Famous Writers School

by Steven Carter

A genre-bending romp that is at once reminiscent of Raymond Carver and Carl Hiaasen.

Steven Carter, who has been called "madly inventive" ( Kirkus Reviews ) and "darkly comic" ( Village Voice ), has a genius for letting his characters speak for themselves, and here they do so quite literally. Famous Writers School is composed of three aspiring authors' letters and stories sent to a correspondence course by that grandiose name, and the self-serving "lessons" that Wendell Newton, their endearingly obtuse instructor, doles out in response.

Wendell's oddball collection of students includes Rio, an alluring blues singer on whom he quickly develops a crush; Linda Trane, an unhinged housewife who may be stalking him; and Dan, a truly talented author of hard-boiled detective fiction. As Dan's gritty mystery arrives piece by piece, Wendell gets hooked on the story--and decides to dress it up in his own style in order to pass it off as his creation.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Steven Carter's short stories have appeared in Antioch Review, Tin House, Northwest Review, and Mississippi Review, among others. His first novel, I Was Howard Hughes, was published in 2003. His second novel, Famous Writers School, based on the actual scam school for writers, was published in 2006.

Reviews

[Tarpley Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

About mid-way through the Famous Writers School, I realized that I had been duped. Conned. Not that I didn’t enjoy this book. In fact, I could hardly put it down once I started. I had assumed that this novel was about learning how to write, and it is, but not in the way that the first hundred pages, or the clever opening advertisements, seem to indicate. When Wendell tells Dan that his fiction belongs in a gentlemen’s magazine, it dawned on me that Dan and his two cohorts weren’t learning anything from Wendell at all. They weren’t supposed to. A few pages later, when the suck-up Wendell suddenly wants to represent Dan because he has seen the light of his beautiful prose (and terrible threat of reprisal), I finally understood. This novel is about two things: metafiction and melodrama. In spite of all of the sophisticated literary advice that Wendell gives to his students, their writing is successful and readable because they reject his teaching and go with what sells, and what sells is melodrama. And Carter makes this point in his labyrinth of metafiction.
It is difficult, at least for me, to sort through the structure of this novel and identify exactly who is speaking to the reader. Of course, every word can be traced back to Steven Carter, but he has set so many foils between himself and the reader it makes me dizzy. It is a good thing that I once took a class and studied a famous novel that used similar techniques. Wendell starts out as a guy looking to make a few bucks by helping other writers, but as the drama unfolds, Carter makes him needier of his students than they are of him. So, are the stories that the students submit really instructional—did Carter have his characters write them purposefully so that Wendell could identify their flaws—or are the stories just a clever way for Carter to write his own short stories, all of which are tremendously interesting, just to show off his own prodigious skills? When Dan beds every woman in his story, is it because he is too impatient as a writer to make his characters real and then contrives a hackneyed plot, or is it because Carter has a latent frustration ( “and had a lifetime of encounters with courtesans,” page 176) that comes to light only when he writes? Yes to all of these questions, it appears to me. While reading the Famous Writers School, it’s hard to separate fiction from reality. Maybe reality is all fiction. But maybe all fiction is reality. Blurring the distinction between the two is what metafiction is all about.
Perhaps the most lasting impression (or maybe it’s a lesson, the real lesson) that Famous Writers School leaves on me is this: nothing, and I mean nothing, makes a story more interesting than a heavy dose of melodrama. Forget Wendell’s third point about making your characters real and letting them have their own lives. Forget subtlety, too. That’s just plain bad advice. In all four stories, every marriage is lousy except for the old man and his wife, Em, but she’s dead. Every woman is white trash, or close to it. The old man at the country store in need of a ride is a drug dealer. The young boy with a rifle is a simpleton with a dark past. The rich implement dealer got there by murdering his brother. A deus ex machina lawyer saves the day. Kill the prize roses by poisoning the roots. And that old cabin in the woods—watch out for those mean, killer dogs. The food is all bad: eggs fried in bacon grease, potatoes fried in grease, chicken plate-lunches drowned in gravy, even “gravy poured over coleslaw.” Does Carter (a.k.a. Dan) have an eating problem that comes from not having a woman around? Some of the characters are intelligent, yet no one can finish a dissertation. And don’t forget that America is the best country in the world! How about, “I take the drugs, but they don’t work,” or, “Years of therapy, and I’m still screwed up.” All page turners for sure.
As for the writers themselves, remember that Wendell is a poor, frustrated loner who hates his parents, has no money, and can’t go to Prague because he can’t get a credit card. He is great at dispensing phony literary advice, but is he the kind of man who would ever accept any? Maybe if he did, he might have enough cash to buy a bed frame for his old mattress. Rio is a chain-smoking, Diet-Coke drinking torch singer suffering from a severe case of depression. Dan, of whom we know the least, is petrified that his wife may discover that he spent a few hundred dollars on a Wendell’s class. As for Linda/Lana, it would be impossible to list the many demons that haunt her tortured soul. Psycho? Stalker? Child-abandoner? Hater of bird-baths? Wendell, who is usually wrong, makes a great point when he says, “Welcome to the great delusion that is American culture.” If your life sucks, just put it in writing. Someone is bound to read it.
One last observation: Dan says he doesn’t like Proust, and he really doesn’t care for his wife, the French teacher. Funny that the punctuation style he uses to identify dialogue, the leading ---, is the French method of doing so. I guess some well-known British writers use it, too. They are all on to something; I get so tired of using all of the quotations marks and commas required in English. Vive la ponctuation française!

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the stranger books you’ll read, but I found it quite entertaining. A writing teacher teaches a correspondence course for wanna-be writers. It isn’t associated with a university, and the teacher is of dubious moral fiber. The other three main characters we only meet through correspondence with their teacher. It is an amusing book with underlying tragedy. It’s a fascinating portrayal of the teacher.

[Joe Sharkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how sustainable this very clever, amusing idea was. But it was a good read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unconventionally written story about a correspondence writing school. The story is told through a series of letters between the instructor and students. Snippets of each of the student's submissions leave the reader wondering how much of each student's writing is fiction and how much is fact. One of the students appears to know personal details about the instructor's life that prove to be disturbingly true. A reader will either love or hate this book, based on one's individual taste for stories. It does keep one reading as the stories within the story are intriguing albeit disturbing. If you like truly unconventional writing style with deeply flawed characters whose flaws do not necessarily resolve, you may enjoy this book. If you like conventional storytelling with characters ebbing and flowing and finally growing at the end, this is probably not the book for you. I gave it 4 stars because of its creativity in approach but most will probably give it 2 or 3 due to a dislike of the characters.

[Lenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books that stands on top of the table and yells, Look how clever I am! I'm all for non-traditional formats of storytelling, but not when they come across as mere gimmicks, as in this case. The premise sounds interesting, enough. A wannabe-famous writer conducts a writing course by correspondence with three students, promising them it will kickstart their writing careers. What it kickstarts, however, are a plagiarism plan, a flirtation and a stalker episode. Sounds fun, right? It woulda-coulda-shoulda been. It wasn't. A good book should feel like you are wandering around discovering things for yourself. This felt like a guided tour. I felt pushed from one plot point to the next, and my reactions at each development and revelation felt manipulated instead of organic.

I could still have forgiven that if the book said more about the writer's relationships with the two female students. But whatever was there felt like mere teaser, and the bulk of the book was taken up by the tedious, run-of-the-mill thriller the male student is writing.

All in all, I found myself always outside the story looking in. I never felt part of it.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wendell Newton is a magazine editor and “published author” (although of what he never quite discloses) who is offering a correspondence course on how to be a good writer. The entire novel is made up of letters to and from a few of his students: Rio, a lounge singer and grad school dropout; Dan, a tractor salesman seeking serious reviews of his writing; and Linda, a bored housewife whose stories become increasingly bizarre. Wendell’s relationship with each of these potential famous writers becomes increasingly hilarious as we read the correspondence between the teacher and students. There’s a great story-within-the-story in the form of Dan’s writing, which is on its way to becoming a sort of noir-style detective novel. Nothing serious or mind-blowing here, but definitely a fun read and a unique way to tell a story. Side note: some may find the language offensive.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

"The Famous Writers School" by Steven Carter. What an odd little book! But an interesting and enjoyable read.

So many stories thrown together to make one complete novel. Four characters, all writers in their own way, sharing their story, whether it be fiction or fact. The relationships that develop between the students and the instructor are interesting. I loved the twist with "Linda" although I found her ending weak. I also enjoy a good story-within-a-story and this book had that in spades.

I had no idea what to expect from this $4 paperback when I pulled it out of the sales bin at Chapters, but sometimes that's the best way to start a book. No ideas, no expectations. I wasn't even sure what the story was about, I just felt drawn to the title and the cover. Sometimes you just have to go with your instincts.

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book takes place in the form of correspondence. It is about an instructor with a writing school who corresponds with students who are interested in becoming writers. I find the story within a story interesting. However, it can make for frenetic reading at times. Some of the letters are weird and it focuses on 4 correspondents. I can understand the use they have to the story but some of the action in the story is a bit much. For example, Wendell, the instructor, is rude to one of his more promising students in the beginning but then becomes obsequious when he realizes the extent of insult he has showered on his student. It really is well written at times but well written doesn't necessarily mean well liked.

[Isis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely enjoyed this book. Most of it. Some sections of the "murder mystery" story were tedious, either because of poor plotting, wack dialogue, stereotypical characterizations, etc.
However, since this is a story within a story, this could easily be intentional. But I did find myself looking ahead to see how many pages I would have to read of these sections, before getting to a more interesting section.

It's clear what is going on pretty early in the story, but still interesting to see how everything works out. I found myself greatly amused as I read, especially towards the last half/third of the book. The story is whimsical and unbelievable but somehow, still works and is really entertaining.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out okay, but then got really kind of creepy. It was sort of like a collection of stories of interactions between some dude and his writing students whom he corresponds with via the mail. It is a collection of three people. One, who sort of seems like a genuine student who is writing a crime novel, of which the teacher ends up plagiarizing and not knowing it. Another, which I enjoyed the most, is a woman whom the teachers becomes enamoured with. The third seems like a genuine student, but then ends up being an ex-girlfriend of the teacher who is obsessed with him. Like I said, it starts okay, but then ends up being about crazy people, which annoy me.

Grade: C-

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This was a random pick from the library's "newly acquired" shelves, and I scored.

With a structure that could've easily gotten annoying (the tale is told through correspondence, both in the form of letters and short stories/book chapters sent to the Famous Writing School instructor), it kept me guessing AND kept me laughing. Can't ask for much more than that.

I made Adam put down Prince of Tides (forced him to start it when I learned he'd never read it) to start this one, as it's a library loaner.

[Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good idea for a novel- following the correspondence of a correspondence writing course. We've all wondered what goes on in the back rooms (or, more likely, lonely bedrooms) of the participants of those things, much less the administrators! This book was patchy, though- the strongest continuing story had issues, the characters were mostly half-baked, and I know they always tell you to "show, don't tell" when writing, but I could have lived without a few of the passages of patently bad writing that were establishing the character of the 'bad writer'.

[Djrmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told in letter form, this novel is actually a novel within a novel, a (how not to write) writer's guide, and a tiny bit psychological thriller/romance. That seems like a lot, but Carter fits it all together in the story of Wendell Newton's correspondence writing class. The stories of three students are told in three distinct styles, and through Walter's comments on his student's work, Carter shows how an author can twist, change and manipulate the same story into several different versions. Maybe Wendell's a better writer than he gives himself credit for being.

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictional account of what may happen if you join a writing group or correspondence course: your sadistic, cowardly instructor blatantly plagiarizes your work, stalks you, and refuses to admit wrongdoing, all while cashing your checks. The three victim-students' writing and the instructor's responses alternate chapters, and all are fascinating diaries of ambition and true talent, greed and egotism, desperation and revenge. Although the writing done in the novel is sent through snail mail, reading it compounded my fear of posting my own writing in any form on the internet.

[Sarah Brehm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this several years ago, and I came across my review I'd written for another site. Here it is:

I love finding books that are written in non-traditional form, so when I was browsing clearance books from a bookstore that was moving locations, I came across Famous Writer's School. I picked it up, skimmed the first few pages and was hooked! Told entirely in in the form of letters (and the short stories/novel excerpts that accompany them), readers will laugh at this off-the-wall writer Wendell as he attempts to guide three aspiring writers. Hilarity ensues for the clever reader.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea for this book was very clever, and I wish I would've thought about it. The best part was watching the instructor and some of the students get more bizarre over time. The funny thing is, I never would've finished the main student's story if I had just been reading it, but within this novel, it worked. It's like Steven Carter, the author, got away with bad writing because of his clever form of the book.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first full-price book I've bought in years, just because I couldn't go another day without reading it. It was funny, clever, and I wish so much that I'd written it.

Anyone who has ever taken a writing class (or had writerly ambitions) will be able to have nerdy lit-chuckles - and maybe learn something.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining book. The "teacher" of the correspondence course for writing was delightfully clueless and a lot of what happened to him (some self-inflicted) was pretty funny.

Also liked how the stories of the three writers he is coaching weave in and out of the "teacher's" life. I especially liked the guy writing the detective story.

[Adam]

Interestingly told story, though the main novella hidden in here wouldn't stand up that well on its own.

Unsatisfying ending confirms a few things we already knew but doesn't really give much closure (or leave things dangling in an amusing way).

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several students submit lessons assigned to them by their writing instructor. The genres and quality vary and the relationships between the instructor and students gets complicated. Very clever and entertaining.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had great promise and a pretty entertaining storyline, but it did not completely deliver a satisfying punch in the end. At times I was confused trying to remember who all the characters are. Still, I liked it and found it innovative enough to recommend.

[Moirrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was extremely underwhelmed by this book, especially at the end. I was confused about what Wendell was doing for about half of the book, and the end of Dan's story was kind of disappointing. I did, however, really like Rio. She was honestly TJE only redeeming thing about this book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read - but skip the back cover. Yeesh, talk about a spoiler. More fun to just let the book unfold.

[Brittanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got half way through and got bored. Rather disappointing.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sort of fictionalized how-to for wannabe writers and essayists. Despite it's humor, there are some great little advice nuggets on how to bring life to your writing.

[Vivienne Strauss · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun and inventive book! Picked it up by chance and couldn't put it down until I finished.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pastiche, an exercise in style, and a mystery. And it's very funny. A warning for anyone who's ever been tempted to follow up on those 'So you want to be a writer?' ads.

[W.T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sort of a miraculous and dark book that is full of humor and menace all at the same time. It's so expertly built that it's hard to imagine a single word could be pulled.

Beautifully crafted.

[Nita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light. :-) Now, I know for sure that joining a Writing School is not such a good idea. :-P