Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers (Hardcover)

by Carolyn See (Author) "You know the last thing in the world people want to hear from you, the very last thing they're interested in?..." (more)
Key Phrases: charming notes, pub date, New York, Los Angeles, Virginia Woolf (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Novelist and memoirist See (The Handyman; Dreaming: Hard Luck and Good Times in America) offers a how-to guide for the wannabe writer who can take the time to "write 1,000 words" per day. Viewing writing as a lifestyle as well as a vocation plays to See's strengths as a storyteller: her advice is salted with anecdotes she's picked up in years as the head of a literary household (her daughters are also writers) and as a teacher of university creative-writing classes. Starting at the beginning, she advises neophytes not to tell anyone about their aspirations, as "that bores people to death." Later she suggests sending a handwritten note of praise ("charming notes," she calls them) to someone admired in the literary world each day, five days a week for the rest of your life. Her advice is practical and folksy, and much of it wouldn't be out of place in an upscale women's magazine. The approach is comprehensive: aspirants are encouraged to "pretend" to be a writer, "make rejection a process," set up a travel account for that first trip to New York and deduct part of the cost of their clothing from their taxes as a "costume" expense. Practical chapters on "Character," "Plot," "Geography, Time, and Space" and "Building a Scene" are a little thin, but generally sound. Though not for the experienced writer, this is an easy-to-read beginner's guide, long on chat but somewhat short on technique.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This wonderful book manages to integrate perfectly advice to writers and would-be writers with delightful snippets from See's literary and teaching career she has authored nine books, teaches English at UCLA, and reviews regularly for the Washington Post. Mostly, this is a collection of anecdotes and name dropping (from her family and inner circle to well-known authors), and at times you'll feel as if you were listening in on one of her classes. See offers advice on how to write those "thousand words a day," behave like a writer, and get published after dealing first with myriad rejection letters. There are also sections on character, plot, and point of view, but don't think See approaches any of these topics in a formulaic way. She uses her wealth of experience to offer valuable, and sometimes hilarious insights into the writing process and the importance of revision. Whether you're a writer, a would-be writer, or just a reader who enjoys good writing, this book is a pleasure to read. Highly recommended. Herbert E. Shapiro, Empire State Coll., Rochester, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (August 13, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067946316X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679463160
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #787,584 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As much a guide to Carolyn See as to the literary life., October 13, 2002

By	Miles D. Moore (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

As with another of my favorite books, the late Barbara Grizzuti Harrison's "Italian Days," Carolyn See's "Making a Literary Life" is as much about the author as it is about the stated subject. See's subject, of course, is how to make your way as a writer--not only how to write, but how to get your writing published and make your name known in the literary world. Some of See's advice--such as writing a thousand words a day, five days a week--is eminently sensible; some of it--such as writing cheery thank-you notes to editors who reject your work or reviewers who trash it--is a little more difficult to swallow. But See's basic points are indisputable: the only way to be a writer is to write; the Biblical wisdom of "a soft answer turneth away wrath" holds just as true in the literary business as in any other; being a literary genius doesn't give you leave to abandon common courtesy. Of all guides to writing, "Making a Literary Life" has to be the most flat-out fun to read. You get See's observations on the art of writing ("The passive voice is really good for only one thing: the weaselly notes in committee meetings where nobody wants to get blamed for whatever happened"). You get her first-hand testimony on the damage wrought when the people around you don't support your writing ("My first husband, an elegant, brokenhearted artiste, knew for a fact that if you were smart enough to want to write, you were also smart enough to realize the extent of your own mediocrity"). You get the scoop on the eccentric behavior of all the authors See has met, from Amy Tan carrying two lapdogs in her purse to Harlan Ellison's confrontation with a bookseller at a literary conference ("He howled like a castrated bison; she responded with shrieks from `The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'"). While See says at the outset that "Making a Literary Life" is intended for fledgling writers without connections to the literary world, I think the book is just as useful for journeyman writers (such as myself) who have published a book or two but have no idea how to break into the next level. Quirkily, entertainingly, Carolyn See gives us some ideas how to do so. She's the soft-hearted yet hard-headed friend all of us poor scriveners seek.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and very useful, March 14, 2003

By	P. Lozar "plozar" (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Most "how to become a writer" books leave me cold, and I admit to never having read one of Carolyn See's novels (someone once gave me a copy of "Golden Days," and I lost interest on about p. 10). But a friend recommended this book to me, and to my surprise I was hooked from the first paragraph. Ms. See must be a terrific writing teacher: she knows how to get and keep your attention with humor, pithy bits of wisdom, and the occasional juicy anecdote about a Famous Writer; but along with this, she conveys an amazing amount of practical, useful information about the literary life and how to make it yours. Her remarks on the "postpartum depression" that follows completion of a book, and on how to handle rejection, were reassuring: writers' guides usually don't go into the emotional ups and downs of the writing/publishing process, but she's been through it all more than once, and is willing to share what she's learned. Her brief chapters on creating characters, time and space, point of view, etc. are likewise full of helpful suggestions (although I disagree with her generalization that male writers are plot-oriented and female writers are character-oriented: consider, for example, Agatha Christie!).

While I strongly agree that the best way to become a writer is to WRITE, I find See's "1000 words, 5 days a week" formula to be no more or less useful than Julia Cameron's "morning pages" -- it's a good way to get started if you don't already write; but if (like me) you're a closet novelist and an inveterate journal-keeper, you'll have figured out your own writing rhythm by now (first thing in the morning, I can't even hold a pen, let alone form a sentence!). Her remarks about associating with people who support your writing are valuable, too: if you aren't getting encouragement from your family and friends, find it elsewhere; don't waste your effort trying to convert them.

On the other hand, I think that See's "polite notes" suggestion may create a monster. Years ago, Richard Bolles opined that a job-seeker should set up "informational interviews" with companies he/she is interested in working for; I had a corporate job at the time, and found myself pestered with an endless procession of bright-eyed aspirants seeking "just an informational interview" (yeah, right). Then there was the "networking" mania a few years later, which left me, after every business gathering, with a pocketful of business cards from people who had otherwise made no impression on me ... I think it's a great idea to let a writer know that his/her book has made a difference in your life by sending a note (and/or writing a good review on Amazon.com!), and, if you're focusing on a particular magazine or press, it's good to cultivate a relationship with an editor. But I have a horrified vision of publishers being bombarded with millions of polite little notes in 3"x5" cream-colored envelopes, and I'm sure that most of them will go straight into the trash.

As for the personal details: in the valuable book "This Time I Dance," Tama Kieves recounts how she aspired to write, but thought that published writers were exalted beings whom she could never hope to emulate. Then she signed up for a workshop with a real, live Published Writer, only to discover that she was an ordinary-looking woman with thick glasses and a sagging hemline. I think that See's personal story makes the book even more convincing: here's someone who has had a successful and productive literary life, but she's subject to the same emotional and domestic crises as the rest of us. If she can, we can! All in all, this is a great book, and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to an aspiring writer.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A most excellent book for the aspiring writer, August 19, 2002

By	B. Merritt "filmreviewstew.com" (WWW.FILMREVIEWSTEW.COM, Pacific Grove, California United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Do you want to learn how to `court' an editor? Want to learn how to get with the `IN' crowd within the literary world? Then this book is for you.

Writers, take note. This is another weapon/treasure to keep in your writing world's arsenal.

The upbeat note that it inflicts upon the reader/writer will not be soon forgotten. I'm still impressed with the way Carolyn See dishes out the information in this book. Not only does she give incredibly comedic, heroic and downright interesting information, but she follows most of these up with examples from her own life.

You can get to know your target editors by getting to know your target editors. Sound simple and redundant? It ain't. Amazingly, most of the things you'll need to succeed aren't necessarily in your desk or a computer file. They're in your head and your heart. And Carolyn See shows us how to tap into both areas.

Like `Bird By Bird' (by Anne Lamott), this book has earned a special place on my bookshelves.

A+ rating in my book!