Book Review: ‘When Horse Became Saw’ by Anthony Macris April 16, 2011
Posted by pacejmiller in Book Reviews, Reviews.Tags: Anthony Macris, asperger's syndrome, Autism, Autism spectrum, book review, Child, Mental Health, Neurodevelopmental, When Horse Became Saw, When Horse Became Saw review
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When Horse Became Saw is a beautiful, gut-wrenching memoir from writer Anthony Macris about his family’s battle with autism. His son Alex was a seemingly healthy baby boy that suddenly and inexplicably (like so many autism sufferers) fell into a frightening and unstoppable regression at around 18 months. He stopped engaging with the world as we know it and became trapped in a world of his own, a world where everything became jumbled and nothing made sense. Alex’s vocabulary began to deteriorate and words he once knew lost their meanings. The word ‘horse’ had become ‘saw’.
What follows is an eye-opening journey into the lonely world of (severe) autism and a family’s struggle to provide the best possible future for their son. It’s an old cliche, but Alex’s case was truly a parent’s worst nightmare. Autism is a condition with no concrete cause, no known cure, and vastly different philosophies on treatment. It is a condition that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat, and was and is criminally underfunded by the government, leaving parents in impossible situations. It’s also a condition that ranges in severity, and Alex’s condition is at the far end of the spectrum, the severe kind.
Watching your child deteriorate before your eyes, knowing that he will never lead a normal life, and worrying about his future after you die — these are the things Macris and his wife Kathy have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. The simplest of tasks (such as putting on a pair of socks) can take weeks to learn. A child can go for months without any noticeable progress.
Worst of all, nothing you can do will ever be enough. Working harder to make more money for his treatment means you get to spend less time with him. Spending more time with him means you make less money for his treatment. It can plunge the most optimistic of parents into despair. That sense of helplessness can make a person question their worth as a father, a husband, a man. It’s the type of feeling that can make a parent do something drastic, like killing their own child, a tragic reality that has happened before and is discussed in the book.
Having said all of that, When Horse Became Saw is not all doom and gloom. Far from it. I actually found it to be a strangely uplifting book to read. There are moments of genuine happiness, of hope, of friendship, of selfless kindness, of a parent’s unconditional love for their child. It became clear to me that despite his disadvantages, Alex is one of the lucky ones.
It is also an amazingly educational read that provides a wealth of information on autism — the difficult-to-define condition itself, the treatments available, the relevant national bodies, the state of public funding and private care — without ever being dry or textbook-like.
Much of that is due to Macris’s brilliant writing. He works as a tertiary level creative writing teacher and it shines through. Being a book for everyday mums and dads, the style of the book is simple, elegant and subtle, though occasionally the craftsmanship of a skilled writer rises to the surface through his imagery and vocabulary. The quality of the writing is not something that is immediately apparent to the regular reader, but if you look closely, you’ll see Macris must have agonised over each sentence. The book is a perfect blend of showing and telling — informative when it needs to be and evocative when it should be. The passages describing his innermost thoughts and reflections are uncannily self-aware, piercing and heartfelt, and the scenes describing Alex’s diagnoses and treatment are vividly brought to life. How he managed to write this book while teaching and making money and caring for his child all at the same time is a remarkable achievement in itself.
As someone whose extended family has been struck by autism on more than one occasion, this was a book that resonated with me far more than I had expected. While it was beautifully written and a fine page-turner, I found it difficult to read on because it was so heartbreaking and infuriating at times. But it’s a book I ultimately enjoyed, I’m glad I read, and I would gladly recommend to others.
4.5 stars out of 5
For more information check out the book’s page at Penguin here. Anyone who has ever had a family member with autism or mental illness, and everyone who enjoys an engrossing read should read this book.
Related Articles
- How to talk to an autistic kid- book review (drumrider.wordpress.com)
- Autism Causes – What Are They? (exomystics.wordpress.com)
- Can someone have more than one type of autism? (zocdoc.com)
- Comics Are a Great Development Tool for Autistic Kids (wired.com)
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Book Review: He Died with a Felafel in His Hand April 9, 2011
Posted by pacejmiller in Book Reviews, Reviews.Tags: Birmingham, book, book review, comedy, cult classic, Falafel, He Died with a Felafel in His Hand, John Birmingham, Noah Taylor, share house
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My supervisor recommended a number of books to read to get myself into the mood and rhythm of the type of book I wanted to write, and one of them was John Birmingham’s He Died with a Felafel in His Hand.
