits that journey into four stages: inspiration, research, voice and form. There is also practical advice from a literary agent and an editor who notes honestly that "chance does play a part" in getting published. Lionel Shriver is equally frank about what comes after the acceptance of your first novel: "struggle and disappointment". Although Hanif Kureishi candidly admits, in an excellent piece from 2002, that "most writers do not entirely understand what they are doing", these essays are both perceptive and inspiring. Alison MacLeod writes beautifully on the voice of a novel: "It is the unknown quantity every novel needs." Kishwar Desai admits to being driven by "the demons of insecurity" to over-research, and Jane Feaver, writing about form, advises authors to develop "an alertness to the collective materiality of words". But all agree with Wena Poon: the process of writing a novel is a "strange and wondrous journey".PublishingPaperbacksEssaysPD Smiththeguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Writing a First Novel: Reflections on the Journey – review"

Panel Mania: Going Remote: A Teacher’s Journey by Adam Bessie and Peter Glanting

Adam Bessie and Peter Glanting’s debut graphic memoir 'Going Remote: A Teacher’s Journey' chronicles the impact of the pandemic on the community college where Bessie teaches and on the lives and education of his students after the suspension of in-person classes and the switch to online... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #graphic memoir #in-person classes

Book Review: ‘Roald Dahl, Teller of the Unexpected’ by Matthew Dennison

“Teller of the Unexpected,” an elegant new biography, sidesteps the ugly side of the children’s book author while capturing his grandiose, tragedy-specked life. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-17 20:39:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #children’s book #book author #roald dahl #book review

Digital Book World 2023: The Future of AI Writing and Audio

According to multiple presenters at the Digital Book World conference, ChatGPT has potential to remake the way people write and streamline production and editing, while AI voice replication promises affordable audiobook adaptations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book world #digital book #audiobook #streamline production #people write #multiple presenters #ai writing

Digital Book World 2023: The Future of AI Writing and Audio

“Spare,” Reviewed: The Haunting of Prince Harry

Electrified by outrage—and elevated by a gifted ghostwriter—his blockbuster memoir “Spare” exposes more than Harry’s enemies. Continue reading at New Yorker

[ New Yorker | 2023-01-13 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #gifted ghostwriter— #prince harry

“Spare,” Reviewed: The Haunting of Prince Harry

Electrified by outrage—and elevated by a gifted ghostwriter—his blockbuster memoir “Spare” exposes more than Harry’s enemies. Continue reading at New Yorker

[ New Yorker | 2023-01-13 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #gifted ghostwriter— #prince harry

Kelcey Ervick Brings an Athlete’s Discipline to Writing

In one of my favorite pages of The Keeper, Kelcey Ervick‘s graphic memoir about her time as a goalie in the early days of Title IX, Ervick is, at this point, no longer a teenage soccer player. Time has passed, and she’s now a wife and a mother trying to take herself seriously as a … The post... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2023-01-11 11:00:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #graphic memoir #early days #writing appeared

‘Spare,’ by Prince Harry: Book Review

At once emotional and embittered, the royal memoir is mired in a paradox: drawing endless attention in an effort to renounce fame. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-10 21:07:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #book review #prince harry

In his own write: Prince Harry’s ghostwriter is so famous that George Clooney made a film of his life

JR Moehringer, biographer to stars such as Andre Agassi and a doyen of the genre, was an obvious choice for the Duke of SussexWhen Prince Harry chose to work with ghostwriter JR Moehringer on his institution-shaking memoir, Spare, he was not taking half measures. The American writer and Pulitzer... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-07 18:42:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #las vegas #tennis star #father-son relationship #american writer #obvious choice #jr moehringer #prince harry #andre agassi

Why Travel Writing is a Form of Memoir and How Covid Has Changed How We See the World

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Pico Iyer, the author of The Half Known Life: In Search... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-06 09:52:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #pico iyer #technological issues #leading thinkers #features conversations #travel writing

Book review: “The Prisoner and the Writer,” by Heather Camlot and Sophie Casson

On the 125th anniversary of “J’Accuse,” a picture book for older kids places the lives of Alfred Dreyfus and Émile Zola side by side. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-06 07:36:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #picture book #125th anniversary #book review

America’s Public Libraries Reflect the Systematic Failures and Social Inequality of Our Country

Growing up, the library was not just Amanda Oliver’s favorite place but also her “first beloved destination, first embodied center… it was absolutely sacred.” However, soon after Oliver began her career as a librarian at a Title I school and then in the D.C. public library system, she witnessed... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-01-05 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #public libraries #electric literature #income inequality #systemic racism #post america

Past Winners of the Baillie Gifford Prize Reflect on Their Year in Reading

The Baillie Gifford Prize is the most prestigious nonfiction literary award in the world. We checked in with some past winners about their year in reading. * Craig Brown, 2020 Baillie Gifford Prize-winner for 150 Glimpses of the Beatles, recommends: Geoff Dyer is the funniest and most original... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-01 14:20:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #literary award #geoff dyer #past winners

Book Review: ‘House of Bondage,’ by Ernest Cole

In a newly reissued photo book from 1967, Ernest Cole surveys the ever-present atrocities of European oppression. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-29 10:00:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #photo book #book review

Audiobook Review: ‘The Number Ones,’ by Tom Breihan; ‘How Far the Light Reaches,’ by Sabrina Imbler; ‘Young Bloomsbury,’ by Nino Strachey

From Bloomsbury to the Billboard Hot 100, these audiobooks will hook you based on story alone. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-23 10:00:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bloomsbury #sabrina imbler #audiobook review

Hervé Tullet Reflects on a Career of Creating Creatively Unconventional Children’s Literature

Hervé Tullet is a perennial favorite among buyers and sellers of children’s books as well as among the art crowd. His books have been translated into many languages, and he’s been featured in exhibitions around the world. * THE BOOKS Comment papa a rencontré maman (How dad met mom), Hachette... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-21 09:52:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #hachette #perennial favorite

The Most Scathing Book Reviews of 2022

‘Tis the season for schadenfreude. Yes, for the sixth year running, we’ve emerged from the bowels of the book review mines trailing behind us an oozing sack of pans—each one riper and more wince-inducing that the last. Among the books being gored and devoured by feral hogs this year: Jared... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-20 09:55:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book review #jared kushner

The 10 Best Book Reviews of 2022

Way back in the mid-aughts when I first started writing about books, pitching a print publication was the only reliable way for book critics to get paid, and third-person point of view was all the vogue. Much has changed in the years since: Newspaper and magazine book sections have shuttered,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-19 09:55:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #print publication #book critics #started writing #book reviews

Book Review: ‘You Can’t Kill Snow White,’ by Beatrice Alemagna

Beatrice Alemagna’s “You Can’t Kill Snow White,” a picture book for older kids, mines the brutal envy that underpins the original Brothers Grimm tale. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-16 17:24:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #picture book #book review

The Hardest Part of Writing My Memoir Was Telling My Family About It

You should watch Euphoria, a friend told me while we were on a walk during our young daughters’ dance class. I wasn’t sure why she would suggest this. Particularly in the context of our conversation: I was confiding in her about the anxiety that felt like it had been boiling inside of me for... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-12-13 12:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #electric literature #hardest part