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Book

Letters to a young writer : some practical and philosophical advice

Call Number

  • 808.02 M4788 (CEN, OSH)

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Edition

First edition.

Publication Information

New York : Random House, [2017]

Physical Description

166 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm

Summary

"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"--

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.

Subjects