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As Carolyn See says, writing guides are like preachers on Sunday--there may be a lot of them, but you can't have too many, and there's always an audience of the faithful. And while Making a Literary Life is ostensibly a book that teaches you how to write, it really teaches you how to make your interior life into your exterior life, how to find and join that community of like-minded souls you're sure is out there somewhere. Carolyn See distills a lifetime of experience as novelist, memoirist, critic, and creative-writing professor into this marvelously engaging how-to book. Partly the nuts and bolts of writing (plot, point of view, character, voice) and partly an inspirational guide to living the life you dream of, Making a Literary Life takes you from the decision to "become" a writer to three months after the publication of your first book. A combination of writing and life strategies (do not tell everyone around you how you yearn to be a writer; send a "charming note" to someone you admire in the industry five days a week, every week, for the rest of your life; find the perfect characters right in front of you), Making a Literary Life is for people not usually considered part of the literary loop: the non-East Coasters, the secret scribblers. With sagacity, a magical sense of humor, and an abiding belief in the possibilities offered to "ordinary" people living "ordinary" lives, Carolyn See has summed up her life's work in a book so beguiling, irreverent, and giddily inspiring that you won't even realize it's changing your life until it already has.… (more)
User reviews
I came away from this book feeling slightly discouraged and slightly encouraged at the same time (is that even possible?) and have made a note to re-read this every year, when I need a reminder that making it in writing is possible, but you need to bust you butt to get it done. I especially liked her suggestion to write one lovely note to someone in the literary world every week - on real stationary - asking for no favors, but simply telling them that you appreciate them/liked their most recent book/are looking forward to future books/etc. Sure, it's a bit of publicity on your part... but it's also a way to stay in touch with reality, and to sit down and genuinely appreciate the people you admire in the business.
I like it. I think I'll try it... Who knows... someone might actually write back!