Word by Word: An Inspirational Look at the Craft of Writing [Paperback]

John Tullius (Author), Elizabeth Engstrom (Author), Presenters of the Maui Writers Conferenc (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000

Word by Word, by John Tullius & Elizabeth Engstrom and the presenters of the Maui Writers Conference, is a compilation of presentations made during the first six years of the event, and includes inspiration and information from Richard Paul Evans, Terry Brooks, Ernest J. Gaines, Elizabeth George, Julie Garwood, David Guterson, Mitch Albom, Tony Hillerman, Ron Howard, Susan Isaacs, Barry Kemp, Ridley Pearson, Nicholas Sparks, and more than a dozen others. It will also include success stories from new writers in all phases of writing and publishing.

The Maui Writers Conference began in 1993 and takes place every Labor Day weekend at the Grand Wailea Hotel and Spa. It attracts hundreds of participants each year who come to the island to interact with agents and editors, and to hear presentations by some of the most successful authors and screenwriters today.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Every year, in late summer, writers of fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays gather on the island of Maui, along with editors and agents, for the Maui Writers Conference. Word by Word presents the written version of 36 Maui Conference talks, by such disparate authors as Ridley Pearson, Nicholas Sparks, Mitch Albom, Jackie Collins, and "autobiographer" Eric Marcus (Breaking the Surface). Some of these lectures are considered and well-formed; others have an off-the-cuff feel. The mishmash is somewhat jarring, but there are plenty of choice cuts in the mix. Between the same two covers you can read Tony Hillerman comparing writers to bag ladies--"going around picking up stuff, you never know, you don't need it today but maybe tomorrow"--and Richard Paul Evans (The Christmas Box) likening self-publishing to competing in the Olympics without a country.

The most consistently strong part of the book is the screenwriting section. In it, Mike Scully talks about "honest" jokes and writing for The Simpsons. Ron Howard describes how writing for the screen, more than any other type of writing, is "an ongoing process of fielding input, fielding ideas." Ron Bass (My Best Friend's Wedding) claims that, for a writer, "insecurity is necessary." Barry Kemp (Newhart) describes how he "casts" a room of writers. And James Orr (Three Men and a Baby) offers countless insider tips on getting a spec script looked at. Ignore his advice and your script may end up in a very soggy circular file. "People think pools are for swimming," he says, but "they're where you throw the scripts. One of the secrets of southern California." --Jane Steinberg

Review

A great addition to a writer's or a reader's library -- Bloomsbury Review

Informative, inspiring, practical "how to" anthology that is very highly recommended to writers. -- Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: TripleTree Publishing (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966627261
• ISBN-13: 978-0966627268
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,380,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth (Liz) Engstrom grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois (a Chicago suburb where she lived with her father) and Kaysville, Utah (north of Salt Lake City, where she lived with her mother). After graduating from high school in Illinois, she ventured west in a serious search for acceptable weather, eventually settling in Honolulu. She attended college and worked as an advertising copywriter.

After eight years on Oahu, she moved to Maui, found a business partner and opened an advertising agency. One husband, two children and five years later, she sold the agency to her partner and had enough seed money to try her hand at full time fiction writing, her lifelong dream. With the help of her mentor, science fiction great Theodore Sturgeon, When Darkness Loves Us was published.

Engstrom moved to Eugene, Oregon in 1986, where she lives with her husband Al Cratty, the legendary muskie fisherman, and their Duck Tolling Retriever, Jook. Liz holds a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing and a Master of Arts in Applied Theology, both from Marylhurst University. A recluse at heart, she still emerges into public occasionally to speak at a writers conference, or to teach a class on various aspects of writing the novel, essay, article or short story. An avid knitter and gardener, she is on faculty at the University of Phoenix and is always working on the next book. Learn more at www.elizabethengstrom.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, practical, occasionally inspiring., January 4, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Word by Word: An Inspirational Look at the Craft of Writing (Paperback)

Begun in 1993 and taking place over the Labor Day weekend, The Maui Writers Conference is a well respected annual conclave in which writers and publishing industry professionals meet together to enhance their skills and understandings of the writing process. Word By Word: An Inspirational Look At The Craft Of Writing is drawn from conference participants and is a compilation of transcribed presentations made during the first six years of the event. Such luminaries as Richard Paul Evans, Terry Brooks, Ernest J. Gaines, Elizabeth George, Julie Garwood, David Guterson, Mitch Albom, Tony Hillerman, Ron Howard, Susan Isaacs, Barry Kemp, Ridley Pearson, Nicholas Sparks, Dave Berry and many others offer their wit, wisdom and experience in all phases of writing and publishing. Word By Word is an informative, occasionally inspiring, always practical "how to" anthology that is very highly recommended to writers of fiction, nonfiction, film and television scripts, and anyone who has ever wanted to set pen to paper and effectively record their ideas and stories for posterity.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Best from Elmore Leonard to Ron Howard, October 9, 2000

By 

M. J. (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Word by Word: An Inspirational Look at the Craft of Writing (Paperback)

If you can't make it to the Maui Writers conference (the Cannes of the literary world), here's the creme de la creme distilled into one book; if you're a writer, make this your new journal. From Elmore Leonard to Ron Howard to dozens of top names in fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting, the reader gets behind the art, the science and the magic of craft from masters. Explored in quick, easy to relate-to chapters by author, this book is inspiration for the pocket or bedside table -- read one piece each night before you dream, authors. A new must for any serious writer today.