The Elements of Authorship: Unabashed Advice, Undiluted Experience, Unadulterated Inspiration for Writers and Writers-To-Be

by Arthur Plotnik

Lyrical writing and rock-solid advice distinguishes The Elements of Authorship from most writers' guides. No such guide is more engaging, entertaining - or authoritative. Arthur Plotnik, whose classic The Elements of Editing is in its 18th year of print, draws on a uniquely broad background as writer, editor, and publisher.The Elements of Authorship gives clearheaded advice and comic relief to anguished writers - which is to say all writers - aspiring to the exalted state known as "published author." It is, as one reviewer noted, "a heartening foray into the construction and maintenance of a career in writing." Even as it explores the hellish aspects of that career, it reassures new authors that writing - published or unpublished - is worth the pain.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Arthur Plotnik is the author of nine books, including "Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style" and two Book-of-the-Month Club selections: "The Elements of Expression" (revised and expanded in 2012) and "The Elements of Editing." Among his many publications are award-winning essays, biography, short fiction, and poetry. He studied under Philip Roth at the Iowa (Graduate) Writers Workshop and worked as editorial director for the American Library Association. He serves on the Board of "The Writer" magazine and lives in Chicago with his wife, the artist Mary H. Phelan.

Reviews

[Suzanne Arcand · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read but outdated.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in 1993, and wrote some very brief notes on it.
A book on writing in the form of an autobiography, with lots of examples from other writers, a great deal of humour, some gunk, and ladles of the usual advice, most of it common to all the other books on writing I’ve read.
But it did introduce me to Billy Collins, the poet, for which I'm eternally grateful.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original title fits book better. Not so much “elements” of being an author, as much anecdotes dressed up as possibilities. Which is really hard to relate to if you’ve never made it as far as trying to submit work to an editor.

[Anona]

my top book for writers and wannabes