A lot of the writing advice out there focuses on what NOT to do. “Why it works” is my occasional series where I take books I love and try to pinpoint what the author does especially well. Beverly Cleary’s recent passing led me to revisit one of my favorites from my childhood: Ramona the Pest. […]
Why It Works
Why it works: “Master & Commander” by Patrick O’Brian
A lot of the writing advice out there focuses on what NOT to do. Why it works is my occasional series where I take books I love and try to pinpoint what the author does especially well. Today’s entry: Master & Commander by Patrick O’Brian. First, I’ll be honest, Master & Commander is at times an […]
Why it works: “Go Tell It on the Mountain” by James Baldwin
A lot of the writing advice out there focuses on what NOT to do. “Why it works” is my occasional series where I take books I love and try to pinpoint what the author does especially well. Today’s entry: Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin, which I recently re-read. When you’re a […]
Why it works: “Feed” by M.T. Anderson
A lot of the writing advice out there focuses on what NOT to do. “Why it works” is my occasional series where I take books I love and try to pinpoint what the author does especially well. Feed was a much-loved and much-awarded young adult novel when it was published way back in 2002. What’s […]
Why it works: “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson
A lot of the writing advice out there focuses on what NOT to do. “Why it works” is my occasional series where I take books I love and try to pinpoint what the author does especially well. Today’s entry: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, which I recently re-read for the first time since I […]
Why it works: “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson
So much writing advice out there, including my own, starts from the premise of what not to do. Honestly, it’s often easier to articulate the things that don’t work in a novel than to pinpoint what does. In order to change that up, I’m going to introduce an occasional new feature on the blog where […]
