On Becoming a Novelist [Paperback]

John Gardner (Author), Raymond Carver (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0393320030 | ISBN-13: 978-0393320039 | Edition: Reprint

"One of the greatest creative writing teachers we've ever had." —Frederick Busch

On Becoming a Novelist contains the wisdom accumulated during John Gardner's distinguished twenty-year career as a fiction writer and creative writing teacher. With elegance, humor, and sophistication, Gardner describes the life of a working novelist; warns what needs to be guarded against, both from within the writer and from without; and predicts what the writer can reasonably expect and what, in general, he or she cannot. "For a certain kind of person," Gardner writes, "nothing is more joyful or satisfying than the life of a novelist." But no other vocation, he is quick to add, is so fraught with professional and spiritual difficulties. Whether discussing the supposed value of writer's workshops, explaining the role of the novelist's agent and editor, or railing against the seductive fruits of literary elitism, On Becoming a Novelist is an indispensable, life-affirming handbook for anyone authentically called to the profession. "A miraculously detailed account of the creative process."—Anne Tyler, Baltimore Sun

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Picture the poor, young, serious-fiction writer. He toils alone at a pace not so different from that of Lincoln Tunnel traffic at rush hour in New York. His spouse has a "real" job, or perhaps he has a trust fund. His college friends are cashing in on their dot-coms and wondering if he's ever going to join the real world. He is not hell-bent on publication; he is trying to write "serious, honest fiction, the kind of novel that readers will find they enjoy reading more than once, the kind of fiction likely to survive." He's likely to have no idea whether he's succeeding. Nobody understands him.

Well, almost nobody. John Gardner understands him. Gardner's sympathetic On Becoming a Novelist is the novelist's ultimate comfort food--better than macaroni and cheese, better than chocolate. Gardner, a fiction writer himself (Grendel), knows in his bones the desperate questioning of a writer who's not sure he's up to the task. He recognizes the validation that comes with being published, just as he believes that "for a true novel there is generally no substitute for slow, slow baking." Gardner also has strong feelings about what kinds of workshops help (and whom they help), and what kinds hinder. But a full half of Gardner's book is devoted to an exploration of the writer's nature. The storyteller's intelligence, he says, "is composed of several qualities, most of which, in normal people, are signs of either immaturity or incivility." In addition, a writer needs "verbal sensitivity, accuracy of eye," and "an almost demonic compulsiveness." But wait--there's more. A writer needs to be driven, and to be driven, he says insightfully, "a psychological wound is helpful." --Jane Steinberg

Review

A classic of its kind. -- Joyce Carol Oates

Few, if any, American writers in our time understood the theory and practice of great literature better than novelist John Gardner. With imagination and breathtaking dedication, he trained a generation of young writers to reach for the highest artistic standards. That legacy is contained in "On Becoming a Novelist," one of the essential books for any writer's library. -- Charles Johnson, National Book Award-winning author of "Middle Passage"

John Gardner taught me how to write. I've read this book countless times, underlined it in many different inks, taught it, quote it, write by it. . . . Alone in my basement after my day job, I pawed through "On Becoming a Novelist," hoping to understand what it was I was trying to achieve, and why. John Gardner answered these questions and many more--and still does. Currently there are a number of popular writing guides--all worthwhile I'm sure--but there's no substitute for experience and the hard work of composition. John Gardner put in countless hours at his desk sweating over the depth, generosity and elegance of his fiction. That after his death he continues to share his practical knowledge with us is a gift. -- Stewart O'Nan, author of "A Prayer for the Dying" and "A World Away"

John Gardner's book is worth a thousand pictures of the writer writing--bemused, puffing a pipe, one hand on the keyboard, one in his hair. John was a devoted teacher, and those of us who witnessed his generous attention must be grateful for these pages and his enduring example. "On Becoming a Novelist" evokes the life of the writer, the student, the teacher, as few other documents can. -- Nicholas Delbanco, author of "Old Scores"

There are three books I keep on my desk so that I'll have them at the ready at any given moment in my writing life: the Bible, Roget's Thesaurus, and "On Becoming a Novelist." There is no better book on what it takes to be a writer than Gardner's classic. Period. -- Bret Lott, author of "Jewel"

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (October 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393320030
• ISBN-13: 978-0393320039
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Gardner (1933-1982) was born in Batavia, New York. His critically acclaimed books include the novels Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues, and October Light, for which he received the National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as several works of nonfiction and criticism such as On Becoming a Novelist. He was also a professor of medieval literature and a pioneering creative writing teacher whose students included Raymond Carver and Charles Johnson.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

116 of 119 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not The Typical Book On Writing December 19, 2000

By Jason Baer

Format:Paperback

Before discovering a dusty old hardcover copy of John Gardner's 'On Becoming A Novelist' in an infamous New York City bookstore (Gotham Book Mart), I was under the impression that every book related to the art of writing fit into one of three catagories. Either it focused on technique (Robert McKee's 'Story'), it offered encouragement (Anne Lamott's 'Bird By Bird'), or it took memoir form (Annie Dillard's 'The Writing Life'). I was wrong.

