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 ]
This time last year, we asked writers to imagine the future of the book, as part of FutureBook's first ever writing competition—this year we are turning the dial louder. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-01 22:06:37 UTC ]
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An urbane attempt to offer belated autonomy to a small band of well-born, well-connected young womenThe scene with which DJ Taylor begins his 26th book, Lost Girls, in which a girl enters, with some trepidation, a literary party in a house in Bloomsbury, is striking for many reasons. It is, as... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-31 07:58:41 UTC ]
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Want your child to love reading? Two New York Times children's book editors give tips on making reading a pleasurable experience Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-08-30 18:10:32 UTC ]
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George Takei's graphic memoir "They Called Us Enemy" depicts his childhood years in an internment camp during World War II. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-08-30 17:37:01 UTC ]
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This week on The Maris Review, R.O. Kwon joins Maris Kreizman to discuss her new book The Incendiaries. On finding a life in the arts: Maris Kreizman: Are the questions you receive from undergrads about craft? I imagine on your book tour you experienced a lot of people who had also given up... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-29 08:47:40 UTC ]
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A heart-warming love letter to books and bookshops, by an amenable fellow turned antisocial old misanthrope“I was in here two years ago and you had a book by Roger Penrose. Do you know what happened to it?” Shaun Bythell – owner of the Book Shop in Wigtown, Galloway – has 100,000 books in stock,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-24 10:58:38 UTC ]
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An indie author looks to his ancestral history to write his debut children’s book. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-08-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Kelly McCaughrain, author of Flying Tips for Flightless Birds (Walker Books), has been named as the new Seamus Heaney Children's Writing Fellow. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-20 17:45:29 UTC ]
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The fake author who fooled the publishing world is brought back to life in a diverting tale that treads familiar ground“Sometimes, a lie’s more truth than the truth,” drawls author JT Leroy, speaking down a crackling telephone line. This straightforward dramatisation of Savannah Knoop’s 2008... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-18 07:00:10 UTC ]
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Children's books account for just 4.9% of review space, despite making up a third of the market, according to data from Books in the Media. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-15 17:56:13 UTC ]
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Juliet Escoria is the guest. Her debut novel, Juliet the Maniac, is available from Melville House. It was the official May pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club. This is Juliet’s second time on the program. She first appeared in Episode 273 on April 30, 2014. She also wrote the short story... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-14 08:47:08 UTC ]
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In this post, learn how to write a science fiction novel from beginning to end, including 4 approaches for the first chapter of your novel, tips for writing about fictional technology, writing dystopian fiction, writing a science fiction series, and more. The post How to Write a Science Fiction... Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-08-13 22:00:55 UTC ]
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AJ Dungo approaches his graphic novel "In Waves" as a history of surfing and a record of a girlfriend's cancer death. Surfing, for Dungo, is connection and solace. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-08-10 01:55:56 UTC ]
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In her creative and critical work, Toni Morrison sought to remap the contours of American literature and culture. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2019-08-07 06:00:28 UTC ]
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Interviews Matthew Davis Ugandan novelist and short-story writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s first novel, Kintu, won the Kwani Manuscript Project in 2013 and was longlisted for the Etisalat Prize in 2014. She was awarded the 2014 Commonwealth... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-08-06 13:42:31 UTC ]
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Their book profiles more than 100 path-breaking women down the centuries, from a 17th-century radical nun to Greta ThunbergHillary Clinton is set to publish a new book about the women who have inspired her, from Mary Beard to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – “leaders with the courage to stand up to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-06 12:45:53 UTC ]
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Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton will publish The Book of Gutsy Women: Favourite Stories of Courage and Resilience on 1st October 2019, with Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-06 01:15:31 UTC ]
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The National Creative Writing Industry Day returns for the fifth year in November, with author Sharlene Teo as the keynote speaker. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-01 16:03:30 UTC ]
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In an era of smartphone addiction, a single-purpose device like an e-reader may help you unplug and focus on content that will bring you joy. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-08-01 09:03:32 UTC ]
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Susan Straight's new memoir, "In the Country of Women," depicts the tough, trauma-burdened women who have populated her life. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-07-30 19:40:36 UTC ]
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