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Letters to a young writer : some practical and philosophical advice / Colum McCann.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- McCann, Colum, 1965- author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Creative writing.
- Authorship.
- Authorship--Vocational guidance.
- Physical Description:
- xix, 166 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm
- Edition:
- First edition.
- Place of Publication:
- New York : Random House, [2017]
- Summary:
- "A lesson in how to be a writer--and so much more than that. Intriguing and inspirational, this book is a call to look outward rather than inward. McCann asks his readers to constantly push the boundaries of experience, to see empathy and wonder in the stories we craft and hear. A paean to the power of language, both by argument and by example, Letters to a Young Writer is fierce and honest in its testament to the bruises delivered by writing as both a profession and a calling. It charges aspiring writers to learn the rules and even break them. These fifty-two essays are ultimately a profound challenge to a new generation to bring truth and light to a dark world through their art."--Jacket.
- "Drawing on the lessons learned throughout a distinguished writing career and nearly 20 years as a teacher of creative writing, McCann delivers a collection of essays that combines practical advice, creative inspiration, and a profound call to arms for a new generation of writers to bring truth and light to a dark world through their art. Addressing subjects such as "The Terror of the White Page," "Embrace the Critics," and "If You're Done, You've Just Begun," this collection is a testament to the bruises of writing as profession and as calling, and a paean to the power of language"-- Provided by publisher.
- Contents:
- Introduction: The unsayable ecstasies
- Letter to a young writer
- There are no rules
- Your first line
- Don't write what you know
- The terror of the white page
- No ideas without music
- A hero of consciousness
- Out from the dust : creating characters
- Shaping the truth
- Carry a notebook
- Be a camera
- Fuhgheddaboudit : writing dialogue
- Read aloud
- Who what where when how and why
- Seeking structure
- What matters : language and plot
- Punctuation : it's not just a throwaway thing (comma)
- Research : Google isn't deep enough
- No rust on your sentences please
- The habit of hoping
- There are no literary Olympics
- How old is the young writer?
- Don't be a dick
- Then again, don't be too nice
- Fail, fail, fail
- Read, read, read
- Rejoyce
- Writing is entertainment
- Take a break
- Who's your ideal reader?
- How to get an agent
- What if I don't get an agent?
- Finding the right editor
- Bringing (your own) fresh eyes to your stories
- Throw it all away
- Allow the reader's intelligence
- Success
- If you're done, you've only just begun
- Blurbs (or the art of literary porn)
- A secret hearing
- Where should I write?
- To MFA or not to MFA?
- Should I read while I'm writing?
- Smash that mirror
- The dark dogs of the mind
- Write yourself a credo
- The bus theory
- Why tell stories
- Embrace the critics
- Be exhausted when you finish
- Your last line
- Letter to a young writer, redux.
- ISBN:
- 9780399590801
- 0399590803
- OCLC:
- 975173917
- Publisher Number:
- 99972588919
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