In the 1990s journalist and novelist John Darnton commissioned a series of essays on writing for The New York Times. The idea arose from his own desire to hear other writers talk about craft. "Maybe they would let some daylight in upon the magic," he hoped. Some 46 selections were published as "Writers on Writing: Collected Essays from The New York Times" in 2001. Contributors included Joyce Carol Oates, Barbara Kingsolver, Scott Turow, Annie Proulx, and Elie Wiesel.
"Writers on Writing": A Range of Perspectives on Writing
One of the strengths of "Writers on Writing" lies in the fact that each writer naturally brings his or her own particular interest to the topic, so that each essay delivers a very different point of view. David Mamet, for instance, writes in defense of genre books, while Alice Walker's essay addresses meditation and writing. Both Anne Bernays and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., write on teaching writing. Many of the essays reinforced my own ideas about writing, while others challenged what I believed. Nearly all of them are thought-provoking, perhaps because the authors had no agenda when they wrote them: they weren't necessarily writing for other writers, so they did not have to encourage people to write, or instruct them on how to do so. The result is perhaps a more honest tone than that of other books on writing.
Advice from Susan Sontag, Carol Shields, Russel Banks, and Others
Despite the honest tone -- or because of it -- there is much to interest writers and aspiring writers. In her essay, "Directions: Write, Read, Rewrite. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 as Needed," Susan Sontag says, "To write is to practice, with particular intensity and attentiveness, the art of reading." In "Opting for Invention over the Injury of Invasion," Carol Shields discusses the way she has handled writing about family and friends, advising, "Write bravely, truly; revise with discretion, tact." From Russel Banks's essay, we get: "Artists are a lot like gangsters. They both know that the official version, the one everyone else believes, is a lie."
A Book for All Stages of a Writer's Career
With so many important writers gathered together, "Writers on Writing" is the kind of book one can turn to repeatedly to find a new perspective or inspiration. Though this collection may be less proscriptive than other books on writing -- there are no writing exercises here -- this is still one book I can wholeheartedly endorse for writers at all stages of their careers.
