On Writing: Advice for Those Who Write to Publish (Or Would Like to)
Author of The Friends of Eddie Coyle and many other books, and professor of creative writing (he calls it "spoiling the paper"), Higgins here develops his insights into the psychology of authorship and the essentials of good writing. Creative writing, he feels, draws on a need to tell stories ("all fiction is gossip") so obsessive that even mundane difficulties or the specter of rejection fail to stop the flow. Because reading fine writers promotes good writing, he suggests many apt titles and includes, from writers such as Dickens, Thurber, Hemingway, and others, passages that exhibit mastery of elements that daunt beginners, such as mood and dialog. Concerned less with mere sales than with quality work, this book is recommended as a stimulating blend of literary essay and good advice.- William A. Donovan, Chicago P.L.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.