The title of the book was something I was very familiar with, but to be honest I didn’t even know it was a book. I had heard about it years ago as a film, a typically [insert adjective] Aussie film starring Noah Taylor. To be fair, I never watched it, and don’t intend to.
So naturally, I was not convinced that the book would be a good read. I was wrong. He Died with a Felafel in His Hand is a cracker of a book and John Birmingham is a ridiculously good writer.
The title (and the first line) of the book is a reference to one of the many housemates Birmingham lived with in share house accommodation during the 90s. The whole book (and it’s a short one — my typo-riddled library-borrowed version was 214 pages) is filled with outrageous and hilarious vignettes about all the crazy housemates Birmingham encountered and the type of things they got up to, usually involving horrific hygiene, a plethora of drugs and bizarre, freaakish, unexplainable human behaviour. All laugh out loud stuff.
It’s a very easy book to read because there is no real structure — there are chapters but he just goes from one housemate to another, from one house to another. You do kind of get lost in all of it but it doesn’t really matter because all the stories are so well-written and funny. There are also little side-stories told by his friends that are equally insane and disgusting, though it took me a while to realise that they were not Birmingham’s personal stories.
Birmingham’s voice and his style is right on the money. It’s conversational, observational, extraordinarily sharp and witty. It’s not overtly descriptive but each description manages to hit the bullseye in just a few words. Definitely someone I can learn from.
I really enjoyed He Died with a Felafel in His Hand and will most probably read it again.
5 out of 5
[PS: I can totally understand, however, why a movie version would have flopped because it could not have been very faithful to a book like this where everything is all over the place and there is no real narrative thread.]
Book Review: The Book Thief April 23, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Book Reviews, On Writing.Tags: Anne Frank, bestseller, book review, Death, Holocaust, Liesel Meminger, Markus Zusak, Novel, The Book Thief, Writing
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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Recently I’ve been envious of a lot of other writers (pretty much after every book I read). It may be the way they can create vivid images in my mind with apparent ease, or the way they can use dialogue to make their characters come alive effortlessly – or just their success. Well, add Markus Zusak, the award-winning Australian author of The Book Thief, to that list.
I bought The Book Thief almost a year ago, but it wasn’t until my recent European trip that I actually got around to reading it. Here’s what I thought of it.
What is it about?
I never like to give away too much plot, so all I will say is that The Book Thief centers around a young girl named Liesel Meminger (who, of course, is the Book Thief), and the story takes place during World War II in Nazi Germany. Sounds pretty familiar right? But don’t be tricked by the premise. The Diary of Anne Frank it is not. The Book Thief is, without a doubt, one of the most unusual books I have ever read.
What makes it unusual?
For starters, the storyteller of the novel is Death. Yes, that’s right, Death. A rather apt choice considering that the story takes place during the Holocaust. However, despite the grim topic and the grimmer narrator, Zusak manages to convey the story in a (for the most part) lighthearted manner that is brimming with its young protagonist’s curiosity and mischief. Perhaps it takes away some of that realism and genuine horror, but having the story told by a character supposedly detached from humanity was eerily effective. Further, the story is told largely from the point of view of the Germans. In fact, there’s only one main Jewish character in the whole book.
The Book Thief is also a love affair with books – and a examination of the power of words and stories. Indeed, Zusak alludes to the view that Hitler was able to become who he was because he was a master of words – a master at using words to manipulate people. He didn’t need to be big and strong or wealthy, and he didn’t need a gun. He became the most powerful man in the world because he understood the power of words.
So, how was it?
To be honest, it took a while for me to get into The Book Thief. Not because it was boring (though it was slow in certain parts), but because of the book’s unusual style. The narrative jumps around a bit, and there’s the occasional poetic extract in bold from the narrator that breaks things up. Each section of the book also has a tiny summary at the front, comprised primarily of single words, short phrases and things that don’t make much sense until you finish the section. It was highly unusual.
Furthermore, despite the scope of the events surrounding the characters, The Book Thief is a very personal story. It is essentially focused on a single town, a single street (which happens to be the street on which the protagonist lives) and on a small handful of characters.
