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F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing
A collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s remarks on his craft, taken from his works and letters to friends and colleagues—an essential trove of advice for aspiring writers.
As F. Scott Fitzgerald famously decreed, “An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmasters of ever after.” Fitzgerald's own work has gone on to be reviewed and discussed for over one hundred years. His masterpiece The Great Gatsby brims with the passion and opulence that characterized the Jazz Age—a term Fitzgerald himself coined. These themes also characterized his life: Fitzgerald enlisted in the US army during World War I, leading him to meet his future wife, Zelda, while stationed in Alabama. Later, along with Ernest Hemingway and other American artist expats, he became part of the “Lost Generation” in Europe. Fitzgerald wrote books “to satisfy [his] own craving for a certain type of novel,” leading to modern American classics including Tender Is the Night, This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned.
In this collection of excerpts from his books, articles, and personal letters to friends and peers, Fitzgerald illustrates the life of the writer in a timeless way.
As F. Scott Fitzgerald famously decreed, “An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmasters of ever after.” Fitzgerald's own work has gone on to be reviewed and discussed for over one hundred years. His masterpiece The Great Gatsby brims with the passion and opulence that characterized the Jazz Age—a term Fitzgerald himself coined. These themes also characterized his life: Fitzgerald enlisted in the US army during World War I, leading him to meet his future wife, Zelda, while stationed in Alabama. Later, along with Ernest Hemingway and other American artist expats, he became part of the “Lost Generation” in Europe. Fitzgerald wrote books “to satisfy [his] own craving for a certain type of novel,” leading to modern American classics including Tender Is the Night, This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned.
In this collection of excerpts from his books, articles, and personal letters to friends and peers, Fitzgerald illustrates the life of the writer in a timeless way.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 23, 2025
No one motivates—lights a fire—quite like Fitzgerald.
When I cracked open this book, I snobbishly wondered if I could possibly learn anything as I have read most of the source materials. I was wrong.
Larry Philllips quoted from In His Own Time which I haven’t heard of before (but I certainly hopped on eBay and secured a copy).
F. Scott Fitzgerald On Writing is a short book; it is only 136 pages with lots of space between quotes. However, Phillips does select the strongest quotes from Fitzgerald—at least this is what I would have compiled for the most part.
Fitzgerald is Gatsby. He wrote as much to one of his friends shortly after publication. Fitzgerald is perpetually plagued by the dream of being the best writer, and his energy and enthusiasm are infectious. He was also a passionate reader, and he eloquently expresses his exuberant opinions.
The Green Light at the End of the Dock (How much I spent):
Hardcover Text – $13.98 on eBay
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When I cracked open this book, I snobbishly wondered if I could possibly learn anything as I have read most of the source materials. I was wrong.
Larry Philllips quoted from In His Own Time which I haven’t heard of before (but I certainly hopped on eBay and secured a copy).
F. Scott Fitzgerald On Writing is a short book; it is only 136 pages with lots of space between quotes. However, Phillips does select the strongest quotes from Fitzgerald—at least this is what I would have compiled for the most part.
Fitzgerald is Gatsby. He wrote as much to one of his friends shortly after publication. Fitzgerald is perpetually plagued by the dream of being the best writer, and his energy and enthusiasm are infectious. He was also a passionate reader, and he eloquently expresses his exuberant opinions.
The Green Light at the End of the Dock (How much I spent):
Hardcover Text – $13.98 on eBay
Connect With Me!
Blog Threads BookTube Facebook Insta My Bookstore at Pango
February 1, 2025
"فالكتاب ليسوا أناساً حقيقةً. إن فيهم أشخاصاً كثراً، والبارع منهم فقط يحاول قدر المستطاع أن يكون فرداً واحداً."
كتاب ممتع ومفيد بيعرض أفكار فيتزجيرالد عن حياة الكاتب، الشخصيات، السرد، النشر، التسويق والنقد من خلال اقتباسات عنه مجمعة من رسائله الشخصية لبنته ولزوجته زيلدا ولتلميذته ولصديقه إرنست هيمينغواي وللناشر بتاعه.
تجربة مفيدة جدًا لأي كاتب.
