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The 60-Second Novelist - What 22,613 People Taught Me About Life
 
 
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The 60-Second Novelist - What 22,613 People Taught Me About Life [Paperback]

Dan Hurley (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 1, 1999

On Sunday, April 24, 1983, at about 2 p.m., I carried my 28 -pound 1953 Royal typewriter and a folding chair through the stiff wind of Chicago's Michigan Avenue, In front of the Old Water, Tower, I opened the folding chair, sat down with the typewriter in my lap and taped a sign to the back of it "60-Second Novels, Written While you Wait."

So begins the most original book in a generation—Dan Hurley's inspiring true tale of how he escaped his desk job to write the life: stories of over 22,613 people (and counting!), from Chicago to New York, in Iowa farmhouses, Midwestern, malls and California convenience stores. Hurley has listened as children and crack addicts, the homeless and the famous, poured out their confessions and a lifetime of wisdom. Now he shares the most incredible true stories he's heard (including the one from a pretty woman named Alice; whom he ended up marry­ing) and what they taught him about life, love, health, money and making dreams -come true. With over one hundred photographs and sixty of the original stories he wrote for Vanna White, Tom Brokaw and thousands of, other people you've never heard of You will laugh, cry, and feel as..though Dan packed you into his suitcase alongside his typewriter.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A sidewalk Shakespeare." -- People Magazine

"On a recent spring evening at 63rd Street and Broadway in Manhattan, it didnt take long before a small crowd clustered around Hurley. After a few probes, Dan was ready to write about a couple named Carla and Jay. His fingers flew. No erasing. Sixty seconds later, more or less, Dan reached the end of the novel. He read it aloud. When he was finished, Carla wept. 'He got to the heart,' she said, 'and he was kind.'" -- New York Newsday

"Part entertainer, part psychotherapist. An online celeb whose star quality leaps from the screen." -- USA Today

About the Author

Dan Hurley is an award-winning writer, a former contributing editor of Psychology Today, and serves as a vice president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. He is the creator of the #1 online writing-site, "Amazing Instant Novelist."

Product Details

  • Paperback: 220 pages
  • Publisher: HCI (January 1, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1558746927
  • ISBN-13: 978-1558746923
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I had trouble reading this book..., October 17, 1999
This review is from: The 60-Second Novelist - What 22,613 People Taught Me About Life (Paperback)
...because frankly, I couldn't get the darned thing out of my husband's hands. "Almost done, hon? I'm dying to read it." "Give me a break. I just got started." This went on all day. Finally, right after supper he gave up first dibs on the book (which he'd gotten by virtue of being first to pick up the mail.) At last, I had an opportunity to sit down and read "Sixty Second Novelist." It rates an A--a gold star in the middle of Dan's forehead. It's easy to read, it's written in everyday people-talk. The intro's to each 60-second novel were as interesting as the novels themselves. Can you imagine any author who would sit atop a tall building just to talk to the people on the street? Now, that's different. That's gutsy. And so like Dan! The stories were captivating. I was disconcerted at first with the ex'd out mistakes or changes of mind. "Oooh, I'm surprised he didn't edit them out." Foolish thoughts. That wouldn't be true to what Dan was doing: spur of the moment typing - warts and all - real life mini-novels of real life people. Not simply celebrities, although he's written for them, too - but mostly for plain folks, like you and me. It is filled, from cover to cover, with photos, interviews with potential customers, and an eclectic collection of some of the best, original 'sixty second novels' as written by Dan. The book is ingenuous. The man's a genius! If you haven't bought it yet--DO IT!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect slices of our imperfect lives., October 27, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The 60-Second Novelist - What 22,613 People Taught Me About Life (Paperback)
This book confirms something that I have always believed. Every life, every person, every face IS a story. My family originates in Appalachia. Many times at old churchyard funerals, I have seen mountain folk sadly shake their heads and repeat a bit of common wisdom. "When a man dies, it's like a library just burned down to the ground." In his book, Dan Hurley runs from the fire, saving as many pages as he can.

Jennifer King Moody, Contributing Author: State Lines, Texas A. and M. University Press

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring in a sneaky & humorous way, September 17, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The 60-Second Novelist - What 22,613 People Taught Me About Life (Paperback)
I'll be honest: I gave this book 5 stars not for its deathless prose or vast literary quality, but because it does exactly and charmingly what it sets out to do. Author Hurley shares many dozens of very short tales he wrote on the spot in only a minute for people who were waiting right in front of him. Talk about pressure! But Hurley proves that writer's block can be conquered, sometimes, by giving yourself a deadline. And he does a lovely job of capturing some essence, some droll humor, some cosmic message in each of these vignettes. I'd say he was able to force himself into a state of flow and let the words come without having the time to think about them too much. He seems to have a way of connecting with people quickly and he certainly has the ability of turning that connection into something quirky, fun, and surprisingly enjoyable to read. The next time you say you don't have time to write, you should be ashamed of yourself.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Let me tell you a story. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
instant novelist, corner guards
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hurley Dan, New York, Second Novels, Columbus Avenue, Ellen Cooperperson, Bid Day, Tall Story, Dan Hurley, Michigan Avenue, New Jersey, Taste of Chicago, American Bar Association, Good Morning America, Story City
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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