Even when I finally got used to it, for a while I wondered where the story was going and what it was getting at. Dare I say I even found it difficult to read on, despite the fact that the book was clearly fabulously written.
But I’m glad I did, because gradually, I realized that it wasn’t all just aimless wandering. Before long, I realized that I actually cared about the characters. I realized that I was sympathizing with Germans in the Holocaust. Though their suffering paled in comparison to the Jews, that does not mean they were not victims too.
By the end of the book, I was deeply moved. At some point (and I don’t know exactly where, except that it was quite late), The Book Thief stops being just an exceptionally written novel – it simply becomes exceptional. It’s one of those books with the ability to linger in your mind long after the final page.
Overall, I’d say it was a good book that unfortunately didn’t become great until it neared the end. Perhaps a little too long and a little tedious at times, but there was no doubting how well it was written. And it does pack an emotional punch at the end. 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Zuzak’s writing style
While the novel has its problems it does not mean the author is not worthy of praise. I grew increasingly envious of Markus Zusak’s writing ability as the book progressed. In particular, Zusak has a knack for descriptions (which I consider one of my weakest points as a writer). In The Book Thief, some of his descriptions are so out of the ordinary and so brilliant that it made me shake my head. Especially those relating to character traits. For instance, Liesel’s foster mother is repeated referred to as a ‘cardboard woman’; her foster father has ‘silver eyes’ and her best friend has ‘yellow hair’. These may seem unremarkable but whenever I saw these references in the book I would instantly recognize the character. These images are so ingrained in my memory that I can still immediately come up with them off the top of my head despite having finish the book weeks ago. Some may be unimpressed with his overuse of metaphors (like ‘the sky was the colour of Jews’) or even find his style pretentious, but as an aspiring writer trying to learn the craft, I was intrigued by his confident use of unusual descriptions and imagery.
I also found Zusak to be a great craftsman who is able to shape a story with control and subtlety – he doesn’t rub anything in your face. He builds it up, gives you the chance to learn the characters. At the same time he gives you room to think about and interpret the imagery (and there is a lot of that, especially in the short stories and hand-drawn artwork in the book). Even if you don’t enjoy the book, it doesn’t hurt reading it just to see and learn from the way Zusak writes (regardless of whether you like his style or not).
It doesn’t appear that Zusak was naturally gifted with these skills. I just read a fascinating interview with the author entitled ‘Why I write’ in which he describes his struggles with writing (see here). It also has some terrific insights into the craft and process of writing which I found very useful. Another great article on his personal journey in creating The Book Thief can be found here. Just shows it’s not easy coming up with an international bestseller.
Maybe there’s still hope for me.
Stephen King’s “On Writing” – A Comprehensive Review and Summary April 7, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Book Reviews, On Writing.Tags: Anne Lamott, Aspiring Writer, Bird by Bird, book review, On Writing, publisher, Shawshank Redemption, stephen king, The Elements of Style, Writing
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There are plenty of books on writing out there, mostly by writers you have never heard of and probably never will. Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is an exception. I had read many rave reviews about this book, so I went and got myself the audio book version for the long train rides on my latest European vacation (but ended up listening to it everywhere I went and finished it in the first couple of days).
The verdict? Extraordinary. One of the best books about writing I’ve ever come across. 5 out of 5 stars!
Nevertheless, what started off as a short post about the book has turned into the full-blown thesis below, so I apologize in advance. The lengthy middle section on Part II though is useful for those who want an idea of what King’s views are in relation to the craft of writing.
Overview
The book is not a mechanical guide on how to be a better writer from a technical standpoint, though in the middle section King does discuss the fundamentals of the craft. Stylistically, it is similar to Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, in that it is a very personal book that discusses writing through the author’s personal stories, experiences and anecdotes, all told with good grace and humor. You don’t just learn about writing techniques in On Writing – you also get to learn a great deal about Stephen King, his family, the struggles he has endured, both pre-fame and post-fame, and what makes him tick as a popular horror novelist that has sold hundreds of millions of books worldwide.
There are essentially 3 parts to this book. Part I is all about King’s life, and is autobiographical in a sense. Part II is all about the craft of writing from King’s personal perspective. Part III talks about King’s life after his tragic car accident that almost ended his life and writing career. All 3 parts are equally instructive and compelling.
