Write Away

I have a shelf groaning under the weight of books on writing. Among my favourites are Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, On Writing by Stephen King, On Writing Well by William Zinsser, and The Anatomy of Story by John Truby. These books, and others, do not, however, stop me from reading even more books on writing, in the hopes I will chance upon THE one that will take me through to a finished first draft of my current writing project.

“Skilled writers know that what you're supposed to do is continually open up your story. You do this by creating scenes in which you lay down—but do not answer!—dramatic questions.”

This book will go to the favourites shelf. Elizabeth George, having written more than twenty literary murder mysteries, obviously knows more than a thing or two about writing. Her own journey towards becoming a published author also makes great reading (she was a teacher and wrote her first novel during summer break; and no, it didn't get published). What makes this book stand out is the level of detail with which she shares her writing process which offers other writers a peek behind the curtains at her creative process.

“Having no process is like having no craft. It leaves you dangling out there over the abyss, a potential victim of writer's block.”

The book sections are: Overview, The Basics, Technique, Process, and Examples, with each section providing excerpts from her writing journal, plenty of examples from her own novels as well as from other writers, and her approach to a writing project. From the outset, she is very clear that what worked for her may not work for others.

“A reader who feels anticipation, excitement, interest, or compassion is a reader who is not going to walk away from the novel till the entire story is told.”

As a reader of a few Inspector Lynley novels, I was reading this as a writer and a reader of her works. Elizabeth George's level of research is awe-inspiring. Not only does she visit locations (I found out only through this book that she's American whereas all her novels take place in England, with Lynley being as British as they come), she also takes photographs and records exhaustive notes of her settings. She is also a firm practitioner of the character sketch, filling out prompt sheets (which she provides), psycho-analysing her characters (one character's profile is included), and providing an exhaustively detailed bio of her major cast. All these before she even writes a word of the story.

“There is no plot without character. In the world of chicken and egg, characters come first.”

If you are a fiction writer, or are fascinated by what takes place behind the scenes of a mystery series, you will find Write Away to be a helpful, interesting, and generous guide to writing. It may even inspire you to apply bum-glue, throw your phone out the window, and - gasp - finish that draft.

Après avoir été un peu déçu par le ton parfois aride et souvent condescendant de [b:The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers 32533 The Art of Fiction Notes on Craft for Young Writers John Gardner https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437275269l/32533.SY75.jpg 1391543] de [a:John Gardner 481146 John Gardner https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1342714293p2/481146.jpg], j'ai cette fois été enchanté par ce livre sur l'écriture signé par la romancière américaine Elizabeth George, dont je n'avais pourtant lu aucun livre jusqu'à celui-ci.Malgré quelques exemples un peu longs parfois, et souvent tirés de ses propres oeuvres, Elizabeth George répond dans ce livre à l'essentiel des attentes qui étaient les miennes en commençant cette lecture. Cet ouvrage est très proche de ce que je recherchais, avec un mélange bien dosé entre le témoignage d'une romancière expérimentée, la description détaillée de son processus d'écriture, et des conseils pratiques pour ceux qui s'essayent à l'écriture de fiction.Au-delà des conseils sur le processus d'écriture, l'autrice réussit également par petites touches à écrire une ode à l'écriture, à la fois passion et métier, en mettant en garde ceux qui veulent écrire pour acquérir le statut d'auteur, et tout ce qui va avec (célébrité, argent, gloire, etc.), sans la passion d'écrire qui doit être le principal moteur. Ecrire même sans l'ambition ou l'objectif d'être publié, car on ne peut tout simplement pas ne pas écrire.