This book is a portrait of the writer as a young man (or woman). After years of teaching creative writing courses and wallowing around the publishing industry, Gardner acquired an opinion or two (major understatement). He correctly believed that writing novels is not a profession or a pasttime for the timid, and so he outlines the prototypical writer's 'character'. The purpose, of course, is to get the young writer to ask himself if he is really cut out for this. In the course of telling you what traits a talented writer must have (verbal accuity, a discerning eye, faith, etc.), Gardner offers up some brilliant insights into the craft. His discussion ranges from writer's block to writers' conferences, and while you may not always agree with him, his views are always thought provoking and perceptive.

In the end, this book may be mildly discouraging for the would-be writer who is currently on the fence. Gardner does not sugar coat his opinions, but I am glad for that. He has no qualms in informing his readers that worthwhile writing takes a great deal of talent, and not everyone has that talent. As he says, the worst that can happen after reading this book is that you will realize you don't have the right stuff, and you will move on to something else.

In reading this book, you get the impression that he was a brilliant writing teacher, as is evidenced by perhaps his greatest student, Raymond Carver. Carver wrote the brilliant introduction to this book, which familiarizes the reader with Gardner's personality and makes it easier to put the rest of the book in perspective. I, for one, would have loved to have Gardner as a teacher. As that is no longer possible (he died in a motorcycle accident years ago), this book is no small consolation.

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Intense but also funny! May 20, 2005

By Dave Schwinghammer VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

If he were alive today, John Gardner might be surprised to find that he's more well-known for THE ART OF FICTION and ON BECOMING A NOVELIST than he is for GRENDEL, MICKELSSON'S GHOSTS, etc. Gardner is probably the most influential writing guru alive or dead, despite the hundred of "self help" tomes turned out by Writer's Digest and others.

ON BECOMING A NOVELIST begins with a forward written by Raymond Carver, a former student of Gardner's at Chico State College in California. Carver, one of the leaders of the minimalist movement, went on to a successful career as a short story writer. Gardner gave Carver his first line edit, showing the importance of a good teacher for the beginning novelist.

This book is divided into four sections, the first entitled "The Writer's Nature." In it Gardner describes the highest class of novelist as one who is fascinated by people different from himself. He talks about writers poring over astrology books and psychological case studies in order to find authentic characters.

The second section is entitled "The Writers Training and Education." Gardner begins this section by discussing bad workshops. He likes workshops because they give the beginning writer a chance to meet others like himself, providing some moral support. A bad workshop leader would allow vicious criticism, leading to writer's block for both parties. A bad workshop would have no standard for good fiction. Gardner includes "creation of a vivid and continuous dream, authorial generosity, intellectual and emotional significance, elegance and efficiency, and strangeness" as an example of standards for good fiction.

The third section deals with "Publication and Survival." Gardner begins to show his crankiness here. "One should fight like the devil the temptation to think well of editors," he says. He thinks they are, at least some of the time, all incompetent or crazy. They read too much and, as a result, become jaded, not recognizing a talented writer when they see one. He also makes some concrete suggestions, such as to avoid using third-person limited as a sole approach. Apparently, editors look on that point of view as cliched.

The fourth section is called "Faith." Gardner discusses discouragement and recommends some ways to deal with writer's block. One way is to read good writers. He suggests typing several pages of, say, "The Dead" by James Joyce to acclimate oneself to the rhythms of a great writer. He also recommends keeping a journal: "The best way in the world for breaking a writer's block is to write a lot." He extolls the process of writing as well, reminding the beginning writer that most first drafts are flawed. It is only in the process of revision that one "discovers" what he wants to say.

Certainly Gardner is one strange breed of cat. For instance, when working on a novel he would write for fifteen hours at a stretch. (I can't even see after writing for three hours.) In another passage he suggests using autohypnosis to give yourself suggestions such as, "Tonight I will write with ease" Also, in an effort to boost the spirits of the beginning writer receiving a lot of rejections, he maintains, "It's the law of the universe that 87 percent of all people in all professions are incompetent." He doesn't say how he arrived at that percentage.

This is not to say Gardner isn't funny at times. Childishness in a writer, he says, can be a helpful personality trait. His lack of seriousness about life, "his mischievousness, and his tendency to cry, especially when drunk, a trick that makes persecutors quit."

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book for Aspiring Novelists June 20, 2000

By Thomas Fasano

Format:Paperback

I can't think of a better book to put in the hands of a young writer: it inspires, teaches, comforts, and offers endless hope. I first read this book in hardback in 1983 -- still saddened by the author's death in a motorcycle accident the year before -- and I've enjoyed reading it many times since. In a beautiful and touching foreword Raymond Carver, a student of Gardner's in the '50s, writes that Gardner gave to the teaching of fiction the same energy and devotion to craft and moral concerns that he gave to his novels. Gardner's main objective in this book, as he states early on, is "to deal with, and if possible get rid of, the beginning novelist's worries." Does he do that? Well, he certainly helps the young writer answer a crucial question: Am I talented enough to write novels? Gardner explores the indicators -- sensitivity to language, an eye for significant detail, the knack of sustaining a narrative ("a vivid and continuous dream"), self-awareness, curiosity, nerve, empathy, a huge curiosity about people. (Gardner believes that lousy people will necessarily write lousy books.) Gardner also addresses some of the darker aspects of the writing life: writer's block, rejection, depression, suicide. And through it all he draws upon beliefs and practices that sustained him through the ups and downs of his controversial career, thus providing beginning novelists with a faith that can sustain them in the years to come.