Parts I & III– All About Stephen King
The book begins like an autobiography on Stephen King, the writer. It starts off from his childhood and goes all the way to that first big success and then on to superstardom. It’s filled with lots of little humorous tales about the outrageous things he got up to. After all, it is a memoir.
At first, I was concerned – where was he leading with this? Is the book called On Writing or On Stephen King? I got the book with the hope of learning more about how to be a better writer, not to learn everything about the author! That being said, King does tell his story with a lot of skill, keeping it interesting, intriguing, funny and inspiring.
Then you start to realize that it isn’t just a self-indulgent story of King’s life. There is a common theme running through his life, and that theme is writing. He loves to write and he writes for the love of writing. Like most other successful writers, King went through years and years of rejections (starting when he was just a kid). He held ordinary jobs because he had to support himself and his family. He struggled.
But he never stopped writing and honing his craft, largely thanks to the encouragement of his wife Tabitha, who happens to also be his most loyal supporter.
King tells one of the most inspirational and uplifting stories I’ve ever heard – how his breakthrough novel Carrie earned him an initial $2,500 for the hardcover rights (not much even for those times), and then how he scored a life-changing $400,000 for the paperback rights (split equally with hardcover publisher) when the most he expected was $60,000 (half of which would be his). Not bad for a guy who would have earned $30,000 over 4 years as a teacher.
However, success manifested itself in strange ways, and the next section dealt with King’s fall into alcoholism and drug abuse. Amazingly, some of his most famous novels were written during the darkest phase of his life.
Anyway, don’t be put off by the long start – King does eventually get to the craft of writing in Part II. However, this first part is also very instructive. If nothing, you learn that the path of a writer is a long, difficult, and eternal road.
Part III is significantly shorter. It tells of King’s horrific car accident at the hands of a loony driver – one that not only nearly ended his writing career but just about killed him. I thought King showed a lot of restraint in this section – he doesn’t hurl abuse at the driver who turned his life upside down and made even simple tasks such as sitting incredibly painful for him. He merely describes what happened like a good narrator (including the agonizing pain he endured) and leaves it at that.
Part II – The Craft of Writing
The second part is what most people buy the book for – King’s guide to the craft of writing. It contains a lot of the same advice you might find in other writing books, but King adds his own personal touch and insight from his years of experience.
Here’s a summary of some of the most salient points I got out of this section and what I thought of them. Please note that I cannot guarantee that it is an accurate or complete reflection what is actually in the book because they are merely from scribbles I took down when listening to the audio book. Of course, you will get much much more out of it by reading (or listening) to the book, which provides a lot of in-depth discussion and useful examples. This is really just a personal reminder of things I need to look out for in my own writing and a critique of King’s advice.
The Elements of Style
First of all, get yourself a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style. King raves about this book and mentions it more than a couple of times. In his view, all writers should read this short but essential book.
I need to get myself a copy.
Characters
King’s writing style is based on characters. In his view, stories and characters are not really created, but are waiting to be uncovered like archaeological artifacts. He usually starts his novels with just a premise and goes from there, meaning his characters and plot tend to form over the course of the novel rather than get planned out from the beginning.
It may be a viable method but I find such an approach to likely lead to dead ends (and I feel King might have the same problem with some of his horror novels, which have a tendency to crash to a crappy finish with unsatisfactory solutions).
Good Writing
When King talks about good writing, he is not talking about writing masterpieces or literary award winners. He’s simply talking about writing that is above competent and readable, and perhaps, publishable. In his view, there are two key criteria to ‘good writing’: (1) a good grasp of the fundamentals; and (2) having the right instruments. These criteria will not make good writers great or bad writers competent, but it can make good writers out of merely competent writers.
So what are these fundamentals and tools? See below. I should say in advance that these are things you would expect to find in most other books on writing and shouldn’t come as a big surprise.
Adverbs
King hates adverbs (you know, words that mostly end in ‘-ly’). Loathes them. Not that they shouldn’t be used at all, but they should only be used when strictly necessary. On the same point, King brings up the issue of using adverbs for dialogue attribution – for instance, ‘she said slowly’. Again, the rule is to use it only when necessary. If the dialogue itself already tells the way in which it is expressed, then there is no need for the adverb. King’s preference is to just use ‘said’. However, that being said, he also admits to using adverbs more often than he should.
