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Advice to Writers: A Compendium of Quotes, Anecdotes, and Writerly Wisdom from a Dazzling Array of Literary Lights
In Advice to Writers, Jon Winokur, author of the bestselling The Portable Curmudgeon, gathers the counsel of more than four hundred celebrated authors in a treasury on the world of writing. Here are literary lions on everything from the passive voice to promotion and publicity: James Baldwin on the practiced illusion of effortless prose, Isaac Asimov on the despotic tendencies of editors, John Cheever on the perils of drink, Ivan Turgenev on matrimony and the Muse. Here, too, are the secrets behind the sleight-of-hand practiced by artists from Aristotle to Rita Mae Brown. Sagacious, inspiring, and entertaining, Advice to Writers is an essential volume for the writer in every reader.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
17 people are currently reading
1556 people want to read
About the author
Jon Winokur
35 books18 followersJon Winokur (b. Aug. 5, 1947) is an American writer and editor. Born in Detroit, the son of Martin M. and Elinor Winokur, he attended Temple University (BA, 1970) and the University of West Los Angeles (JD, 1980). He lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 27, 2013
Incredibly entertaining. I think its strength is exactly that this book does not contain useful advice for writers, in as much as every single piece of advice has a equal and opposite rebuttal, and the layout of the book deliberately highlights this.
For example, advice for writers block ranges through ignore it, shop, drink, play opera, garden, stop writing, sit in the sun, to flat denial that any such thing exists.
I guess the point of the book is that writing is a joyful and mysterious alchemy, for which there is no single recipe.
However amongst the paradoxes there are stalwart gems:
Highly recommended.
For example, advice for writers block ranges through ignore it, shop, drink, play opera, garden, stop writing, sit in the sun, to flat denial that any such thing exists.
I guess the point of the book is that writing is a joyful and mysterious alchemy, for which there is no single recipe.
However amongst the paradoxes there are stalwart gems:
Highly recommended.
November 18, 2024
“There are three rules for writing the novel.
Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
W.Somerst Maugham
“If I had to give young writers advice, I’d say
don’t listen to writers talking about writing or themselves."
Lillian Hellman
1. Read above.
2. Nod knowingly.
3. Now use the money you might have spent on ADVICE TO WRITERS to invest in Stephen King’s ON WRITING and/or PITY THE READER by Kurt Vonnegut & Suzanne McConnell.
Ps., ADVICE is ok bathrooms reading : easy to put down and pick up at a later date.
Contrary to the promise of the sub title, it is often short on “wisdom.”
Also, I was unable to find any trace of “dazzling.”
Really. I looked.
Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
W.Somerst Maugham
“If I had to give young writers advice, I’d say
don’t listen to writers talking about writing or themselves."
Lillian Hellman
1. Read above.
2. Nod knowingly.
3. Now use the money you might have spent on ADVICE TO WRITERS to invest in Stephen King’s ON WRITING and/or PITY THE READER by Kurt Vonnegut & Suzanne McConnell.
Ps., ADVICE is ok bathrooms reading : easy to put down and pick up at a later date.
Contrary to the promise of the sub title, it is often short on “wisdom.”
Also, I was unable to find any trace of “dazzling.”
Really. I looked.
June 3, 2022
I've developed an interest in books about books and the writing process, which is why I decided to read this. There were gems scattered throughout its pages, but overall the cited names were pale/male/stale and I scanned the pages yearning to see more women and writers of color sharing their takes.
I enjoyed this one:
"It’s nervous work. The state you need to write in is the state that others are paying large sums to get rid of."
__Shirley Hazzard
I enjoyed this one:
"It’s nervous work. The state you need to write in is the state that others are paying large sums to get rid of."
__Shirley Hazzard
December 2, 2017
One of the things they don't tell you about work in (STEM) academia is that you'll be spending a lot of your time writing. I guess it's about 50% of your career's entire time, for the last few weeks, it was even 100% of my time. You'd think you spend more time actually doing research...
But anyway, here's a book with a whole bunch of collected bon-mots and advices and letter excerpts and speeches and so on aimed at people who (plan to) write for a living, collected into themes like 'Work habits', 'Success', 'Technique', etc. pp. What you realise reading this fairly quickly is that all of it, and I mean all of this advice, contradicts itself, and that's what makes this book so fun. It looks like Winokur went to pains to arrange the quotes in such a way that the contradicting ones are right next to each other.
Most of the authors quoted are English-speaking from the last 50 years with a bunch of outliers (Goethe appears twice, for example). It's a fun little book for an afternoon if you want to see 'behind the curtains' of what writers are doing.
P.S.: Winokur, what a great name, cured-by-wine!
But anyway, here's a book with a whole bunch of collected bon-mots and advices and letter excerpts and speeches and so on aimed at people who (plan to) write for a living, collected into themes like 'Work habits', 'Success', 'Technique', etc. pp. What you realise reading this fairly quickly is that all of it, and I mean all of this advice, contradicts itself, and that's what makes this book so fun. It looks like Winokur went to pains to arrange the quotes in such a way that the contradicting ones are right next to each other.
