| What keeps writers writing when the majority | | | | No doubt luck plays a role in everyone's |
| cannot depend on theircraft for financial | | | | life. Butthereis no such thing as good luck |
| support? Aside from his non-fiction | | | | or bad luck. Luck is destiny. Sometimeswe |
| collection ofessays, how many novels has | | | | think that the absolute worst has just |
| Jonathan Franzen written since hismeteoric | | | | happened to us, likebeing left at the altar, |
| rise to stardom for The Corrections, for | | | | only to find out later that it was the best |
| which hedeservedly received the 2001 National | | | | thing thatcould have ever happened. What's my |
| Book Award? | | | | point? Although you may not bea fan of the |
| | | | following author (you either love him or hate |
| With hundreds of thousands of writers vying | | | | him), he is oneof the most prolific and |
| for space in cyberspace,struggling to get a | | | | successful writers in America today. And he |
| foot in the door of an agent, or heaven | | | | did itthe hard way. Here are a few of his |
| forbid apublisher, isn't it remarkable that, | | | | quotes. |
| with the exception of a few hardystragglers, | | | | |
| the same handful of authors appears on the | | | | - "Whenasked, 'how do you write?' I |
| New York | | | | invariably answer, 'one word at a time.'" |
| | | | |
| Times Best Seller list month after month? One | | | | - "Talent is cheaper than table salt. What |
| of my favorite writersof contemporary | | | | separatesthe talented individual from the |
| thrillers, Ken Follett, produces a quality | | | | successful one is a lot of hard work." |
| novel onceevery three or four years. It's | | | | |
| taking him considerably longer to researchand | | | | - "No, it's not a very good story. Its author |
| write the sequel to his historical fiction | | | | was toobusylistening to other voices to |
| masterwork, Pillars of The | | | | listen as closely as he should have to the |
| | | | onecoming from inside." |
| Earth. | | | | |
| | | | If you're clueless as to whose pearls |
| Clearly, the publishing world has become | | | | ofwisdom these are, I suggest you read his |
| megacorporate moneymaking where, in the words | | | | book, On Writing. Inaddition to William |
| of one of its mega CEOs,you "publish or | | | | Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White's Elements of |
| perish." There is only one reason to write a | | | | |
| book today:for PROFIT through the | | | | Style, which we must own and read again and |
| cookie-cutter culture of American | | | | again, Stephen |
| consumerism. | | | | |
| | | | King's On Writing is the one of the most |
| So what's a writer to do? A few years ago I | | | | straightforward andenjoyable lessons in how |
| watched an interviewwith the late Anthony | | | | to write plain, compelling prose. Your |
| Quinn. When asked why he became an actor | | | | eyeswon't glaze over. You will celebrate |
| hereplied, "I didn't know what else to do. In | | | | being a reader and writer. You willenjoy the |
| fact I didn't even know how toact. But I | | | | effort you make to get better, and you will |
| studied pros like Lawrence Olivier, I worked | | | | never give upbecause there is nothing you |
| hard and I was alucky s-b." | | | | would rather do with your life. |
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