The Writer's Notebook II: Craft Essays from Tin House

Tin House publishes some of the most thoughtful and thought-provoking essays on creative writing that I have found. Both this version and The Writer's Notebook I are indispensable for serious fiction writers. The essays interrogate and explore various craft topics and advice: *should* we write what we know? what can writing tell and what must it show? how does comedy allow us to access the serious?In some books on craft, one gets the sense that the writers included simply threw something together for a quick buck. In others, the advice is banal or overly prescriptive. Neither failing is true here. Perhaps even more than in the first excellent book, the writers in The Writer's Notebook II are clearly exploring topics with which they have struggled, and the essays unveil the insights the writers have arrived at through their struggle. I highly recommend both of the Tin House books, as well as the free podcasts on their blog (starting with "On the Couch with Steve Almond and Aimee Bender). Each essay leaves me thinking and eager to write.

I purchased this book specifically because Poet Marie Howe was listed as one of the contributers. When the book arrived I immediately noticed that her name was not printed on the front of the book! I thought perhaps I had ordered the wrong book. Then I thought it was a misprint. Nope. She is listed last on the Amazon advertisement of "Authors", but she is not included in The Writer's Notebook. I will keep the book as I am excited to read the craft essays of the other talented poets, but still, I am disappointed.

You may have seen that I trashed "The Best of Tin House" because Tin House only publishes plotless stories that end in despair. But they have good writers, and those writers give good advice, mostly. If only Tin House would just let them write.Highlights for me include "Place" ("Place is not just what your feet are crossing to get somewhere. Place is feeling, and feeling is something a character expresses."), "Hard up for a hard-on" (don't assume that sex scenes must be sexy), "Material" (looking for structural patterns in stories), "Performing surgery without anesthesia" (Most people don't revise; they polish), and "The telling that shows" (a new way to thing about show vs. tell). There are, however, 3 modernist chapters ("Character motivation", "Le Mot Incorrect", "(Mis)adventures in poetry") which IMHO give bad advice.Full review, dealing with each chapter separately, at fimfiction.net/blog/335947.

This was a good read. The essays aren't for everybody, and I rolled my eyes at more than a few them. That said, I agree with the other reviewer that there are some real gems waiting to be underlined. The pieces are definitely not "how-to"--instead, they feel more like little stories about writing. Plus, the CD that comes with the book is great--it's fun to hear these writers speak in their own voices about their experiences with the written word.

Love this book of craft essays.

We used this in my fiction writing class. Most of the essays provided very helpful viewpoints for various aspects of writing, like constructing a scene, writing about sex, thinking about character motivation, etc. There were some essays that I found to be too theoretical to actually be helpful, but overall, a good assortment.

I bought this book as it was required by a creative writing class. Some fairly solid essays on the craft of writing from a variety of published authors. Even if you're not interested in writing professionally, the essays themselves offer up nice little nuggets that apply to life itself, not just the craft of writing.Overall a fun and fascinating read.

I love the idea of this book, and it get's the creative juices flowing. Not in my top 3 craft books for writing but a nice addition to my library