Beautiful Writers

 

Blurb:

From the host of the Beautiful Writers Podcast comes a heartwarming, how-I-made-tale from a working writer you’ve never heard of, and inspiration and advice from the legends you love.
This book gives aspiring writers and seasoned literary veterans a look into the lives of iconic authors and answers the burning question, “How did they do it?!”
As a young writer in Los Angeles, Linda Sivertsen was hungry to be more like her literary idols. Fame and fortune seemed to happen so easily—and so fast—for them. But how exactly did these bestselling authors bust through all the obstacles and deliver, day after day, year after year, book after book?
When her questions remained unanswered by multiple how-to guides, despite how her writing career was now thriving, Linda decided to go straight to the source: her favorite storytellers across numerous genres. So, Linda co-created the Beautiful Writers Podcast, where she began interviewing authors for the secrets behind their careers—and, without realizing it, began building a platform of eager listeners who wanted to learn from their shared idols. With more than two million downloads, Linda’s podcast has since become a bright beacon of inspiration for writers at all stages of their journeys.
Now, in Beautiful Writers: A Journey of Big Dreams and Messy Manuscripts—with Tricks of the Trade from Bestselling Authors, Linda shares—and expands on—the best of advice and storytelling from the podcast and follow-up interviews with literary greats, including:

• Terry McMillan
• Cheryl Strayed
• Tom Hanks
• Van Jones
• Jenny Lawson
• Steven Pressfield
• Elizabeth Gilbert
• Anne Lamott
• Mary Karr
• Seth Godin
• Abby Wambach
• Martha Beck
• Marie Forleo
• Lee Child
• Patricia Cornwell
• Dean Koontz
• Maria Shriver
• Dr. Jane Goodall
• Sabaa Tahir
• Tomi Adeyemi
• Ann Patchett
• Dani Shapiro
• Danielle LaPorte
• Tosca Lee
• Joy Harjo
• Deepak Chopra

Wrapped around the page-turning, magical, and wonderfully relatable account of the highs and lows of her own career writing bestselling, award-winning books for herself and others, these stories from the trenches are packed with suspense, laugh-out-loud humor, and raw honesty. Their passion and wisdom will help aspiring writers avoid common pitfalls and energize career authors with a treasure trove of writing insights from their peers.

Beautiful Writers is a love letter to reading, writing, and to everyone who reads and writes. It’s the book Linda wished she had when she was starting out. Beautiful Writers will become the evergreen companion for creatives everywhere. Write on!

Thoughts:

'Beautiful Writers' is Sivertsen's memoir on writing. While her stories are entertaining and hilarious, they are also compassionate and insightful. The book also has advice from many writers in it. She has managed to intersperse that with some major events in the beginning of her writing career..

Sivertsen discusses a wide range of problems/questions you may face when you write. She describes how much hard work goes into bringing out a book—from conception to writing to editing to publishing to marketing.

You may not like Sivertsen's lifestyle or her writing method/process. For example, you may balk at praying for inspiration or consulting a guru. You may not appreciate her attitude towards some authors. You may not agree with some of the people she has quoted. You may not find definitive information on how to plan, write, or develop a plot.

However, whatever stage you are in your career—beginner, established writer—you will find some part of the book that speaks to you. Similarly, whichever page you turn to, you will find practical, relevant advice about some aspect of writing.

Why I Write

Blurb:

One of the greatest raconteurs of the 20th century, Saadat Hasan Manto declares that he was forced to write when his wife routinely demanded that he put bread on the table for the family. He doesn’t attribute any genius to his skills as a writer and convinces his readers that the stories flowed even as he minded his daughters or tossed a salad. Equally, Manto treats his tryst with Bollywood with disdain and unmasks the cardboard lives of tinsel town when a horse is painted to double up for a zebra or multiple fans rotate to create a deluge. Two of Manto’s favourite and recurring themes — Women and Partition—find special mention.

For the first time ever, this unique collection of non-fiction writing from the subcontinent’s greatest writer, translated by well-known author and journalist, Aakar Patel showcases Saadat Hasan Manto’s brilliance while dealing with life’s most mundane things — graveyards, bumming cigarettes, a film crew with motley characters from mythology — and a sharp dissection of what ails the subcontinent even after six decades —Hindi or Urdu, vile politicians and the hopelessness of living under the shadow of fear.