Personally, I admit I have a tendency to resort to adverbs. Because it’s easy. It tempts you to use it so you don’t have to think of a better word or come up with better dialogue (in the case of dialogue attribution). However, cutting out adverbs is something I’ve reserved for the second draft.
Passive Voice
Another thing King frowns upon is using passive voice. For example, instead of ‘he rode the horse’, using ‘the horse was ridden by the man’. King attributes the use of passive voice to fear. People that usually write for business purposes (like me) have a tendency to overuse passive voice. I think I recall reading somewhere that it comes across as more professional and more objective. Anyway, it’s another thing I need to cut out come second draft time, but I think I’ve already started to avoid it instinctively as I’ve progressed with my novel.
Grammar
It’s obvious, but grammar is crucial for good writing. It’s something writers need to get right. As simple as that. There are some small exceptions which a lot of writers employ, such as the short fragments typically found in writing these days (see previous sentence), but for the most part, it’s advisable to stick to correct grammar.
Don’t apply incorrect grammar and punctuation on purpose, even when you know it’s wrong, just to be different and creative and stylish. That is, of course, unless you are a famous writer already that people consider to be genius so you can do whatever you want (eg Cormac McCarthy).
Cut Useless Words
King believes most writers, especially inexperienced writers, have a tendency to put in too many useless words. Good writing involves cutting them out and getting to the point.
This is something I’ve struggled with all my life, even with high school and university assignments. I just can’t help myself, and I think it shows, even from this post! Oh well, better keep moving…
Vocabulary
King has a simple tip with vocabulary – use the most appropriate word, and usually, that is the first word that comes to mind. The only way to improve your vocabulary is to read more. When writing, don’t stop so you can think of a better word, and don’t put in words that you don’t really know. If you don’t know it then there is a good chance that other readers won’t know either. The aim is to allow readers to read smoothly, and making them wonder what a word means (or having to check up what it means) runs against that objective.
I’ll be the first to admit that my vocabulary is not all that crash hot. It stems from a lack of reading good books throughout my childhood and adolescence. Consequently, I do find myself struggling to find the right word at times, even if it’s for the first word that comes to mind. As King says, however, the only way to improve is to read more!
Plot
For King, the 3 elements to a story are narration, description and dialogue – meaning plot is not one of them. As noted above, King’s stories usually start off with not much more than a premise and the characters, which he allows to let loose to see where they take him.
I still have a bit of trouble fully appreciating that approach, but it’s obviously one that works for him. I do allow my characters to roam free a little, but it’s usually within the confines of a single scene as opposed to the entire story.
Descriptions
Descriptions make the reader a sensory participant in the story. The key is to visualize what you want the reader to experience. However, there is a fine line when it comes to descriptions, as there is a danger of describing too much, which slows down the pace, kills the imagination and bores the reader. I have to say I have sometimes found this to be the case with some of King’s writings.
King’s advice is to use your descriptions but not do too much – simply say what you see and get on with the story. It is important to pick the right details that stand for everything else. Particularly useful is the advice to avoid too much description on individual attributes of characters. There is no need to go into depth on the precise height, weight and hair and eye colour of every character you come across. It’s boring. King advises writers to put down the first visualized details that come into your mind – the priority is to keep the ball rolling.
Dialogue
Dialogue is difficult to get right, and King’s advice is to let the dialogue be honest to the characters and to allow each speaker to speak honestly.
I’m also struggling with dialogue for my characters (I’m struggling with a lot of things). It’s easy to make the mistake of making every piece of dialogue look like it comes from the same character. I’m really going to have to put in a lot of work on dialogue in my second draft to allow the characters to distinguish themselves and stand out from each other.
Showing and Telling
Another tenet of good writing is to show, not tell. This was the subject of one of my earlier posts on writing. Of course, it’s not always possible to do that, but King believes ‘show’ should always be preferred to ‘tell’ whenever possible.
Personally, I’m glad to say I am starting to get the hang of this, but sometimes I wonder whether it is better to just tell it using a simple sentence rather than showing it through pages of conversation and action?
