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Writers on Writing, Volume II: More Collected Essays from The New York Times (Writers on Writing (Times Books Paperback))

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The New York Times weekly column, "Writers on Writing," discusses various aspects of the writing life from the perspective of today's best well-known authors. Jane Smiley collects forty-six of the essays and says, "Read it like eavesdropping or like twisting the knob on an old radio and tuning in stations from far and wide." These brief essays have a confessional feel to them, often declaring writing to be difficult, yet also a worthy task for the truly committed.

Numerous passages detail the obstacles confronted when courting the muse and also offer advice on how to write well. The most entertaining and direct approach stems from crime fiction writer Elmore Leonard and his ten rules to "remain invisible" when writing. He sums them up with the maxim, "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite." There are numerous pitfalls that hamper the writing process - the most common is doing everything under the sun but write.

Ann Patchett, author of the critically acclaimed novel "Bel Canto," hilariously explains her battles with procrastination. "I have already restored my oven to the level of showroom-floor cleanliness, written a small hill of thank-you notes (some of them completely indiscriminate: `Thank you for sending me the list of typographical errors you found in my last novel'), walked the dog to the point of the dog's collapse. I've read most of the books I've been meaning to read since high school."

What this collection does best is humanize our published idols; the most notable demystification being Arthur Miller's piece on relating his early years of being a struggling writer. Miller may have written the classic play, "Death of a Salesman," but how many knew his first play was a flop and he "resolved never to write another play." The honest feel coupled with an inviting tone make Miller's essay a standout.

However, the entire collection is compulsory reading for any aspiring writers. The piece by Alan Cheuse is a godsend for any late-blooming writer or for those skeptical to pursue a dream as middle-age approaches. Overall, "Writers on Writing" is a delight that will leave you feeling refreshed with pithy insights about the writing world.

Bohdan Kot

A great sampling of writers whose columns were included in the NY Times arts section. Some of the essays are better than others, but is that a surprise? As a writer, I found it interesting.

This companion piece to the first volume of essays previously published in "The New York Times" features another 46 essays by successful writers like Diane Ackerman, Margaret Atwood, Ann Beattie, Geraldine Brooks, Andrew Greeley, William Kennedy, Elmore Leonard Arthur Miller, P. J. O'Rourke, Jay Parini, and Anna Quindlen. The brief articles are highly readable, occasionally instructive, and consistently engaging. My favorite essay of either collection: Edmund White's reflection on music and writing.

"Muse" is right. Muse is all they do in this book. And the musing isnt interesting or helpful. What it reminds me of is a group hug with strangers. As in...what's the point?