Thoughts:

Title: The answer to the book's name 'Why I write' is in the following paragraphs:

• "Truth be told, I promise you I’ve no clue how is it that I write. When I’m at a loss for ideas, my wife, who manages our finances, says sternly: ‘Please stop thinking and begin writing.’ And so I pick up the pen and start scratching out a few lines. My mind is still empty — but by now, my pocket is full. And of its own, as if by magic, a ripe story pops out. In that sense, I don’t consider myself a writer so much as a pickpocket. One who picks his own pocket and hands over its contents to you."
• "The most important reason is that I’m addicted to writing, just as I am to drinking. When I don’t write, it feels like I’m unclothed, like I haven’t had a bath. Like I haven’t had my first drink."

Content: This book tells you about Saadat Hasan Manto's thoughts on various subjects ranging from politics, and religious fundamentalism, to feminism and women's place in society, to marriage, and modernization.
Some of Manto's essays also talk about the effect of India's Partition on both sides of the border. His special fondness for Bombay is reflected in his descriptions of how it was before and after Partition.
I don't know if this is true or if it is a mere coincidence because of the essays included, but Manto's two favourite topics seem to be Bombay and Bollywood. The book has a long essay on Bollywood and how it can express the spirit of the newly independent India. However, he seems disappointed by the lack of artistic integrity and the increasing mediocrity in the industry.

Writing: Manto's style, albeit sarcastic, irreverent, and sometimes dark, is entertaining in that he simplifies even the most serious subjects. Not all of Manto's opinions may be palatable to you but his wit may sustain your interest. Much of what he said, especially about religion and politics, is true even after so many decades.

Translation: I am unable to comment on this as I have not read any of Manto's original works. The book seems well-translated. However, it has many untranslated Urdu portions, which might pose a problem for those who don't know that language.

Overall, a good collection of essays that reveal Manto—the man and the writer.

A Writer's Life: The Margaret Laurence Lectures

Blurb:

For anyone who loves great literature -- or aspires to write it -- this is an essential collection, full of insight, wisdom, humour, and candour from Canada's most important and beloved literary figures.

For the past twenty-five years, the Writers' Trust of Canada's annual lecture series, the Margaret Laurence Memorial Lecture, has invited some of Canada's most prominent authors to discuss the theme of "A Writer's Life" in front of their peers. Hugh MacLennan, Mavis Gallant, Timothy Findley, W.O. Mitchell, Pierre Berton, P.K. Page, Dorothy Livesay, Alistair MacLeod, and Margaret Atwood, among others, have shared the personal challenges they faced in forging their own paths as writers, at a time when such a career was still unusual in this country. 

Intimate, frank, and revealing in tone, their lectures -- collected for the first time in celebration of the series' twenty-fifth anniversary -- provide a unique account of a period when a national writing community was just being formed, and give us unprecedented access to the heroes and heroines of Canadian literature as they share their insights into their work, the profession of writing, the growing canon of our literature, and the cultural history of our country.

Thoughts:

I had never given a thought to Canadian writers until I found the website Canadian Poetry Online. Until then, I had viewed poems by them and American writers as one category.
When I posted her poem on my blog, the Canadian poet Karen Shenfield commented on it. She mentioned her colleagues in that comment. Ever since I have tried to learn more about the writers in Canada.
I started reading about writers' lives this year because I wanted to improve my writing schedule. I did not deliberately choose A Writer’s Life: The Margaret Laurence Lectures. I came to know of this anthology during my search for books about writers.
It contains the experiences and insights of many Canadian writers. While some have stayed strictly on topic, some have veered off tangent. However, every one of them has something relevant to say.
Some have talked a lot about Canadian history. In those parts, my interest flagged and my reading slowed down. However, I liked the book and will read it again in the future.

Background information:

The Writers' Trust of Canada, founded in 1976 by five notable Canadian authors - Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laurence, and David Young – supports the writing community in Canada.
Pierre Berton proposed creating a lecture series to have Canadian writers contemplate their lives and share insights about their work and their community. Accordingly, since 1987, the Trust has commissioned a senior Canadian author to deliver a lecture on the topic "A Writer's Life."
Named in honour of Margaret Laurence, one of Canada's most esteemed and beloved authors, the lectures are presented at the Writers' Union of Canada's Annual General Meeting.
This anthology was published by McClelland & Stewart on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the lecture series.

How to read a book

Blurb:

An award-winning novelist reveals the books that have captivated her and the influence they have had on her life and writing. Highlighting a true love affair with books, this story emphasizes the transformative power of the written word.

Thoughts:

I wanted to get a less serious (or maybe a writer’s) perspective of how to read a book to balance Mortimer Adler’s book of the same name that I am reading.

However, this book is certainly not about ‘how to read a book’. It is about the reading and writing experiences of Kelly Ana Morey.