كتاب ممتع ومفيد بيعرض أفكار فيتزجيرالد عن حياة الكاتب، الشخصيات، السرد، النشر، التسويق والنقد من خلال اقتباسات عنه مجمعة من رسائله الشخصية لبنته ولزوجته زيلدا ولتلميذته ولصديقه إرنست هيمينغواي وللناشر بتاعه.
تجربة مفيدة جدًا لأي كاتب.
October 6, 2023
هذا أحد أفضل كتب المختارات التي قرأتها، اختيارا وترتيبا وترجمة أيضا.
الكتاب عبارة عن مقاطع مختارة من رسائل ونصوص كتبها فيتزجيرالد متحدثا عن الكتابة بشكل عام، وعن كتابته لرواياته وقصصه بشكل خاص. المقاطع مرتبة موضوعيا (الكاتب، الكتابة، الشخصيات، النقد، النشر، الخ) ومنسقة بحيث تشعر بالتناسق والتكامل بينها رغم كونها من مصادر مختلفة.
أحببت هذا الكتاب ووجدت أفكار فيتزجيرالد مُلهمة. يُقرأ ببطء وتأمل. الترجمة ممتازة.
الكتاب عبارة عن مقاطع مختارة من رسائل ونصوص كتبها فيتزجيرالد متحدثا عن الكتابة بشكل عام، وعن كتابته لرواياته وقصصه بشكل خاص. المقاطع مرتبة موضوعيا (الكاتب، الكتابة، الشخصيات، النقد، النشر، الخ) ومنسقة بحيث تشعر بالتناسق والتكامل بينها رغم كونها من مصادر مختلفة.
أحببت هذا الكتاب ووجدت أفكار فيتزجيرالد مُلهمة. يُقرأ ببطء وتأمل. الترجمة ممتازة.
October 15, 2023
هذه الإنجازات القليلة التي حقّقتها ما كان لها أن توجد لولا العمل الذي يتطلّبُ الجهد البالغ، وأتمنّى اليوم لو أنّني لم أسترح يوماً واحداً أو أتطلّع إلى الماضي؛ أتمنّى لو أنّني كنت قد كتبت في نهاية غاتسبي العظيم: "هذا هو مجال عملي. من الآن فصاعداً هذه هي أولويّتي. هذه هي مهمّتي الدائمة — بدونها أنا لا أساوي شيئاً.
November 3, 2016
An easy, quick read that provides more inspiration than any concrete tips on writing. Very interesting to get some perspective from one of the great writers.
October 3, 2019
Just excerpts from writings about writing. Nice little collection.
August 29, 2025
F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing, edited by Larry W. Phillips, is a slim volume of 96 pages that collects Fitzgerald’s advice and thoughts on the craft that he practiced. Originally published in 1985, it was recently reprinted in November 2024. It was a book that had escaped my attention until I saw it in a bookstore this spring. I was quite surprised that there was a compilation of Fitzgerald’s writing that I was unaware of.
The later volume F. Scott Fitzgerald on Authorship, from 1996, covers similar ground as F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing, as you might expect from the titles. While FSF on Authorship is a more scholarly tome, including the full text of Fitzgerald’s various articles and essays on writing, FSF on Writing features brief excerpts from Fitzgerald’s writing and is meant for a more general audience. FSF on Authorship is also twice as long as FSF on Writing. Phillips selected some relevant quotes from Fitzgerald’s novels about writing. One of my favorites is from his novel The Beautiful and Damned: “Dick doesn’t necessarily see more than anyone else. He merely can put down a larger proportion of what he sees.” (p.9) This seems to me an apt quotation that applied to Fitzgerald himself as well.
There are many fantastic quotes from F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing. One of my favorites is this one: “It is my old contention that tiredness, boredom, exhaustion, etc., must not be conveyed by the symbols which they show in life, in fact, can’t be so conveyed in literature because boredom is essentially boring and tiredness is essentially tiring.” (p.37)
Fitzgerald’s admiration for the Polish/British novelist Joseph Conrad comes through strongly in this volume. Fitzgerald wrote: “I’d rather have written Conrad’s Nostromo than any other novel.” (p.41) I suspect that Conrad’s novels Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim strongly influenced Fitzgerald as he wrote The Great Gatsby, particularly in his decision to make Nick Carraway a partially involved narrator, after the fashion of Conrad’s narrator Marlow.