The characters have their own lives and their own logic, and you have to act accordingly.
Isaac Bashevis Singer
[...]
That trite little whimsy about characters getting out of hand; it is as old as the quills. My characters are galley slaves.
Vladimir Nabokov
Most of the authors quoted are English-speaking from the last 50 years with a bunch of outliers (Goethe appears twice, for example). It's a fun little book for an afternoon if you want to see 'behind the curtains' of what writers are doing.
P.S.: Winokur, what a great name, cured-by-wine!
April 10, 2014
Great fun. Not sure I follow his distinction between writers and authors.
Some good basic advice. Write early. Amazed at how little time many spend writing, but then I realize how much I personally procrastinate.
Loved Irving Wallace's "A page a day is 365 pages a year and that's an entire novel."
Some good basic advice. Write early. Amazed at how little time many spend writing, but then I realize how much I personally procrastinate.
Loved Irving Wallace's "A page a day is 365 pages a year and that's an entire novel."
January 19, 2018
This book gathers advice from more than four hundred famous authors, in the form of tips and quotes on a range of topics from writing fiction, the creative process, editing, publishing to insights into writers’ lives.
It is entertaining, organized into practical categories, and has thought-provoking advice for aspiring writers. Maybe less relevant for experienced writers but they may still be amused (and inspired) by their favourite authors’ quotes.
However, due to the book’s structure (presenting extensive, though often brief and general, quotations) readers should not expect in depth coverage of the many topics touched.
It is entertaining, organized into practical categories, and has thought-provoking advice for aspiring writers. Maybe less relevant for experienced writers but they may still be amused (and inspired) by their favourite authors’ quotes.
However, due to the book’s structure (presenting extensive, though often brief and general, quotations) readers should not expect in depth coverage of the many topics touched.
February 17, 2019
This one surprised me because I neglected to read the sub-title. It's not a book so much as a compendium of quotes from successful authors on various aspects of writing and publishing. So, the author is not the writer so much as the editor.
I enjoyed the various quotations and some of them were helpful, but mostly in an encouraging way rather than a concrete solid-advice way.
I'd recommend it for entertainment and interest but not for solid writing advice.
I enjoyed the various quotations and some of them were helpful, but mostly in an encouraging way rather than a concrete solid-advice way.
I'd recommend it for entertainment and interest but not for solid writing advice.
July 8, 2017
Pretty decent read for aspiring writers or those who've just gotten their feet wet. Offers advice, often contradictory, from some of the biggest names in literature.
September 13, 2018
Since I'm hooked on this stuff, I ate it up once I had time to get to it.
October 6, 2022
Love this kind of stuff
September 26, 2014
Also posted on my blog at The Humble Book Nerd
https://humblebooknerd.wordpress.com/...
I’m glad I finally got around to reading this (that seems to be a pattern this year, doesn’t it?). I picked it up well over a year ago hoping for a few new pointers, and forgot all about it. *sigh* What are you going to do with yourself, girl?
Being nothing but quotes, it read super easy and had the advantage of being funny and informative. I learned a few new tricks of the trade, you might say, and had a good laugh while I was at it. Just about every aspect of writing is covered, and presented where each opinion contradicted each other and thus proving that the art of writing itself is a mystery; what works for some just doesn’t do it for others. It was a lot of fun to ponder every bit of advice and occasionally run across something that literally made me start jabbing the page with my finger saying I KNEW IT!! Its greatest value, for me, was inspiring the necessary hunger and passion to write. The more I read other people talking about writing, the more I wanted to hurry off and do some writing of my own. Priceless!
An interesting read, for writers and book lovers in general. I think I’ll hang onto this one.
https://humblebooknerd.wordpress.com/...
I’m glad I finally got around to reading this (that seems to be a pattern this year, doesn’t it?). I picked it up well over a year ago hoping for a few new pointers, and forgot all about it. *sigh* What are you going to do with yourself, girl?
Being nothing but quotes, it read super easy and had the advantage of being funny and informative. I learned a few new tricks of the trade, you might say, and had a good laugh while I was at it. Just about every aspect of writing is covered, and presented where each opinion contradicted each other and thus proving that the art of writing itself is a mystery; what works for some just doesn’t do it for others. It was a lot of fun to ponder every bit of advice and occasionally run across something that literally made me start jabbing the page with my finger saying I KNEW IT!! Its greatest value, for me, was inspiring the necessary hunger and passion to write. The more I read other people talking about writing, the more I wanted to hurry off and do some writing of my own. Priceless!
An interesting read, for writers and book lovers in general. I think I’ll hang onto this one.
June 27, 2014
A solid addition to the shelves of any reader who collects quotes, any sarcastic college student, or any aspiring writer. The book deserves grand marks for not only including encouragement, but also deserves truth in advertising points for being willing to include "discouragement" - a section which fairly reminds us that writing of merit is rarely easy even to the highly trained.
