Here is a nuts-and-bolts, hands-on approach for the practical and talented but inexperienced writer, telling how to anticipate the likely reaction of a distracted editor to what steps the writer can take to make that first reading work in his favor. On Writing is for every writer who thinks it's high time something sold.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Author of The Friends of Eddie Coyle and many other books, and professor of creative writing (he calls it "spoiling the paper"), Higgins here develops his insights into the psychology of authorship and the essentials of good writing. Creative writing, he feels, draws on a need to tell stories ("all fiction is gossip") so obsessive that even mundane difficulties or the specter of rejection fail to stop the flow. Because reading fine writers promotes good writing, he suggests many apt titles and includes, from writers such as Dickens, Thurber, Hemingway, and others, passages that exhibit mastery of elements that daunt beginners, such as mood and dialog. Concerned less with mere sales than with quality work, this book is recommended as a stimulating blend of literary essay and good advice.
- William A. Donovan, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- William A. Donovan, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
PULLS NO PUNCHES,
This review is from: On Writing: Advice for Those Who Write to Publish (Or Would Like to) (Paperback)
[...]four priceless things higgins taught me: (1) develop an ear for dialogue. (2) if your reading hasn't improved you, how do you expect your writing to improve your reader? (3) reading is a participatory sport. (4) you need data to write a story.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Only the Truth from George V.,
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This review is from: On Writing: Advice for Those Who Write to Publish (Or Would Like to) (Paperback)
Read it because you love George V. Higgins: or read it because you really want to learn about writing fiction. He's not going to tell you it's easy, 'cause it isn't. But if you just have to do it, like he did, then this shows you the light at the end of the tunnel, and how to get there.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your time,
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This review is from: On Writing: Advice for Those Who Write to Publish (Or Would Like to) (Hardcover)
If you liked Friends of Eddie Coyle like I did, don't think this is anything like it. Read Stephen King's On Writing instead.
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