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Why I Write : Thoughts on the Craft of Fiction
Why I Write Thoughts on the Craft of Fiction Author:Will Blythe "What makes the great American fiction writers tick? Like so many of us, editor Will Blythe was intrigued by the question. His curiosity led him to ask twenty-six of the most exciting and accomplished novelists of our time why they do what they do. To pursue a vocation like fiction writing these days demands an almost religious sense of mission... more », with little chance of making a living, let alone a fortune. (And yet it sometimes seems there are more fiction writers than readers!) This landmark anthology offers a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the imaginative processes of some of America's best writers. Featuring original essays by such literary lions as Norman Mailer, Robert Stone, Pat Conroy, and Terry McMillan, along with work by rising stars Rick Moody, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Denis Johnson, the book offers eloquent (and occasionally bemused) proof of why the art of fiction writing will endure. The ways in which these writers illuminate the motivations at the heart of their creative lives are as surprising and varied as their fiction. Some divulge long-held secrets; some offer a glimpse of their childhoods; several admit grand, high-toned ambitions; a few even say, in effect, "Show me the money." All the writers address the extraordinary mysteries of composition and reveal the near infinite number of ways in which one can become a writer. Readers will find even the most oblique responses to Blythe's assignment--like Mark Richard's story "Who Is That Man Tied to the Mast?"--to be some of the most revealing and creative commentary ever made on the writer's life and the practice of fiction. Why I Write is a collection to be savored by all lovers of serious fiction, and by aspiring and established writers alike."« less