Writers on Writing

I'm continuing to add reviews of books, both old and new, that might be helpful or inspiring to writers and aspiring writers. This week's review is of a 2001 book edited by John Darnton: Writers on Writing: Collected Essays from "The New York Times". Darnton, a novelist himself, commissioned the series for The New York Times, hoping other writers might shed some light on the craft. Forty-six of the results were published together in this book; contributors included Joyce Carol Oates, Barbara Kingsolver, Scott Turow, Gish Jen, and Elie Wiesel. I found the essays to be consistently well-written and engaging. Some provided helpful tips, some of which I include in the review, while others were simply entertaining.