A quote that I found fascinating comes from a letter that Fitzgerald wrote to Andrew Turnbull in 1933. Turnbull, a future biographer of Fitzgerald, was 12 years old in 1933, and Fitzgerald was renting a house on the Turnbull family property. Fitzgerald wrote: “Nobody naturally likes a mind quicker than their own and more capable of getting its operation into words. It is practically something to conceal. The history of men’s minds has been the concealing of them, until men cry out for intelligence, and the thing has to be brought into use...most of the great things you learn in life are in periods of enforced silence.” (p.82-3)
I find that a fascinating idea, that men conceal their intelligence until it has to be used. Fitzgerald was fond of showing off his intelligence at a young age, and he understood how that intelligence isolated him. This fits perfectly with one of my favorite quotes about Fitzgerald’s personality. One of his colleagues from the army said of Fitzgerald, “He was eager to be liked by his companions and almost vain in seeking praise. At the same time he was unwilling to conform to the various patterns of dullness and majority opinion which would insure popularity.” (The Far Side of Paradise, by Arthur Mizener, p.23) This captures Fitzgerald so well—he wanted to be liked, but he was far too intelligent to be a conformist. At some point during his life, Fitzgerald understood it was better to draw less attention to his intelligence.
There are so many terrific nuggets in F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing. Some of my favorites are: “All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.” (p.3) “Genius is the ability to put into effect what is in your mind. There’s no other definition of it.” (p.13) “You don’t write because you want to say something; you write because you’ve got something to say.” (p.52) F. Scott Fitzgerald was certainly a writer who had something important to say.
The later volume F. Scott Fitzgerald on Authorship, from 1996, covers similar ground as F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing, as you might expect from the titles. While FSF on Authorship is a more scholarly tome, including the full text of Fitzgerald’s various articles and essays on writing, FSF on Writing features brief excerpts from Fitzgerald’s writing and is meant for a more general audience. FSF on Authorship is also twice as long as FSF on Writing. Phillips selected some relevant quotes from Fitzgerald’s novels about writing. One of my favorites is from his novel The Beautiful and Damned: “Dick doesn’t necessarily see more than anyone else. He merely can put down a larger proportion of what he sees.” (p.9) This seems to me an apt quotation that applied to Fitzgerald himself as well.
There are many fantastic quotes from F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing. One of my favorites is this one: “It is my old contention that tiredness, boredom, exhaustion, etc., must not be conveyed by the symbols which they show in life, in fact, can’t be so conveyed in literature because boredom is essentially boring and tiredness is essentially tiring.” (p.37)
Fitzgerald’s admiration for the Polish/British novelist Joseph Conrad comes through strongly in this volume. Fitzgerald wrote: “I’d rather have written Conrad’s Nostromo than any other novel.” (p.41) I suspect that Conrad’s novels Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim strongly influenced Fitzgerald as he wrote The Great Gatsby, particularly in his decision to make Nick Carraway a partially involved narrator, after the fashion of Conrad’s narrator Marlow.
A quote that I found fascinating comes from a letter that Fitzgerald wrote to Andrew Turnbull in 1933. Turnbull, a future biographer of Fitzgerald, was 12 years old in 1933, and Fitzgerald was renting a house on the Turnbull family property. Fitzgerald wrote: “Nobody naturally likes a mind quicker than their own and more capable of getting its operation into words. It is practically something to conceal. The history of men’s minds has been the concealing of them, until men cry out for intelligence, and the thing has to be brought into use...most of the great things you learn in life are in periods of enforced silence.” (p.82-3)
I find that a fascinating idea, that men conceal their intelligence until it has to be used. Fitzgerald was fond of showing off his intelligence at a young age, and he understood how that intelligence isolated him. This fits perfectly with one of my favorite quotes about Fitzgerald’s personality. One of his colleagues from the army said of Fitzgerald, “He was eager to be liked by his companions and almost vain in seeking praise. At the same time he was unwilling to conform to the various patterns of dullness and majority opinion which would insure popularity.” (The Far Side of Paradise, by Arthur Mizener, p.23) This captures Fitzgerald so well—he wanted to be liked, but he was far too intelligent to be a conformist. At some point during his life, Fitzgerald understood it was better to draw less attention to his intelligence.