Of course, like all books of quotes and advice, if you have read several, you may find yourself saying, "But Mr. Winokur left out my favorite quote..." but this is to be expected. Luminaries of writing like Stephen King and Harlan Ellison are featured as some quotes, but these are both figures that have wrote or spoke often on writing and the art of it, so they have their own books, so it can not be an exhaustive work, but is a fair and relatively timeless offering of quotes, including authors from the 1800's until today.
You could do far worse than reading this book when you are facing writer's block. I recommend it to anyone who likes writing or writers.
Of course, like all books of quotes and advice, if you have read several, you may find yourself saying, "But Mr. Winokur left out my favorite quote..." but this is to be expected. Luminaries of writing like Stephen King and Harlan Ellison are featured as some quotes, but these are both figures that have wrote or spoke often on writing and the art of it, so they have their own books, so it can not be an exhaustive work, but is a fair and relatively timeless offering of quotes, including authors from the 1800's until today.
You could do far worse than reading this book when you are facing writer's block. I recommend it to anyone who likes writing or writers.
April 23, 2011
I'm not sure how one rates a book of quotes and anecdotes, exactly. For starters, Winokur organized it well enough, and it wasn't too long. As for the quotes themselves- some I liked, others not so much - some seemed relevant, others contradicted, some were painfully obvious, and yet others just made me laugh... just about what I'd expect.
But perhaps the real value of this book for me was enjoying the way the quotes often reflected back on the writer/speaker. For example: "When the plot flags, bring in a man with a gun." Raymond Chandler -or- "Writers should be read - but neither seen nor heard." Daphne du Maurier. See? Like that...
Overall, it's a good collection of, well, exactly what the title implies, writerly things uttered by famous people. I mean, it is what it is - fun to rummage through.
But perhaps the real value of this book for me was enjoying the way the quotes often reflected back on the writer/speaker. For example: "When the plot flags, bring in a man with a gun." Raymond Chandler -or- "Writers should be read - but neither seen nor heard." Daphne du Maurier. See? Like that...
Overall, it's a good collection of, well, exactly what the title implies, writerly things uttered by famous people. I mean, it is what it is - fun to rummage through.
May 2, 2013
I dipped into this book as I would, into a reference book, rather than reading it in sequential order. It's a compilation of quotes on various writing-related subjects by famous writers, publishers, speakers.
Wisdom is interspersed with wise-guy comments. A fun book to have on your table for when you hit writer's block or are just plain bored of staring at a blank page.
Wisdom is interspersed with wise-guy comments. A fun book to have on your table for when you hit writer's block or are just plain bored of staring at a blank page.
April 15, 2015
A great gift for the writer or English major in your life. A wonderful little book of quotes on everything about writing, from Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, Henry Miller, T.S. Eliot, and more. Some are very funny. Others are thought-provoking. A fun read!
August 5, 2016
This book is a great compilation of quotes from a large variety of writers. Some of them were in contradiction with each other, but that's part of what made this book good. There is plenty of variation in advice and opinions. I got this from my local library, but I'd like to own this book as I think it is a good tool for writers to turn to when looking for advice/thoughts on being a writer.
June 3, 2013
Love this book full of quotes from many literary favourites. The book is set up in categories for quotes, IE: on writing, editing, agents, drinking, etc. An interesting read and great little book to take quotes from.
December 31, 2013
A fun collection of quotes to pick up and flip through at random. When you're feeling stuck with your writing, this a great go-to book to remind you why writing is both incredibly hard and incredibly awesome.
January 4, 2015
Divided into alphabetically organized topics (e.g., "Agents," "Materials," "Occupational Hazards," etc.), this is a quick read. But I bet you've heard it all. And that's okay--obviously, I needed to be reminded!
March 7, 2015
A great collection of quotes and quips! I can't say I agree with everything said, but that proves to be part of this collection's beauty, as it has such a wide range of thoughts and opinions. Overall, very insightful, and I'd say a must read for any aspiring writer.
March 15, 2015
A great collection of quotes and inspirational tidbits about writing, ranging in subjects from agents and drink, to discouragement and occupational hazards. Not the everyday quotes you see all over the place, but a lot of interesting ones. Love this book.
January 9, 2012
The chapters on Dialogue, Characters and Punctuation are helpful for writers. The ones on Discouragement, Process and Reading are motivating.
September 10, 2016
such a great book with wonderful advice.
April 21, 2012
Collected quotes by writers on a wide variety of subjects relating to writing--everything from drinking to discouragement to critics.
Want to read
May 31, 2012As heard on the NPR Books podcast.
August 2, 2012
Every writer or writer-to-be should read this book!
October 14, 2012
Great place to start. Always good for quick inspiration. But you're much better tracking down the primary sources.
August 17, 2013
It's a book of quotes, but there are a lot of good ones, and they're well organized.
December 27, 2013
Some quotes are a bit uncouth, but 98% of them get the writerly inspiration going.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews