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The Promise of Failure: One Writer's Perspective on Not Succeeding
The Promise of Failure is part memoir of the writing life, part advice book, and part craft book; sometimes funny, sometimes wrenching, but always honest. McNally uses his own life as a blueprint for the writer’s daily struggles as well as the existential ones, tackling subjects such as when to quit and when to keep going, how to deal with depression, what risking something of yourself means, and ways to reenergize your writing through reinvention. What McNally illuminates is how rejection, in its best light, is another element of craft, a necessary stage to move the writer from one project to the next, and that it’s best to see rejection and failure on a life-long continuum so that you can see the interconnectedness between failure and success, rather than focusing on failure as a measure of self-worth. As brutally candid as McNally can sometimes be, The Promise of Failure is ultimately an inspiring book—never in a Pollyannaish self-help way. McNally approaches the reader as a sympathetic companion with cautionary tales to tell. Written by an author who has as many unpublished books under his belt as published ones, The Promise of Failure is as much for the newcomer as it is for the established writer.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
144 pages, Paperback
Published June 15, 2018
4 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
John McNally
52 books99 followersJohn McNally is the author of three novels (After the Workshop, America's Report Card and The Book of Ralph) and two story collections (Ghosts of Chicago and Troublemakers). He's written two books on writing: Vivid and Continuous: Essays and Exercise for Writing Fiction and The Creative Writer's Survival Guide: Advice from an Unrepentant Novelist He's edited six fiction anthologies, on subjects ranging from superheroes to baseball. He also writes screenplays and held a Chesterfield Writer's Film Project fellowship, sponsored by Paramount Pictures. A native of Chicago's southwest side, he presently lives and teaches in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 7, 2018
The Promise of Failure” authored by John McNally is an unexpected literary surprise for writers and anyone who loves the written word! This is not a typical “how-to” writing guide for authors; instead, McNally shared his true story of trial and error—the hard work towards success. This involved the bulk of his writing being rejected by commercial publishers. Despite his graduation from the Iowa Writers Workshop (1989) and teaching college level writing courses; his lucky break occurred with a third place win in the Playboy Fiction Contest (1988) and success of his novel, “The Book of Ralph” (2004).
When he was 13 years old, McNally diligently typed his first novel of old time film comedians. He wrote to Universal Studios, MGM, and major publishing houses for any advice they might offer. Soon, his parent’s mailbox was filled with studio and publisher responses. He didn’t have the money for the fees charged, he did receive an autographed photo of Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz). Though it was “roundly rejected,” Harmony Books asked to see his novel after completion.
As a serious writer, McNally needed a first rate education. After he accepted a low wage adjunct teaching position at a college in Colorado, moving there from Chicago—getting established was very difficult. After only one semester, the adjunct contracts were not renewed. McNally was forced to move back to Illinois and stay in his father’s camping trailer—where he only wrote 30 pages of unusable material during this depressing time period. A good friend, author and scholar Eric G. Wilson believes that great art can be created during periods of melancholia, though one must remain strong in the middle and endure “murkiness and confusion”. The “unrelenting darkness” that led to the fates of the famous writers: Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, David Foster Wallace, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf must be avoided at all costs; self-care should always be a high priority. McNally informs readers that he doesn’t write fiction for therapy. There is a probability that the reader will feel sorry or embarrassed for an author that writes for the purpose of self-healing.
Although McNally had little use for revising or re-working failed novels, he noted that a novel that failed sell in past times, could be accepted for future publication. Pat Conroy (1945-2016) instructed his students that “The good work is connected to the bad work” (1987). Indeed, in writing his short stories McNally often felt like Dr. Frankenstein taking parts from one story and connecting the parts with another. We can work tirelessly on a story or novel-- revising these works can be like “chasing a mirage”. We may never get it right, or gain the distance or understanding to grasp its meaning-- we should let it go. In his 28 year teaching career, McNally has read thousands of student fiction submissions. Many have had no desire to become writers, the ones who did become successful authors, shared an “emotional honesty” an interest in feedback, a “resilience” and “humility” in a likelihood of exposure.
One of the best quotes in the book was by Paddy Chayefsky: “Stop thinking of writing as an art. It is work. If you’re an artist, whatever you do is going to be art. If you’re not an artist, at least you can do a good days work.” During the time he wrote The Book of Ralph, McNally’s second marriage was falling apart. Writing saved his life, preventing him from acting on “darker impulses”. McNally’s stories and advice were written a conversational style and format, there were no long drawn out essays of literary criticism. The ebb and flow of this book was really superb. One of McNally’s best stories that celebrated his friend Christine was saved for the closing. As a book reviewer, author’s who read their reviews and not hesitate to click “Helpful” or click ones they “Like” are most appreciated! **With gratitude and thanks to the University of Iowa Press via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.
When he was 13 years old, McNally diligently typed his first novel of old time film comedians. He wrote to Universal Studios, MGM, and major publishing houses for any advice they might offer. Soon, his parent’s mailbox was filled with studio and publisher responses. He didn’t have the money for the fees charged, he did receive an autographed photo of Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz). Though it was “roundly rejected,” Harmony Books asked to see his novel after completion.
As a serious writer, McNally needed a first rate education. After he accepted a low wage adjunct teaching position at a college in Colorado, moving there from Chicago—getting established was very difficult. After only one semester, the adjunct contracts were not renewed. McNally was forced to move back to Illinois and stay in his father’s camping trailer—where he only wrote 30 pages of unusable material during this depressing time period. A good friend, author and scholar Eric G. Wilson believes that great art can be created during periods of melancholia, though one must remain strong in the middle and endure “murkiness and confusion”. The “unrelenting darkness” that led to the fates of the famous writers: Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, David Foster Wallace, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf must be avoided at all costs; self-care should always be a high priority. McNally informs readers that he doesn’t write fiction for therapy. There is a probability that the reader will feel sorry or embarrassed for an author that writes for the purpose of self-healing.
Although McNally had little use for revising or re-working failed novels, he noted that a novel that failed sell in past times, could be accepted for future publication. Pat Conroy (1945-2016) instructed his students that “The good work is connected to the bad work” (1987). Indeed, in writing his short stories McNally often felt like Dr. Frankenstein taking parts from one story and connecting the parts with another. We can work tirelessly on a story or novel-- revising these works can be like “chasing a mirage”. We may never get it right, or gain the distance or understanding to grasp its meaning-- we should let it go. In his 28 year teaching career, McNally has read thousands of student fiction submissions. Many have had no desire to become writers, the ones who did become successful authors, shared an “emotional honesty” an interest in feedback, a “resilience” and “humility” in a likelihood of exposure.
One of the best quotes in the book was by Paddy Chayefsky: “Stop thinking of writing as an art. It is work. If you’re an artist, whatever you do is going to be art. If you’re not an artist, at least you can do a good days work.” During the time he wrote The Book of Ralph, McNally’s second marriage was falling apart. Writing saved his life, preventing him from acting on “darker impulses”. McNally’s stories and advice were written a conversational style and format, there were no long drawn out essays of literary criticism. The ebb and flow of this book was really superb. One of McNally’s best stories that celebrated his friend Christine was saved for the closing. As a book reviewer, author’s who read their reviews and not hesitate to click “Helpful” or click ones they “Like” are most appreciated! **With gratitude and thanks to the University of Iowa Press via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.
June 26, 2018
McNally's book should be required reading for all aspiring writers. Though the title may make the book sound like a depressing read, it's actually an honest look at how writers (and everyone else) looks at success and the pathway there. I think the author gets at something when he writes how today, in the age of Facebook and Twitter, we mostly read and hear about one another's accomplishments... but not all the falling down one had to endure to get there. This is a book I know I'll return to again and again and again.
August 20, 2018
Couched somewhere between a memoir and a writing guide, I was really floored by A Promise of Failure. McNally writes with a brazen honesty - his shortcomings are not spared here - regarding his writing life and its varying successes and pitfalls. Realistic, thoughtful, boots-on-the-ground writing advice is tempered with discussions about realistic expectations, ambition, healthy work habits, duking it out with depression, etc. A really great, earnest read, and McNally's wisdom and experience shines through. Well done. Recommended.
June 16, 2018
More memoir than a writing guide, McNally has a lot of interesting things to say about the writing life. At times, the introspection dips too far toward navel-gazing, but there are gems about the revision process, depression, social media, and depth of story.
The title topic, failure, is covered in-depth and McNally returns to it again and again. There is some wisdom to be found in how to accept failure and rejection as a part of life, but there are some mixed messages as well. He discusses the dangers of relying on external validation as a measure of success but then focuses only on whether a traditional publisher accepts his manuscript as a yardstick by which to decide whether a story is good or not. His description of stories languishing in a drawer because they were never accepted made me sad. Although trad publishing is the "one true way" for many people, we live in a world where we can directly access readers more and more. It seems silly to say "don't rely on external feedback for validation" on one hand, but also "ship it off to gatekeepers and then trust that they will tell you whether it is good or not" on the other.
Overall, an interesting read, but only if you aren't expecting concrete advice on the writing process. This is more of a "see what you can glean from my life experiences" kind of book than an instruction manual.
The title topic, failure, is covered in-depth and McNally returns to it again and again. There is some wisdom to be found in how to accept failure and rejection as a part of life, but there are some mixed messages as well. He discusses the dangers of relying on external validation as a measure of success but then focuses only on whether a traditional publisher accepts his manuscript as a yardstick by which to decide whether a story is good or not. His description of stories languishing in a drawer because they were never accepted made me sad. Although trad publishing is the "one true way" for many people, we live in a world where we can directly access readers more and more. It seems silly to say "don't rely on external feedback for validation" on one hand, but also "ship it off to gatekeepers and then trust that they will tell you whether it is good or not" on the other.
Overall, an interesting read, but only if you aren't expecting concrete advice on the writing process. This is more of a "see what you can glean from my life experiences" kind of book than an instruction manual.
May 22, 2018
I find it odd that this book is on netgalley when the author very near the beginning explicitly states that he avoids reader reviews of amazon and goodreads... 'maybe other writers can shrug off dumb reader comments'. I know what he is trying to say - don't take other peoples comments to heart but did he need to say it like that. Hmmm.
I also found that this book didn't work well on my Kindle - the layout didn't flow and was broken and there were also numerous spelling and grammatical mistakes which I hope is sorted before it is available to all.
In terms of actual content I really enjoyed his writing when he was describing the harrowing story of his friend Christine however I'm not sure it added a lot to the book. McNally also used examples of other writers who had suffered and counted as 'failures' even though to the reader they are masterpieces however he often repeated himself and I found myself skim reading.
It wasn't a gripping page turner but it was fairly interesting so I would recommend this book to his fans as there are some interesting insights into his writing however I won't be re-reading.
Thank you to netgalley for providing me the chance to read this in advance in return for an honest review.
I also found that this book didn't work well on my Kindle - the layout didn't flow and was broken and there were also numerous spelling and grammatical mistakes which I hope is sorted before it is available to all.
In terms of actual content I really enjoyed his writing when he was describing the harrowing story of his friend Christine however I'm not sure it added a lot to the book. McNally also used examples of other writers who had suffered and counted as 'failures' even though to the reader they are masterpieces however he often repeated himself and I found myself skim reading.
It wasn't a gripping page turner but it was fairly interesting so I would recommend this book to his fans as there are some interesting insights into his writing however I won't be re-reading.
Thank you to netgalley for providing me the chance to read this in advance in return for an honest review.
November 27, 2018
I really liked how reassuring and motivational this book was. Although there were some moments I could feel a sense of bias with McNally's advice, it wasn't hard to understand where he was coming from. The advice was still helpful. McNally is honest in his writing journey and mentions a lot of his failures, which is somewhat comforting, allowing other writers to know they aren't alone. Aside from that, his advice does come with some hard truths that motivate and challenge, which is what writers need.
I also liked how the chapters were divided by different types of lessons or phases writers will experience, and it was somewhat arranged in the order that one would experience from the beginning to later years as a writer.
As a young writer, still in college, stressing about my future endeavors and making a living as a writer, this book was something I unexpectedly needed.
I also liked how the chapters were divided by different types of lessons or phases writers will experience, and it was somewhat arranged in the order that one would experience from the beginning to later years as a writer.
As a young writer, still in college, stressing about my future endeavors and making a living as a writer, this book was something I unexpectedly needed.
July 3, 2020
Though this is a book about writing, I found it applicable to me an actress and comedian. There is great advice here for people who are serious about any endeavor. Humor and vulnerability wrap around brain-exploding practical advice. This is far from another trite "productivity" book. I didn't realize how badly I needed this book after reading far too many popular science books about maximizing your habits, etc. This book is for humans who live actual lives that can't be joylessly boiled down to tasks on a bullet journal. I loved it. It has earned a permanent place on my shelf (which has ironically been paired down to very few books after reading Marie Kondo's book).
November 6, 2019
We live in a world that has been designed to entertain us, and bring us joy. We are surrounded by articles and infographics on how to be happier, and our social media is flooded with #livingmybestlife.
What all of that doesn't include is the work that it takes to be successful, and how failure is a natural part of life. It is taking that failure and growing from it, trying again and again - that is how we succeed.
McNally's take on failure resonates at a deeper level than anything around happiness I've ever read.
What all of that doesn't include is the work that it takes to be successful, and how failure is a natural part of life. It is taking that failure and growing from it, trying again and again - that is how we succeed.
McNally's take on failure resonates at a deeper level than anything around happiness I've ever read.
June 16, 2018
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.
The Promise of Failure was a very different book than I was expecting. It was much more memoir than advice. Once I got into the memoir rhythm, I really enjoyed John McNally's thoughts on failure, finding your passion, and redefining success. This book is definitely worth reading; if you are open to a healthy dose of reality about failure as part of writing, you will get a lot out of it.
The Promise of Failure was a very different book than I was expecting. It was much more memoir than advice. Once I got into the memoir rhythm, I really enjoyed John McNally's thoughts on failure, finding your passion, and redefining success. This book is definitely worth reading; if you are open to a healthy dose of reality about failure as part of writing, you will get a lot out of it.
March 4, 2021
Part memoir, part writing manual, but as a whole this book is just wonderful. I'm glad John didn't exaggerate with the lenght of the book. It's perfect as it is and I immensely enjoyed reading it.
June 9, 2025
I'll take this one with me for the rest of my life.
January 19, 2019
The book was a little thin, but it had some very smart things to say. Loved his point about branching out into new paths. And loved especially his point that revision is about discovering what your story is really about. It took me fifteen years of writing to learn that.
December 31, 2022
LOVE. Should be required reading in all MFA programs. A fair bit of cursing, just as warning.
April 18, 2018
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started reading The Promise of Failure. Any advice as to how to turn negative feedback into positive feedback was likely my main reason for choosing this book. What I didn’t quite expect was the melancholy tone that is laced throughout the entire book.
John McNally discusses at length his failures as a writer (i.e. how many manuscripts have been left unpublished or were rejected), in his personal life (failed marriages), in teaching writing, and just plain awful moments that he’s gone through. He finishes the book with a story about his friend Christine who recently died of cancer.
He’s had a challenging life, and suffers from depression. He talked at length about that, and how he overcame some obstacles. McNally also brought many examples of other writers who have suffered similarly and the major works that came out of a period of failure for them.
The text is written in a conversational style.
Honestly, this was a depressing read. The first chapter intrigued me and then the rest just left me feeling drained. I ended up plowing the rest of the way through it as I really didn’t feel like being depressed each time I picked it up to read. I am an optimist and always try to find the silver lining (which is how I try to approach rejection or editing in my own work). I’m not sure where the silver lining can be found in the text of this book, other than the point of the book was clear: you will fail as a writer but it’s your choice what you do with that failure.
I received an advanced ebook copy from the publisher through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
John McNally discusses at length his failures as a writer (i.e. how many manuscripts have been left unpublished or were rejected), in his personal life (failed marriages), in teaching writing, and just plain awful moments that he’s gone through. He finishes the book with a story about his friend Christine who recently died of cancer.
He’s had a challenging life, and suffers from depression. He talked at length about that, and how he overcame some obstacles. McNally also brought many examples of other writers who have suffered similarly and the major works that came out of a period of failure for them.
The text is written in a conversational style.
Honestly, this was a depressing read. The first chapter intrigued me and then the rest just left me feeling drained. I ended up plowing the rest of the way through it as I really didn’t feel like being depressed each time I picked it up to read. I am an optimist and always try to find the silver lining (which is how I try to approach rejection or editing in my own work). I’m not sure where the silver lining can be found in the text of this book, other than the point of the book was clear: you will fail as a writer but it’s your choice what you do with that failure.
I received an advanced ebook copy from the publisher through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
April 27, 2018
The Promise of Failure started interestingly enough. As promised, the author talks about his personal failures as far as writing and publishing is concerned. However, I strongly felt at times that there was too much personal information on this book that didn't have a lot to do with the writing. I can understand how your personal life affects writing, but I do not need to know all the details. In this way, it felt like the book slipped away from its initial promise. There were, however, moments of humor and some optimistic highlights. In its entirety, however, The Promise of Failure was a lot more pessimistic than one would expect from its description.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews