Post by account_disabled on Dec 29, 2023 23:16:29 GMT -6
Regarding his quote from Maugham – who apparently claimed that there are 3 rules for writing a novel, and that no one knows them – that is also an unreliable quote, dating from 1977, 12 years after the author's death. Quotations aside, are there creative writing rules? How many authors and bloggers, including myself, have stated them? Today I don't want to talk about the rules for writing a novel, but about the rules for not writing one . And even these, if we want to be picky, are ultimately writing rules. Read lots of books on creative writing In search of non-existent secrets There is this belief among novice writers that a book about writing reveals mysterious secrets about the art of storytelling and therefore allows you to publish more easily. And this, perhaps, because it is precisely the multi-published writers who write them.
There is another belief - also wrong, in my opinion - that if an author has managed to write and publish many novels, then everyone can do it. Why are they both wrong? I'll tell you later. Now I'll open a parenthesis on the books on writing that I have read: On Writing by Stephen King: read in English years ago. Interesting. It contains some useful advice, but it should be Special Data read as an autobiography of the author rather than as a textbook for learning to write novels. The Writer's Craft by John Gardner: also read this one years ago. I don't remember anything about it, but even in this case it is a sort of autobiography of the author. How to become a famous writer by Frank S. Whiteman: I talked about it in my article on writing between craft and talent .
It's a booklet that I've had for decades, since I was in elementary or middle school. I was curious to read it and a couple of years ago I read it. The Craft of Writing by Raymond Carver: classic book created to make money behind an author's back. It is a collection of his prefaces to his anthologies and one of his recorded lectures. Confusing and really useless. How to Write a Mystery or Other Crime Novel by Hans Tuzzi: Read this year. I found it interesting in some respects. But even in this case I have nothing left inside. The Writer's Craft by Murakami Haruki: recently read, but because I met and appreciated the author by reading 1Q84 . Again a curious autobiography of the author. Were these six books on creative writing helpful to me? No, as you understood. And I don't think I'm a goat who doesn't understand what she reads.
There is another belief - also wrong, in my opinion - that if an author has managed to write and publish many novels, then everyone can do it. Why are they both wrong? I'll tell you later. Now I'll open a parenthesis on the books on writing that I have read: On Writing by Stephen King: read in English years ago. Interesting. It contains some useful advice, but it should be Special Data read as an autobiography of the author rather than as a textbook for learning to write novels. The Writer's Craft by John Gardner: also read this one years ago. I don't remember anything about it, but even in this case it is a sort of autobiography of the author. How to become a famous writer by Frank S. Whiteman: I talked about it in my article on writing between craft and talent .
It's a booklet that I've had for decades, since I was in elementary or middle school. I was curious to read it and a couple of years ago I read it. The Craft of Writing by Raymond Carver: classic book created to make money behind an author's back. It is a collection of his prefaces to his anthologies and one of his recorded lectures. Confusing and really useless. How to Write a Mystery or Other Crime Novel by Hans Tuzzi: Read this year. I found it interesting in some respects. But even in this case I have nothing left inside. The Writer's Craft by Murakami Haruki: recently read, but because I met and appreciated the author by reading 1Q84 . Again a curious autobiography of the author. Were these six books on creative writing helpful to me? No, as you understood. And I don't think I'm a goat who doesn't understand what she reads.