Reading it felt like being in a one-sided conversation with a learned writer friend who had definitive opinions on literature and books. Boy, did she have interesting things to say! Here is a sample.

I liked the book because it is informal, funny, and most importantly, realistic about everything. For example, the last two sections were a reading diary and a list of 100 good books. The diary shows how often Morey abandons books in favour of more interesting reads, even magazines.

More a memoir than a how-to book, this may not be for everyone.

Chance Particulars

Blurb:

The goal of the writer is to live with the keenness of the foreigner. To experience, wide-eyed, the sensations aroused and the events offered up by a peculiar surround and then to evoke them so brightly on the page that the reader, too, experiences the foreigner's frisson. A time-honored way this is accomplished is through the keeping of a field notebook--through the faithful recording of the this and that of life; the atmospheres and incidents; the bells, the beer, the bread.

Based on what accomplished nonfiction writer Sara Mansfield Taber learned in her many years of field notebook keeping, Chance Particulars is a unique and handy primer for writers who want to use their experiences to tell a lively, satisfying story. Often, writers try to turn their notes into a memoir, essay, travel piece, or story, only to find that they haven't recorded enough of the concrete, sensory details necessary to create evocative description. To help writers overcome this problem, Taber has composed a true "field notebook for field notebook keepers." Enhanced by beautiful illustrations, this charming and comprehensive guide is a practical manual for anyone who wishes to learn or hone the crafts of writing, ethnography, or journalism.

Writers of all levels, genres, and ages, as well as teachers of writing, will appreciate this useful tool for learning how to record the details that build vibrant prose. With this book in hand, you will be able to recreate times and places, conjure up intricate character portraits, and paint pictures of particular landscapes, cultures, and locales.

Thoughts:

‘Chance Particulars’ examines how journaling and record-keeping enrich writing. It shows how you can mine information from experiences if you note their particulars down.

The book talks about how to be present, engage fully, and observe well so that you can share your experiences better. Taber tells you to focus on details while using all your senses. She asks you to document your observations descriptively.

If nothing else, you will have enough material to fall back upon when you sit in front of a blank page or the outline of an essay or story trying to fill it.

Although I read a digital version, I feel that I should read or buy a physical copy of this book to make full use of the prompts and the space for practice.

This is not a book that you read and complete. It is more of a guide that you may refer to repeatedly if you are serious about writing.

I loved the excerpts and quotations from other books that Taber has used to illustrate her ideas. They provide you with proof of how language informs, connects, inspires, and brings us joy.

Overall, a well-organized book, with great illustrations by the author’s daughter, Maud Taber-Thomas.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Blurb:

In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Haruki Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a dozen critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and--even more important--on his writing. Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and takes us to places ranging from Tokyo's Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston among young women who outpace him. Through this marvelous lens of sport emerges a panorama of memories and insights: the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his greatest triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs, and the experience, after fifty, of seeing his race times improve and then fall back. By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in distance running.

Thoughts:

My first-ever Murakami book. Those who know how much I read and love to might wonder why I have never read his books before this. I honestly don’t know.

Murakami’s books have been on my TBR list for a long time now. The title ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’ seemed more approachable than all the others.

This book is worth all the hype. Or, maybe I needed a book that was of the right pace and tone now. After my father’s prolonged illness and death, I needed to read something that soothed me.

Strangely enough, this was that book. Strange because I am not a runner or a Japanophile. Yes, I am a writer.

For me, this book is not about running or writing. It’s about life. Everything seems simple in Murakami’s world. He speaks of himself as an ordinary person trying to persist in activities, such as running and writing, in his unique way.

He does not persuade you to do any of those things. Nor does he offer advice. Yet, he inspires by showing that even a person (as ordinary as him) is capable of these things by keeping at them. He discusses running, writing, creativity, aging, and life in general.

Since this is a translation (by Philip Gabriel), I cannot comment on his writing style. It is simple, unvarnished, and meditative, which makes the book seem like a collection of unstructured thoughts.

I may not re-read it. However, I may hark back to it and look up bits and pieces from it later on.

Bird by Bird

Although Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott does not contain much on the actual writing process, it has some instructions on writing and life. They may help you, if you are a struggling writer. 

The book is not a step by step guide on how to write. It shows how difficult writing can be and contains practical advice that will reinforce your confidence and creativity. Lamott reassures you that it is normal for a writer’s life to be crazy.

Even if you are not a writer, the book provides a great experience. It offers warm, funny, clear insight into writers’ lives and is full of funny anecdotes from Lamott’s life. The title 'Bird by Bird' is based on an incident from her childhood. 

I liked the book. I would read it again.