On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft (A Memoir of the Craft (Reissue))

And listen—if you spot a few of these big holes, you are forbidden to feel depressed about them or to beat up on yourself. Screw-ups happen to the best of us. There’s

when books like Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose or Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain

But once your basic story is on paper, you need to think about what it means and enrich your following drafts with your conclusions. To do less is to rob your work (and eventually your readers) of the vision that makes each tale you write uniquely your own.

I find that I can keep up with my original enthusiasm and at the same time outrun the self-doubt that’s always waiting to settle in.

at least every one worth reading—is about something.

shrew?

Light in August (still

you must shut up and listen to others talk.

think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which