Paragraphs
King calls paragraphs the beat in your head when you read, the fragments in the prose. It’s easy to overlook it, but how you structure the length of your paragraphs can be very important. King’s recommendation is to learn the beat and let nature take its course.
It’s not something I ever gave much thought to, so I found this particular part rather instructive.
Back Stories, Info Dumps and Flashbacks
King says back stories and info dumps should be kept in the back of the mind. Also, try and avoid flashbacks wherever possible. Of course, there are exceptions – there are plenty of great books with lots of flashbacks and back stories. But the key is questioning whether it is really necessary and whether there are other more effective ways of getting the information across. King notes that JK Rowling is particularly good at the info dump and back story retelling in the Harry Potter books, so take a look at them if you want to see how it is done well.
My own novel has its fair share of flashbacks, but I’ve tried my best to control the back stories and info dumps. It’s probably something best to come back to once the first draft has been completed.
Close the Door
King believes it is very important for writers to have their own private space when writing, a place with no distractions. He recommends a regular place to write, and to close the door when writing. It shuts out the rest of the world and the distractions, and lets people know you are working and you are serious.
I don’t always close the door when I write, but I admit I write best when I am totally focused and not being distracted by what’s outside the window or in the next room.
Reading and Writing
Stephen King says that reading and writing is the only way to improve as a writer. Writing is a craft that is best learned through doing. King puts a great deal of emphasis on reading. Writers need to read in order to improve, and it’s not only through reading good literature – you can learn just as much from reading a good book (teaching you what to do) as a bad book (teaching you what NOT to do).
What to do after the First Draft
King’s advice is to complete that first draft within 3 months. It’s probably not a realistic deadline for those that have day jobs and other unavoidable things that consume their time.
Anyway, after completion of the first draft, however long it might take, King advises you to let go of it for 6 weeks before going back to it so you would have forgotten it. Reading your own work with a pair of fresh eyes is extremely important. Start writing something else in the meantime. This I agree with, but 6 weeks can be a painfully long wait! I’ve read elsewhere that a week or two might be sufficient, but I suppose it’s up to the individual.
When revising the first draft, King suggests you concentrate on both big things such as inconsistencies, plot holes and character motivation and development problems, as well as small things, such as misspellings. Make notes about where problems are, mark up the manuscript and check your notes when revising. Get rid of adverbs and add in clarifications where necessary. Ask yourself whether it is coherent, whether there are any recurring elements or themes, and what to do to make those things clear. You may need to add or delete scenes. The key is to make the story and characters resonate with readers.
Symbolism and Theme
For King, symbolism and themes in your novel are things that come in at the second draft stage. They should not be things you purposely go out and put into your story. Rather, you should focus on the story itself and when only explore symbolism and themes if they become apparent when reading the first draft.
King’s Rule for Second Drafts
King’s personal approach to second drafts of novels is to tighten the first draft by 10%. So if you have a first draft of a story that is 100,000 words, try and tighten it to 90,000 words for the second draft.
In my opinion it’s just his personal approach and a loose guide at best because everyone will have their own preference. King does 2 drafts and a polish, whereas some writers need 4 or 5 drafts and dramatic changes every time. Besides, not everyone can churn out first drafts that are good enough to be published just after one additional draft and a polish.
What to do after the Second Draft
King does not show anyone his work until he has completed the second draft. This I wholeheartedly agree with, because (especially for writing novices) it can be daunting to ask others to read your work. King shows his completed second drafts to 4 or 5 people. Some say that readers should not be your friends, or else you won’t get honest feedback. King disagrees – he says you should be smart enough to gauge the reactions, even if they are your friends.
I must say I agree. It is scary enough showing your work to your friends, let alone people you don’t know. And if a friend tells me it’s ‘not bad’, I’ll have a pretty good idea that they thought it sucked.
Agents and Publishers
On agents and publishers, King says that it is not impossible to get an agent/publisher with an unsolicited manuscript these days, and there are ways to get into the industry. He recommends building a portfolio, submit to magazines relating to your genre and to try and get publishing credits to your name. He encourages writers to research the market – look through Writer’s Market to find an agent that might be interested in your type of book. He says that it is important to go into it looking like a professional, in that you need to make sure your manuscript and query letter are done right. As he says, you cannot make agents/publishers like your manuscript, but you can make it easier for them to like your story.
Writing Courses
King generally does not find writing courses to be very helpful on the whole as the creative flow tends to get stopped. In fact, he’s rather critical of them, despite understanding how they may appeal to aspiring writers.
Again, I find this to be a generalization and not much more than a subjective view. There are many different types of writing courses and writers – some people might need a course to get them started or give them more confidence. I suppose what he is trying to say is not to rely on them too much or expect them to change your life. That I agree with.
Writing For the Right Reasons
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, King tells you to write for the right reasons – for the joy and rush and excitement of writing – not for the money, not for success or fame, not to impress anyone. Can’t disagree with that. Does impressing yourself count?
Concluding Thoughts
Before I read On Writing, I considered myself a slight to moderate King fan. For me, most of what I knew about the author came from the horror movies and mini-series adapted from his novels. There are too many to count. The ones that have been stamped deepest into my memory are It (thanks to which I am still not a fan of clowns), The Stand, Pet Cemetery, Sleepwalkers, Misery, Carrie and The Shining, but there are at least a dozen more.
I had only read one of his full length novels – The Dark Half – which I found to be okay. A bit long and a bit slow. But I did read it when I was much younger and had a shorter attention span, and the book was probably beyond my comprehension level at that age.
On the other hand, I had read some collections of King’s short stories and novellas. I found Nightmares and Dreamscapes to be reasonable, littered with some good and some bad stories. However, my favourite King book has to be his non-horror work, Different Seasons, which includes two novellas that were made (pretty faithfully) into two of my favourite movies of all time, Stand By Me (adapted from The Body) and The Shawshank Redemption (adapted from Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption). I found both novellas (and films) to be incredibly powerful and moving, and was amazed at what a terrific storyteller Stephen King can be, and it doesn’t even have to involve anything supernatural.
As a popular novelist, King has obviously had his critics throughout the years, but there is no denying that he can write. Maybe not awe-inspiring literature, but he definitely has a firm grasp of the fundamentals of writing, and he can certainly tell a good story. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is an instructive and insightful book, one that is filled with useful information for the aspiring writer and immensely enjoyable to read (or in my case, listen to). I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the craft of writing or just wants a good read.
[PS: I finally got this review out of the way. I had been working on it on my numerous long train rides throughout Europe but never came close to completing it. Now I can finally move on with my life.]
Two Books on Writing for Writers March 13, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Book Reviews, On Writing.Tags: 200 Common Mistakes, Anne Lamott, Aspiring Writer, author, Bird by Bird, book, book review, classic mistakes, common mistakes, How Not to Write a Novel, Howard Mittlemark, Novel, novelist, publication, publishing, Sandra Newman, writer, Writing
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A post on two books I checked out this afternoon at the bookstore: (1) How Not to Write a Novel by Howard Mittlemark and Sandra Newman and (2) Bird by Birdby Anne Lamott. While both were on writing, they could not be more different in terms of styles and approach.
Note that I have NOT read either book from cover to cover – the following simply contains some of my views on them from flicking through the book, skimming the majority of it (using my slightly faulty speed reading capabilities) and reading in detail only the specific sections that appealed to me.
How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
I first caught a glimpse of this book in the hands of some dude standing outside a bank in Dublin of all places. It sounded like an interesting concept for a writer’s book (if anything, it was catchy), and I was keen to know whether I was committing any of the 200 classic mistakes in the fantasy novel I was working on.
So I found the book rather easily today and had a good look through it. The book is broken down into various parts, each dealing with a specific problem area, such as plot, pacing, character, dialogue, voice – and goes as far as telling writers how not to write sex scenes! Each of the 200 classic mistakes were accompanied by a tailor-made example provided by the authors that allow the reader to identify the mistake with ease. Much of the writing is infused with quite a bit of humour, and the tone is light-hearted, though it can be somewhat condescending at times. The authors call it ‘tough love’. They say if you can learn to avoid all the mistakes they listed, you would have transformed yourself from unpublishable to publishable writer.
To be honest, I’m not sure how helpful the book would be to serious writers. Don’t get me wrong, it was a fascinating read, but the significant proportion of the ‘classic mistakes’ were so blatantly obvious that any writer with a little common sense would not make them (perhaps they just needed to get to 200). And I say this as a first-time writer who is acutely aware of the fact that he has a long long long way to go before becoming even remotely publishable.
However, that is not to say all of the tips were useless – I did find a few to be beneficial. Perhaps not in reading what the actual mistake is as such, but rather from seeing clearly why the mistake is bad for your writing. As a consequence, it will make it easier for you to recognise the mistake in your own writing. In particular, the bits I found most useful were the examples on sticking to just the relevant details in descriptions and dialogue, and avoiding stock-standard character descriptions and indistinguishable or faceless secondary characters. These may have been things I knew were bad before, but now I will aim to target these problems even more in my next draft.
The biggest problem with the book might also be its selling point – most of the time, the book tells you what NOT to do rather than teaches what you SHOULD do. You might say it’s the same thing, but it’s much easier to point out another’s mistakes than doing it right yourself. Not making a common mistake does not necessarily make the writing any good. Furthermore, some of these so-called mistakes may be found in many of the published novels you see on shelves today.
The verdict: A good book to pick up and flick through, especially for novices (like myself), but the truth is it won’t instantly transform you into a publishable author if you weren’t one before. Many of the classic mistakes are obvious and reading too many in a row can get tedious, so it’s probably better to pick and choose your problem areas rather than go from cover to cover.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Now this is a completely different book to the one above. I first came across Anne Lamott’s gem of a book the first day of a creative writing course I did a year ago. Since then, I have picked up the book in book stores on several occasions (which killed the need to buy it) and I’ve enjoyed it immensely every time.
This book is less about gimmicks and more about the essence of writing. It’s written like a memoir, with lots of personal stories, experiences and anecdotes, usually told in Lamott’s trade mark, self-deprecating humour which I find very funny. You won’t find any meticulously structured tips on writing techniques (though it is split into chapters, each dealing with a different aspect of writing), but what you will get are brutally honest and sometimes profound observations about the craft of writing and the struggles in the life of a writer.
Much of it is philosophical, so how much the reader takes out of it may vary significantly, but personally, I found it more useful than How Not to Write a Novel. Instead of learning about the types of mistakes that publishers avoid, Lamott tells you to be honest with yourself and write from the heart. You can tell she believes what she preaches through her writing. That is not to say there are not any broad lessons to be learnt. Ones I found especially helpful include:
- allowing yourself to write shitty first drafts (no one gets it right on the first attempt);
- knowing its okay to learn about and define your characters as you progress, rather than worry about shaping them completely before you begin writing;
- ensuring each character has a different voice and distinguishing characteristics, such that they can be distinguished through their dialogue;
- reading your dialogue out loud (where possible) to improve it;
- dealing with jealousy (in relation to successful friends and colleagues!);
- getting help from others, such as finding someone to read your drafts, join groups and networking;
- how to deal with writer’s block; and
- the cold hard truth about getting published.
Lamott paints a pretty grim picture about the publishing world. Frankly, she says, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, and in particular, the financial rewards for most are minimal. However, she continues to remind writers of the beauty and pleasure of the act of writing itself. For people that tend to get too caught up in getting published, it’s a good book to read to bring you back down to earth.
A problem I had with the book are common with books of this type – you don’t always find the anecdotes and stories interesting and engaging. Sometimes, you might feel like skipping to the next point, except you’re not sure where the next point is because the structure doesn’t allow it. So it’s best not to see this book as a technical writing guide, but rather, as something you can enjoy as a piece of work in its own right, though you might be surprised to learn a few valuable lessons along the way.
Another issue one may find is that Lamott’s style is more suited to writers like her who write about characters and relationships. Accordingly, for someone (like me) working on a fast-paced fantasy novel, the suggestions about letting your characters take complete charge and drive the plot wherever it may go might not always be the most suitable approach.
The verdict: An honest, often hilarious book that speaks to writers’ hearts. It might not be the book you would choose if you want to learn about the technical aspects of being a better writer, and some people might simply not get her message (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but personally I found it enjoyable.
PS: for those that enjoyed the book, there is a documentary called Bird by Bird with Annie: A Film Portrait of Writer Anne Lamott that focuses on a year in the life of the titular writer. I haven’t seen it but would be interested to know if it is any good.
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