BOOKS FOR WRITERS

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BOOKS FOR WRITERS: TOP 10 OF 1999

Editor, Jane Steinberg

This past year has been particularly good for books for writers. We've seen some great inspirational books come in, as well as some very nuts-and-bolts titles. Out of all these riches, though, 10 books stood head and shoulders above others in their respective fields. Below is our selection for the Top 10 Books for Writers of 1999.

1. "Spread the Word"
by William Safire
William Safire's "On Language" column, 20 years old with the publication of this collection, is one of Sunday morning's great pleasures: Where else can one turn for a timely linguistic assessment of a president's inaugural speech, a corporation's annual report, or the use of terms such as "stud muffin" and "horny"? A still greater pleasure is reading "Spread the Word," the 11th compilation of Safire's language columns in book form, where they are accompanied by letters from tireless members of the Nitpickers' League, the Gotcha! Gang, the Squad Squad, the Board of Octogenarian Mentors, and others. Read more

Our Price: $18.17 | You Save: $7.78 (30%)

2. "The Eleventh Draft"
Edited by Frank Conroy
For "The Eleventh Draft," Frank Conroy solicited essays about writing from 23 fiction writers--all of them one-time Iowa Writers' Workshop students or faculty members. "My instructions to them," says Conroy, "were deliberately vague.... Leaving it open seemed to me to heighten the chances of getting the strongest and least predictable work."

Most of this book's contributors aim, often by way of story, to get at the mysterious heart of the fiction writer's experience. Fred G. Leebron recalls the moment he realized that the characters take the author by the hand, and not vice versa. Elizabeth McCracken confesses to having no inner or outer life, but to stealing all her material from her family. And Scott Spencer underscores the courage needed to create fiction. "A writer who will not risk hurting someone's feelings," he says, "is finally no more effective than a firefighter who will not smash in windows." Read more

Our Price: $14.00 | You Save: $6.00 (30%)

6. "Creating Fiction"
edited by Julie Checkoway
Unable to secure a coveted spot in a creative-writing program? Unwilling to make the life changes necessary to do so? "Creating Fiction" is a fiction-writing course from some of those programs' top instructors. Among the finest of these 23 never-before-published essays about fiction writing--each of which is accompanied by a few writing exercises--are those by Jane Smiley on revision, John Barth on plot, Carrie Brown on the writing of magic realism, and Julie Checkoway on "The Lingerie Theory of Literature" ("The fundamental secret ... to the effective ending," Checkoway confides, "is to practice the restraint one sees in those Victoria's Secret lingerie ads--enough coyness to tantalize, enough enigma to tease, but never, ever, too much naked abandon"). Read more

Our Price: $16.10 | You Save: $6.90 (30%)

8. "Going on Faith"
edited by William Knowlton Zinsser
"Going on Faith" is an expanded version of "Spiritual Quests" (1988), a collection of essays--originally a New York Public Library lecture series about religious writing--by David Bradley, Frederick Buechner, Mary Gordon, Hugh Nissenson, Allen Ginsberg, and Jarozlav Pelikan. This new edition coincides with what the book's editor, William Zinsser, calls "a new interest in matters of the spirit." Its list of contributors has grown to include Hillel Levine, Diane Ackerman, and Patricia Hampl.

Not all of the book's contributors are traditionally devout. Hugh Nissenson professes to make a religion of his atheism. David Bradley, who comes from a long line of Methodist preachers, claims writing as his religion. And Diane Ackerman doesn't believe in God. Nevertheless, she says, "even without an organized religion or a church I often find myself in a position of praise or prayer.... I also find myself constantly going on pilgrimages and quests." Read more

Our Price: $10.36 | You Save: $2.59 (20%)

10. "Letters to a Fiction Writer"
edited by Frederick Busch
"As a writer," says Andre Dubus, "you are constantly in training. Day after day, alone at your desk, with no one watching you or even depending on you, you take your position on the playing field." "Letters to a Fiction Writer," which was inspired by Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet," is a reminder that there is actually a whole community out there sharing your Sisyphean task. These 33 letters are written by authors such as Ann Beattie, John Gardner, Joyce Carol Oates, and Tobias Wolff. Lee K. Abbott addresses the obligation of the fiction writer to "write it all goddamn down." Raymond Carver ponders the relationship between writing and alcoholism. David Bradley discusses the difficulty of being an as-yet-unpublished writer: "Most professions," he says, "pay bright prospects to develop their skills.... There are no such positions in writing." Read more

Our Price: $17.50 | You Save: $7.50 (30%)

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hand-picked our favorite titles and stocked the store with book collections, rare finds, calendars, and even bags to put them in. Vist our Gift Store. You'll find more great books, articles, excerpts, and interviews in Amazon.com's Reference section.

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