Writer
Beware. This is a 'journey' post. Twenty-six days ago I was sitting in my psychologist's office (not something I would have done, or admitted to a couple of years ago, but now I wonder how people survive without brain dumping on someone who can help you sort out all the brain mess). We were talking … Continue reading Twenty-eight days
Oh my goodness, there is so much to read this year! For a start there are the new releases from the likes of Tania Chandler, Kate Mildenhall, Olga Lorenzo and Jennifer Down to name a few (full disclosure and boasting moment: I know them all, studied with three at RMIT, and taught by one and … Continue reading What to read in 2016
I'm so proud of my mate Tania Chandler. She has just launched her debut novel, Please Don't Leave Me Here. Tania is one of the most disciplined and critical writers I know. I met her two years ago when she was still studying at RMIT. She said to me then that she was on her … Continue reading Please Don’t Leave Me Here by Tania Chandler book review
There are some good books here. The Artists Way and Bird by Bird are both books that have been continually recommended over many years and I now dip in and out of.
I always love reading about writing. I caution students about spending so much time reading about it that they never actually do it, but these books in particular have been invaluable in shaping my own approaches to writing. Some of them focus on nonfiction specifically, while many are great for any kind of writing:
The Artful Edit, by Susan Bell: I use this every time I do a self-edit on a manuscript. It’s also a fun book to read straight through. She uses the editing process for The Great Gatsby — detailed in letters between Fitzgerald and his editor — to show how editing makes everything better.
The New New Journalism, by Robert Boynton: Interviews with all the rock stars of current creative nonfiction — Ted Conover, Erik Larson, Susan Orlean. This is like a fan magazine for nerds like me.
The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron:
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