Snoopy sits atop his doghouse, banging out stories on a manual typewriter: Usually they begin "It was a dark and stormy night." Always they're rejected. In Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life, a roundup of thirty famous writers and entertainers respond in short, 500-word essays to a favourite strip. Each essay focuses on how the strip presents an aspect of writing life - getting started, getting rejected, searching for new ideas - that they have experienced. The essays are light and humorous, but also offer insight and inspiration to writers working at any level. Contributors include Elmore Leonard, Sue Grafton, Jackie Collins, John Cleese, William Buckley, Danielle Steele, and Jonathan Winters. An introduction by Monte Schulz addresses the writing life and how Snoopy's experience - his tenacity and resilience - can inspire us all.
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Using the many Snoopy "at the typewriter" strips as jumping-off points, 30 famous writers as disparate as Ray Bradbury, Elmore Leonard, Budd Shulberg, Dominick Dunne, Danielle Steele, and Sue Grafton have written short pep talks, amusing anecdotes, or just useful advice to would-be writers based on their own experiences. Witty and charming, the essays offer much creative and practical wisdom. But the highlight of the book is the touching foreword by Charles Schulz's son, Monte, who offers some striking insights into his father's life, giving the reader a glimpse of the legendary cartoonist as a reader as well as a writer. Editor Conrad (The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction) also contributes an insightful introduction to this collection, which is an inspiring homage to Schulz that will appeal to all writers and aspiring writers as well as to fans of the late Peanuts creator. Highly recommended.
Herbert E. Shapiro, Empire State Coll., SUNY, Rochester
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Herbert E. Shapiro, Empire State Coll., SUNY, Rochester
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Monte Schulz is the son of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz. Barnaby Conrad is a fiction and nonfiction writer, and he runs the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference where Charles Schulz spoke for more than 20 years.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great for the strips and the stories, nothing groundbreaking,
By Blake Petit "Novelist, columnist & reviewer" (Ama, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life (Hardcover)
As a lifelong Peanuts fan and a writer, when I learned of this book I was immediately excited. I got it from Amazon.com and read the whole thing in about two hours. It's a good, satisfying book, but not quite what I expected. I never thought I'd say this, but probably the best thing about the book is the introduction.Monte Schulz, son of the great Charles, uses the introduction to cast his father as a lover of books and as someone who always thought of his work as low art. (Personally, I consider "Peanuts" to be among the highest art there is). The stories Monte tells about his father are wonderful and made me feel a bit closer to one of my heroes. The strips collected here, most of which feature Snoopy pounding away at his infamous typewriter or getting a rejection slip (sometimes tied to a rock) are excellent. I've always said that anybody can find his or herself in a Peanuts [comic] strip -- I'm in MOST of the strips about Snoopy. Where the book falls somewhat short is in the essays collected from some really great writers. Rather than being anything really groundbreaking or informative, most of them are little more than pep talks. The one from Julia Child is completely superfluous unless you're out to write the world's greatest cookbook. It's a worthwhile book, especially if you're a writer who loves Peanuts. Just don't expect too much from it.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for Writers and Non-Writers Alike,
This review is from: Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life (Hardcover)
Even Snoopy has publishing woes. And this book contains close to 200 pages of the beloved Peanuts comic strips, all related to writing and getting published. But this book is more than just a new decoration for your coffee table. Some of the most successful authors today have written essays tied into the comics. For example, several strips illustrate Snoopy's trouble with Lucy, super critic. Author Sue Grafton's essay addresses the issue writers face when having outsiders take a look at your work in progress. Over 30 authors offer their advice in a humorous, yet very informative essay. Some of those authors include Clive Cussler, Danielle Steel, Ed McBain, Fannie Flagg, Ray Bradbury, William F. Buckley, Jr. and more. No matter what your writing experience, even if you're not a writer, you can take something away from this humorous look at the writing life. The authors lend a nice touch to the book, launching it into a writing reference tool as well as an entertaining one.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
it was a dark and stormy night,
By Misty Lara Prendville "Misty Maiden" (Long Island, Milky Way) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life (Hardcover)
I luved this book. I read the whole thing and then bought it to take it home. It was inspiring to read what the authors contributed.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
