Where's The Blogger?

He's writing as slowly as ever he has done in his life.  I'm working on the Rise Again sequel.  It's either better than the first book, or the worst thing I've ever written; I'm not sure yet.  Then again, it's the first draft, so I don't care.

I know my long-suffering editor cares, and he's waiting for the manuscript.  I'm not sure why this one is going so slowly, but there's no rushing these things.  It's not that anything is wrong.  The process is the same for this one as for everything I've written.  But slower.

The Lie That Tells a Truth

I very occasionally write a review on Goodreads; here's one of my favorite books on how to write.
The Lie That Tells a Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction by John Dufresne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Lie That Tells a Truth is a writer's secret weapon, which might be why you haven't heard of it.  It's no good having a brilliant book about writing if everybody knows about it; then the bar gets raised and you've got no advantage.


So when I recommend this to you, it's with the understanding that my reviews slumber in obscurity here, and that you, dear reader, will have the good taste not to tell anybody else.


John Dufresne is a writing teacher in Florida.  He's written enough novels and stories so you can read this book knowing he's not just delivering untried theories (I'm talking to you, Syd Field).  His heart dwells with the short story, but his advice applies to anything.  He's passionate about the craft, and he seems to have written down every insight on writing he's ever had.  His exercises to master all the basic dilemmas of story, style, plot, character, technique, and all the rest of the bits of writing are useful, fresh, and inspiring.


You can tell he's a teacher, and a good one.  A lot of his methods are the kind of things -- almost games -- that writers will eventually figure out for themselves, but it's lovely to have them all written down in one place.  And there are many things in this book I would never have thought of at all.


In addition, the book is heavily interlarded with quotations from writers -- hundreds of 'em in little sidebars -- that will keep you coming back for the book long after you've internalized its lessons.


I'd say this volume, Stephen King's On Writing, and a grammary like Eats, Shoots & Leaves or Elements of Style is about all you need by way of advice on writing.


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