There are so many terrific nuggets in F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing. Some of my favorites are: “All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.” (p.3) “Genius is the ability to put into effect what is in your mind. There’s no other definition of it.” (p.13) “You don’t write because you want to say something; you write because you’ve got something to say.” (p.52) F. Scott Fitzgerald was certainly a writer who had something important to say.
May 3, 2021
This was a darling little book of snippets from Fitzgerald's writings. Going in I actually had expected a book written by him, FOR writers. But that was not to be, more's the pity.
However, he did enough tutoring and had enough characters that *were* writers (shamelessly writing autobiography into a lot of his works!), that we can glean a lot from all that. And that's what this editor did.
One thing was missing, which might have helped me, as I'm not altogether familiar with ALL of F. Scott's work - a chronological listing of his works. The year was always given in the quote, except when it was lifted from a published work. And there I was stymied trying to place the quote within his life. For instance, I've never read The Crack-Up, and I'm not even sure what type of work it is. So now I'll have to go looking for it.
However, that is a small quibble. I suppose the editor (like most biographers) assumed everyone had an encyclopedic knowledge of F. Scott. But nope.
What I did love were the letters talking about Hemingway, and the ones to his daughter, especially where he recommended books to her. I don't think that F. Scott is a better writer than Hemingway, but I do think he was a better man. Anyway, I find their binary star existence very interesting.
I tabbed several quotes and I am sure that if I read this at another time, I'd tab still several more. He was no slouch. He had a rare gift, and seemed to know it. So many interesting insights.
I especially found his letters to his editor Max Perkins to be really interesting. And I've got an edition of his complete Letters here, and I might just dip into that next.
For instance:
"I have lived so long within the circle of this book and with these characters that often it seems to me that the real world does not exist but that only these characters exist, and however pretentious that remarks sounds... it is an absolute fact - so much so that their glees and woes are just exactly as important to me as what happens in life."
He had a lot to say which was very prescient, both about his own life and about the world. I just wish he hadn't died so young.
However, he did enough tutoring and had enough characters that *were* writers (shamelessly writing autobiography into a lot of his works!), that we can glean a lot from all that. And that's what this editor did.
One thing was missing, which might have helped me, as I'm not altogether familiar with ALL of F. Scott's work - a chronological listing of his works. The year was always given in the quote, except when it was lifted from a published work. And there I was stymied trying to place the quote within his life. For instance, I've never read The Crack-Up, and I'm not even sure what type of work it is. So now I'll have to go looking for it.
However, that is a small quibble. I suppose the editor (like most biographers) assumed everyone had an encyclopedic knowledge of F. Scott. But nope.
What I did love were the letters talking about Hemingway, and the ones to his daughter, especially where he recommended books to her. I don't think that F. Scott is a better writer than Hemingway, but I do think he was a better man. Anyway, I find their binary star existence very interesting.
I tabbed several quotes and I am sure that if I read this at another time, I'd tab still several more. He was no slouch. He had a rare gift, and seemed to know it. So many interesting insights.
I especially found his letters to his editor Max Perkins to be really interesting. And I've got an edition of his complete Letters here, and I might just dip into that next.
For instance:
"I have lived so long within the circle of this book and with these characters that often it seems to me that the real world does not exist but that only these characters exist, and however pretentious that remarks sounds... it is an absolute fact - so much so that their glees and woes are just exactly as important to me as what happens in life."
He had a lot to say which was very prescient, both about his own life and about the world. I just wish he hadn't died so young.
March 10, 2025
I tend not to like these sort of collections, presented more-or-less free of context and commentary, but took a risk on this one because it’s Fitzgerald.
