Carole Burns

A lot of great wisdom in this book, but too much of the advice relied upon knowledge of the individual authors' oeuvre, and since all of the contributors are contemporary, I unfortunately have read very little of their work. Since most of the contributors appear in several different chapters, I almost would have preferred to have some longer essays instead of the short snippets that are sometimes profound but often don't say very much. Also, as a nonfiction writer, I would have loved to have seen a chapter on fiction vs. nonfiction or even fiction vs. poetry. The short stories vs. novels chapter was my favorite because one can talk about writing "in general," but the truth of the matter is that different kinds of writing call for different approaches. Still, a great reference book that should have a place on every emerging writer's shelf.… (altro)

Reading how the different authors develop their works was much more fascinating that I first thought it would be. Each person uses their own approach to writing, and as you read there is a realization that sinks in: There is no right or wrong way to do this. Writing is different for everyone, the single common strand for each person is that these accomplished authors simply went out and did it. Right way, wrong way, whatever way they used; they went out, wrote their story, revised their work, and finished their book.… (altro)