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How to write a great novel

Posted Nov 7th, 2009 at 2:41 PM and seen
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Eleven novelists explained how to write a great novel in the Wall Street Journal. My favorites:

“Put your left hand on the table. Put your right hand in the air. If you stay that way long enough, you’ll get a plot.” Margaret Atwood
When he [Junot Díaz] needs to seal himself off from the world, he retreats into the bathroom and sits on the edge of the tub.
“I find the bigger the monitor, the better the concentration.” Anne Rice

I’m going to buy a 30-inch monitor so I can write like Anne Rice! If you think that being a writer is a pain-free, care-free, and stress-free profession, you need to read this article by Alexandra Alter.

More help for Writing.

 Guy Kawasaki

Comments (4)

Nov 07, 2009
Robyn McIntyre said...
I always liked "apply seat of pants to seat of chair."
Nov 07, 2009
John Ross Harvey said...
George Carlin and my comedy writing teacher Lorne Frohman said it best.

Write everything down when it comes to you.

That's what I do.

Nov 08, 2009
Dan Roam said...
How to write a book? Simple. Put both hands on the keyboard and make them start pushing keys. Do that 5 days a week for 4 hours a day. Do not stop pushing the keys. It takes about a year.
Nov 08, 2009
Lisa Stephens said...
I'd say, none of the above. To teach a writer, you need literacy. To teach writing, requires passion. To learn skills associated with writing, requires passion, requires mood, and requires thesis. Objectivity is the key.

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