I’ve been thinking a bit recently about troubled artists who say certain things because they need them to be true, especially if they fear deeply that they might not be. David Foster Wallace’s This is Water speech comes to mind, as does Scott Hutchinson’s work with Frightened Rabbit. It’s hard to say which of Fitzgerald’s musings here are “true,” especially as many are directed to his daughter, his lover, his editor, and his wife (by this time confined to a distant asylum). For instance, there are a few quotes about him not being able to write when he drank - given his well-documented issues with alcohol, are these factual or a way for him to tell himself not to drink? Is his advice for dealing with critics something he was ever able to follow himself? Did he practice what he preached regarding the curative power of work (I’m thinking also of Gatsby’s childhood copy of Hopalong Cassidy) or was he trying to convince himself of it in a low spot?
This book, an assemblage of loosely-connected quotes, isn’t interested in answering any of these questions. It doesn’t have to be, of course, but I find the Fitzgerald of The Crack-up so fascinatingly vulnerable and modern that I wish he was more often brought to the fore.
Aside from just a handful of quotes about Gatsby, it didn’t give me a ton of insight into his writing process either. It’s short, though, and often amusing.
I’ve been thinking a bit recently about troubled artists who say certain things because they need them to be true, especially if they fear deeply that they might not be. David Foster Wallace’s This is Water speech comes to mind, as does Scott Hutchinson’s work with Frightened Rabbit. It’s hard to say which of Fitzgerald’s musings here are “true,” especially as many are directed to his daughter, his lover, his editor, and his wife (by this time confined to a distant asylum). For instance, there are a few quotes about him not being able to write when he drank - given his well-documented issues with alcohol, are these factual or a way for him to tell himself not to drink? Is his advice for dealing with critics something he was ever able to follow himself? Did he practice what he preached regarding the curative power of work (I’m thinking also of Gatsby’s childhood copy of Hopalong Cassidy) or was he trying to convince himself of it in a low spot?
This book, an assemblage of loosely-connected quotes, isn’t interested in answering any of these questions. It doesn’t have to be, of course, but I find the Fitzgerald of The Crack-up so fascinatingly vulnerable and modern that I wish he was more often brought to the fore.
Aside from just a handful of quotes about Gatsby, it didn’t give me a ton of insight into his writing process either. It’s short, though, and often amusing.
December 20, 2024
Picture This: A collection of the renowned author's insights and reflections on the craft of writing, drawn from his letters, essays, and other writings, offering a glimpse into his creative process and literary philosophy.
Thoughts: F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing by Larry W. Phillips is a fascinating dive into the mind of one of America's greatest writers, offering a collection of Fitzgerald's thoughts on the craft of writing, drawn from his letters, essays, and interviews. What I love about this book is that it gives you a real, behind-the-scenes look at Fitzgerald's process—his struggles with self-doubt, his reflections on the art of storytelling, and his take on the literary world. It’s like having a conversation with the man himself, especially as he opens up about his own frustrations and ambitions. If you’re a fan of Fitzgerald’s work or just someone interested in the writing life, this book is a goldmine. It’s insightful, thoughtful, and full of practical wisdom, all while giving you a deeper appreciation for the man behind The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night.
Read Next: Ernest Hemingway on Writing (Larry W. Philipps), The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath (Sylvia Plath), A Writer's Diary (Virginia Woolf)
Thoughts: F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing by Larry W. Phillips is a fascinating dive into the mind of one of America's greatest writers, offering a collection of Fitzgerald's thoughts on the craft of writing, drawn from his letters, essays, and interviews. What I love about this book is that it gives you a real, behind-the-scenes look at Fitzgerald's process—his struggles with self-doubt, his reflections on the art of storytelling, and his take on the literary world. It’s like having a conversation with the man himself, especially as he opens up about his own frustrations and ambitions. If you’re a fan of Fitzgerald’s work or just someone interested in the writing life, this book is a goldmine. It’s insightful, thoughtful, and full of practical wisdom, all while giving you a deeper appreciation for the man behind The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night.
Read Next: Ernest Hemingway on Writing (Larry W. Philipps), The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath (Sylvia Plath), A Writer's Diary (Virginia Woolf)
May 7, 2023
زي ما شكرت قبل كده في مباهج الكتابة وأوجاعها، لازم أشكر منشورات حياة على صنعة الكتابة.
المشروع ده عاجبني جدا جدا، مفيش رغي كتير، في فلسفات الكاتب تجاه الكتابة بصورة مباشرة، وكافية، يادوبك إللي قاله فقط، دون بقى أي تفسير أو تأويل ورغي كتير عشان نحشي الكتاب وخلاص.
وإللي عاجبني أكتر كمان؛ إن رغم إن الكتابين بيتكلموا عن نفس الموضوع، لكن حرفيا هيمنغواي في الشّرق، وفيتزجيرالد في الغرب! كل واحد عنده كم تعقيدات ونظريات، تخليك محتار تتفق مع إيه هنا وتنكر إيه هنا، لكن أرجع وأقول؛ مشروع مهم، يلزم كل كاتب (محترف أو في البدايات) إنه يقرأ ويعرف إزاي كاتب زي فيتزجيرالد كان شايف الكتابة.
حاجة فرّحتني جدا؛ اكتشفت إن في آراء كتيرة تخصني في الكتابة، متشابهة إلى حد كبير معاه، فالواحد حس إنه كان ممكن يبقى أعز أصدقائي، لو كنا في حقبة زمنية واحدة وبلد واحد.
المشروع ده عاجبني جدا جدا، مفيش رغي كتير، في فلسفات الكاتب تجاه الكتابة بصورة مباشرة، وكافية، يادوبك إللي قاله فقط، دون بقى أي تفسير أو تأويل ورغي كتير عشان نحشي الكتاب وخلاص.
وإللي عاجبني أكتر كمان؛ إن رغم إن الكتابين بيتكلموا عن نفس الموضوع، لكن حرفيا هيمنغواي في الشّرق، وفيتزجيرالد في الغرب! كل واحد عنده كم تعقيدات ونظريات، تخليك محتار تتفق مع إيه هنا وتنكر إيه هنا، لكن أرجع وأقول؛ مشروع مهم، يلزم كل كاتب (محترف أو في البدايات) إنه يقرأ ويعرف إزاي كاتب زي فيتزجيرالد كان شايف الكتابة.
حاجة فرّحتني جدا؛ اكتشفت إن في آراء كتيرة تخصني في الكتابة، متشابهة إلى حد كبير معاه، فالواحد حس إنه كان ممكن يبقى أعز أصدقائي، لو كنا في حقبة زمنية واحدة وبلد واحد.
October 3, 2025
I enjoyed reading the quotes from Fitzgerald's letters to his daughter, also an author, and to his editor Maxwell Perkins, on writing. As someone who writes stories, I appreciated the advice that came through on writing, taking rejection, and publishing. I also learned that it wasn't easy for Fitzgerald who achieved success at a young age but had bouts of anxiety over being a writer and getting his work published. F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the all-time greats among my favorite novelists. I read his books in high school and college, and taught The Great Gatsby as an English teacher. Although I would have liked to read more about his process and have more of a chronology on the events in his publication and life. Good reference sources for anyone seeking to learn more about him.
January 28, 2025
A Learning Experience.
🖊 Captivating reading, and I learned from this book. “'The history of my life is the history of the struggle between an overwhelming urge to write and a combination of circumstances bent on keeping me from it.'” So confessed the young Scott Fitzgerald to the readers of the Saturday Evening Post . . . . ".
જ⁀🟣 Kindle.
༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻ ༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻
𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟:
ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥: ★★★★★
𝕎𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖: ★★★★★
𝕃𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕦𝕒𝕘𝕖: ★★★★★
𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣: ★★★★★
𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘: ★★★★★
𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: ★★★★★
𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 5.0
🖊 Captivating reading, and I learned from this book. “'The history of my life is the history of the struggle between an overwhelming urge to write and a combination of circumstances bent on keeping me from it.'” So confessed the young Scott Fitzgerald to the readers of the Saturday Evening Post . . . . ".
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𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟:
ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥: ★★★★★
𝕎𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖: ★★★★★
𝕃𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕦𝕒𝕘𝕖: ★★★★★
𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣: ★★★★★
𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘: ★★★★★
𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: ★★★★★
𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 5.0
August 21, 2017
Picked this book up in a second hand bookshop over the summer holidays. Essentially, it's just a collection of short quotes taken from letters, articles and books by F Scott Fitzgerald. It merits 5 stars because Phillips has done a really good job of selecting quotes that make you think, smile or that are genuinely inspirational (at least to a writer!). I strongly recommend it - it's classic 'loo reading'!
January 28, 2022
Fascinating to get Fitzgerald's perspective on writing in his own words from his correspondence
He came across as humble at times, but equally as arrogant and feeling superior in his ability to write
I didn't realize his close relationship with Hemingway
A good book for an aspiring writer
There was much to consider and process
I will definitely hold on to this book and read it again in the future
Plus it was nice and short and manageable
He came across as humble at times, but equally as arrogant and feeling superior in his ability to write
I didn't realize his close relationship with Hemingway
A good book for an aspiring writer
There was much to consider and process
I will definitely hold on to this book and read it again in the future
Plus it was nice and short and manageable
December 15, 2024
I was anticipating this book for some time and while I enjoyed it, i wish there were set explanations for what Fitzgerald was referring to / the conversation happening in regards to the advice he was giving. I enjoyed the conversations between his daughter and him the most, then between him and his editor, Max. Most of this book was good advice, and then rest, just praise for ernest hemingway, but at this point, are we surprised?
August 9, 2025
This contains a wealth of valuable information about Fitzgerald’s perspective on writing, but the book itself is constructed as if made specifically for people who don’t like to read. If you pick it up and flip through it to land on any random page you’ll understand exactly what I mean. There is too much empty space. It’s basically a published commonplace book.
June 20, 2017
I am a Scott Fitzgerald fan so this appeals to me. It is little more than a hodge-podge of thoughts and ideas related mostly by the fact that they came from Fitzgerald and are associated with his profession. Still, it's always good to see how other writers think about what we do.
March 19, 2019
While I would have much rather read a collection of full works, rather than snippets and quotes, I found a lot of motivation in the contents of this book. Given to me by an old teacher and friend, I did a lot of reminiscing between these covers.
September 22, 2023
كتاب جيد جيدا ومن الرائع معرفة الكثير من عظماء الادب الامريكي
February 26, 2025
Interesante.
April 23, 2025
Brief collection of excerpts from letters and writings, but interesting throughout.
June 10, 2024
كتاب يسرد فيه كاتبه خواطره عن مسيرته في الكتابة بحلوها ومرها
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تتمة مراجعة الكتاب على مدونتي:
((( همى الغيث )))
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June 19, 202012,5/20 ⭐️
Petit recueil de citations, de lettres et de conseils de l’auteur Francis Scott Fitzgerald. Comme j’aime énormément l’auteur, j’apprécie forcément ce petit livre ! J’ai toujours un coup de cœur pour de plume, et j’aime bcp les lettres qu’il écrit à sa fille.
J’ai vu plusieurs extraits de son dernier livre: le dernier nabab. Et ça m’a vraiment donner envie de le lire !
Petit recueil de citations, de lettres et de conseils de l’auteur Francis Scott Fitzgerald. Comme j’aime énormément l’auteur, j’apprécie forcément ce petit livre ! J’ai toujours un coup de cœur pour de plume, et j’aime bcp les lettres qu’il écrit à sa fille.
J’ai vu plusieurs extraits de son dernier livre: le dernier nabab. Et ça m’a vraiment donner envie de le lire !
July 30, 2011
Read it in a day, really in an evening.
It was decent, reads quickly enough, although there is some repetition since it's more a remix of things--a compilation of other sources if you would. Read it fast enough and things will start to echo.
Got a couple decent quotes from it.
It was decent, reads quickly enough, although there is some repetition since it's more a remix of things--a compilation of other sources if you would. Read it fast enough and things will start to echo.
Got a couple decent quotes from it.
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August 11, 2011Although it is only a collection of different fragments of his thoughts on writing an character, it is really hard to put down. It is amazing how he is able to come through time and again with solid information that any writer, of any genre, could find valuable.
December 31, 2013
Fitzgerald was a genius. This was a pleasure to read. It is short, wise, and nearly perfect.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews