WORDS

by Andy Devine, Michael Kimball (Contributor)

Andy Devine's book, WORDS, includes two alphabetical lists (words that should and should not be used), a grammar on fiction writing, nine alphabetical stories, and a 90K-word novel (condensed to 20 pages). Michael Kimball attempts to explain it all in the afterword.

Genres: Fiction

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Nemanja]

a(x3), advice, alphabetical, among, and(x5), as(x2), author, be, best, Body, book, catalogs, consist, fiction (x2), figure, for, found, imagination, in, irritating, it, leaving, list, meaning ,novel, number, of(x4), or, out(x2), plot, readers’, reading, should, shouldn't, stands, stories, that, the(x3), their, thoughts, to(x2), used, when, which, will, words(x2), work, writers, written, ,(x5), ..

[Matt]

There are books you read and enjoy. Then there are books you read, enjoy, and hope have a discovered life after you are gone. Words by Andy Devine better outlive a few generations.

[Jamie Perez]

You don't read "Words" straight through like other books. You dip in and out, and you think about it over periods of days or weeks while you're away from it... The experience is more like poetry you might think... Or maybe a literary op-ed (which is probably more spot-on as an approach to Devine's output).

That said... After you've spun with it for a while, do take the time to approach one of the stories as if it were actually a story... It does strange things to your brain. Detective work or literary Impressionism, or some really bizarre version of po art collage... These ARE words you see/use/hear/read very day, yet look how strangely they play. And what's that strange one doing right there.

[Josh]

Here is my 2009 interview with Andy Devine.

[Gabriel]

Just fucking incredible.

[Thomas Baughman]

I posted a review in my notes on my profile.