How to Be a Writer

by David Quantick

How To Be A Writer is a collection of interviews with famous writers, performers and industry insiders that takes the reader through a writer’s day, from getting up to giving in. And, along the way, When do you get ideas? When should you write? How do you deal with your money? Who do you have lunch with? And how do you keep going?Featuring JON RONSON, EMMA DONOGHUE, DENNIS KELLY, CAITLIN MORAN, JASON HAZELEY, JOEL MORRIS, SUZANNE MOORE, CATHERINE ROSENTHAL, MARK ELLEN, JOHN PANTON, JO UNWIN, MARTYN WAITES, MARK BILLINGHAM, ISZI LAWRENCEDavid Quantick is an Emmy-winning television writer and the author of the best-selling writing manual How To Write Everything. He has written for television in the USA (Veep) and the UK (The Thick Of It, Brass Eye, Harry Hill’s TV Burp), and is also a radio broadcaster (The Blagger’s Guide, 52 First Impressions), author (The Mule, Sparks) and a journalist who’s written for over 50 different publications, from the Daily Telegraph to The Dandy.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 14, 2016

Reviews

[Brianda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good. I think this was a brilliant idea and I loved learning about all these people's lives.

[Kate Evangelista · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books for writers out there. I kept saying to myself, "This is so me!"

[MichaelK · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly interesting and entertaining collection of interviews about living as a writer. The interviewees are varied: Jon Ronson, Caitlin Moran, Dennis Kelly (writer of the Channel 4 'Utopia' TV series), Emma Donoghue, journalists, comedians, an accountant, and a literary agent. The interviews are vaguely linked together by Quantick asking similar questions about their everyday life (what time they get up, what time they start writing, important routines, etc), their creative process and approach to writing. Some of the interviews are more interesting than others. The title obviously suggests it is an instructional book, which it very much isn't: there are bits of advice, especially in the agent and accountant interviews, but mostly we just get a little look into the writer's life, and the occasional joke. Which isn't bad, really. A quick and enjoyable reading experience, but nothing spectacular.

[Kristina]

This book was jolly funny! It won't teach you how to be a writer, but it will reveal to you some aspects of the writing process in a very engaging, amusing, and down-to-earth way. There's nothing pretentious about it and it reads very easily. If no one around you can inspire, encourage, and give you permission to write, this book can! What I loved the most about it is how David Quantick chose to present this typically lonely profession in such a way, as if to make the reader feel connected to and absorbed in the writers featured in the book.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interviews (agents, accountants) are a bit Behind The Music by necessity, but the interviewees open up to David, a friend and colleague, and there is tons of information for young and old writers. Perhaps the limitations of the format (the writer's day) occludes better conversations but sometimes a writer needs to set limits, a worthwhile lesson in itself.

[Sasha Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren't many things writers enjoy more than reading books about writing - it feels like you're working without any of the pain of actually needing to write ;-)

This was a great, practical book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Antony Mayfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to be (not how to do) and all the better for it

A lovely set of interviews and insights from David Quantico and a selection of very different writers. Very much about the practicalities and the weird, abstract puzzles of what it is to be a writer.

[Gabriel Maiorino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging throughout. Fascinating to hear how many writers have this need to vocalize the things in their head and that writing is the only way for them to be free of the things bouncing in their head

[Mercedes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting insights.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not about how to be a writer, and it's not "conversations with writers about writing".

It should be called "A book about what the writing world is like and what it's like to work as a writer/around writers of any type". It's very interesting and it deals with very serious subjects I wouldn't have thought of before reading it. I'm a bit disappointed in some interviews which made me feel like the name of the author/person interviewed was catchy enough not to make an interesting interview (i.e. Caitlin Moran, this part turned out to be quite disappointing).
In short: read it if you're curious about writers and the tiny world they evolve in, but don't expect anything too serious or fantastic. It's a cool reading though nothing more.

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is mostly David Quantick interviewing writers about their day and injecting his own British dry humor into everything; and it works so, so well.
The book is very honest in what it does and very honest in the writer's life; from accountancy to agents, it gets to everything. The conversations are structured so that it feels like you're having dinner with both participants, and Quantick derives a lot of honesty from that. (There's one quote that is hilariously ripped out of its context and had me laugh for a while)
Another book I highly recommend to anyone who wants to be a writer, because this book gets you to understand while also getting you to laugh.

[Louisa Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version on Audible. It was very interesting, but it took me a while to get used to the Q&A sessions because it was just David narrating and he would say "David:......." then the name of his guest each time either one of them 'spoke'.

However, it was very interesting. Funny in parts and reassuring to hear other writers think things about their own work, that you do yourself.

A good book.

[Kyle]

jon ronson, emma donoghue, caitlin moran, suzanne moore. too long. better than #1.

[Katerina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 stars

[Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable interviews with writers (various genres) and associated folk (eg agents, accountants) If you have any writing aspirations, there's lots of information here.