The Secret Miracle
Description
The world's best contemporary writers-from Michael Chabon and Claire Messud to Jonathan Lethem and Amy Tan-engage in a wide-ranging, insightful, and oft- surprising roundtable discussion on the art of writing fiction Drawing back the curtain on the mysterious process of writing novels, The Secret Miracle brings together the foremost practitioners of the craft to discuss how they write. Paul Auster, Roddy Doyle, Allegra Goodman, Aleksandar Hemon, Mario Vargas Llosa, Susan Minot, Rick Moody, Haruki Murakami, George Pelecanos, Gary Shteyngart, Daniel Alarcón, and others take us step by step through the alchemy of writing fiction, answering everything from nuts-and-bolts queries-"Do you outline?"-to perennial questions posed by writers and readers alike: "What makes a character compelling?" From Stephen King's deadpan distinction between novels and short stories ("Novels are longer and have more s**t in them") to Colm Toibin's anti-romanticized take on his characters ("They are just words") to José Manuel Prieto's mature perspective on the anxieties of influence ("Influences are felt or weigh you down more when young"), every page contains insights found nowhere else. With honesty, humor, and elegance, The Secret Miracle gives both aspiring writers and lovers of literature a master class in the art of writing.
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Person
Daniel Alarcón is the author of Lost City Radio, which was named a 2007 Best Book by the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and others. 826 National is a network of youth tutoring, writing, and publishing centers located in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Seattle, and Boston.
Content
Introduction by Daniel Alarcón 1
The Writers 9
Chapter 1. Reading and Influences 23
Chapter 2. Getting Started 77
Chapter 3. Structure and Plot 133
Chapter 4. Character and Scene 171
Chapter 5. Writing 223
Chapter 6. Revision 273
Chapter 7. The End 303
APPENDIX
Mario Bellatin's Answer 331
Aura Estrada's Diagram of The Loser 337
Index of Writers, Artists, Musicians, and Directors Mentioned 341
Acknowledgments 351
About the Editor 353
About 826 National 355
