Skip to main content

Book Review - Why We Write by Meredith Maran

Why We Write: 20 Acclaimed Authors on How and Why They Do What They DoWhy We Write: 20 Acclaimed Authors on How and Why They Do What They Do by Meredith Maran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To any author, whether you are published or not, the answer to why do you write is simple and these authors are not any different.  We write because we have to.

This book takes that answer a step further.  They just don't answer 'Because we have to!' They answer "Because I have to..."

It's what comes after the ellipsis that makes this book a must read for aspiring authors.  We get an insight into some of the best literary minds.  We look up to these authors, we want their success and we want to know their secrets.

The book is nicely broken down so each author gets his or her own chapter.  There is a quote from one of thier works and brief background information including the authors vitals. The vitals include information on thier birth, family, schooling, honors and awards, and anything else that might be notable.  I liked that it also included a question about a day job.  This is followed by contact information and a list of published works.

Then we get the authors words on why they write.  We learn interesting tidbits like Isabel Allende has a certain date when she starts writing a book.  Jennifer Egan gives insights into winning the Pulitzer. James Frey talks about getting lost (this was personally one of my favorite sections to read).  Ann Patchett tells us why she still writes in WordPerfect (I know!) and Jodi Picult talks about movie deals.
These are just a few quick examples of what these authors have to share.  Each other also ends thier chapter with some wisdom for writers.

I think Terry McMillan sums it up best "I didn't choose to write. It was something that just happened to me." If you can relate, this book is worth picking up and reading.

View all my reviews

Comments

  1. Hi--I'm Meredith, editor of Why We Write, and I so appreciate your thoughts about the book. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're welcome Meredith. I really enjoyed the book and have been telling everybody about it!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blind Date with a Book

Last year I put together a book display called Blind Date with a Book.  I found the idea through another librarian's post and thought it was great.  Last year I wrapped 19 books and 15 books were checked out.  We asked that people reviewed the book but unfortunately only two people returned reviews. Last year's books included: In the Hot Zone by Kevin Sites Night by Elie Wiesel Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon by Daivd Michaels Macbeth by Shakespear A Million Little Pieces by James Frey Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore Under the Dome by Stephen King Lawless by Nora Roberts The Sinatra Files by Tom Kuntz The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl Ford County by John Grisham The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery The Postmistress by Sarah Blake A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar Hide & Seek by James Patterson A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolf Gorgeous East by Robert Girardi Most of these books were ones tha

Peek Inside a Book - Becoming

Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader   The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . This week I'm reading: Becoming   by Michelle Obama It Begins:   Preface March 2017 When I was a kid, my aspirations were simple.  On Page 56: This was the doubt that sat in my mind through student orientation, through my first sessions of high school biology and English, through my somewhat fumbling get-to-know-you conversations in the cafeteria with new friends. Not enough. Not enough.  It was doubt about where I came from and what I'd believed about myself until now. It was like a malignant cell that threatened to divide and divide again, unless I could find some way to stop it.  Verdict: I'm really enjoying this look into Michelle Obama's life. It's comforting in a way to see that she has struggled with self image, self doubt and a need to be in control in an order to comfort herself.  She talks about meeting new people while cam

Peek Inside a Book: The Hate U Give

Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader   The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . This week I'm reading: The Hate U Give   by Angie Thoas It Begins:   I shouldn't have come to this party. On Page 56: Talking to Ms. Rosalie may be harder than talking to the cops, honestly. But I owe it to Khalil to pay his grandmother a visit. Verdict: This book is so popular that it has had a constant holds list since it was released in 2017. I'm currently on either my 3rd or 4th checkout and I'm finally reading the book.  All the previous checkouts I had so many things checked out that I didn't get a chance to crack the cover before my loan period was over.  I was so nervous reading it, thinking that the hype wouldn't hold up (its happened to me before) but no, this book is living up to the hype, the must deserved hype.