The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work: A Collection from the Washington Post Book World

As a writing major, (non-fiction, U of Memphis), I find myself searching out the lives of writers as much as exploring their work. We writers are geared that way. This book is essentially helpful if you are towards the beginning of your career and are very curious about how other writers work. It's a good book to put in the stack on your bedside table and to read a piece every once in a while. I especially liked the entries by Ray Bradbury (who gets up at 3:30 in the morning, writes, laughs at it, and then goes back to bed) and David McCullough (read as much as he could of what John Adams read. Said it was impossible to read it all). It lends validity to the ideas you have of how best you write--alone? In a cafe? Longhand? With a typewriter? In your mother's basement with the lights out and night vision goggles? And in the establishment of a writing career, that's no small thing. So if you're an older writer, I'd pass. But younger writers, grab hold, and mine it for what it's worth to learn about your own process.

This is an excellent compilation of writers and a bit of their story. I know that other reviewer's recommended this book for writers, but Ido not consider myself a writer in professional terms, and I still found it facinating. Arana provides a backhistory of each writer introducing them, and then each author tells some aspect of how they handle the writing life. I enjoy being able to get "behind the scenes" and understand how a writer approaches their day...where they write, do they use a computer, etc. As she says in her introduction, she invited "seasoned writers to mull the craft" of their writing.

Over the years, I've read 'The Writing Life' segment found in many a Washington Post "Book World" section. Last spring, a writing instructor assigned Arana's collection of these articles for our outside class reading. I was pleased to find many of the articles I had previously enjoyed plus plenty I had not read combined in one volume, thus allowing me to purge the accordian file folder where I store such items. Arana has selected some of the best pieces for her volume, and prefaced each with a short introduction of the author. In some cases I reread segments by favorite authors, and in other cases I had never read the author. One author I've been meaning to try is Barbara Mertz. Haven't heard of her? She writes under the pen name Elizabeth Peters, and is the author of the the tales of the exploits of Amelia Peabody-Emerson, archeologist and sleuth. Now, I had thought about reading Peters, but had not done so because I have been trying to curb a hopeless addiction to mysteries and force myself to read things that "improved my mind." Peters, i.e. Mertz, says at age 60, she figures her mind "is about as good as it's going to get" and that statement and others she wrote made me laugh. Being from a long line of folks suffering from a bad case of the "Protestant ethic" I've always needed permission to have fun, and now that I am 63 I have it. I read my first Peters novel (reviewed elsewhere) and ordered 6-7 more. Is this frivoluous, you bet. Will I keep it up, Hopefully!!

Arana bundles a life tapestry of professional experience, formal education, and school of hard knocks, in a motif of a writer's existence. This work is much more than just a mere compilation of WP Book World excerpts. Clearly, significant thought was devoted to the selection of her WP articles along with fundamentally pragmatic insights that are certain to be invaluable to anyone interested in the profession of writing or editing.

The author and a panel of writers were recently on C-SpanBook. The topics and discussion were so interesting that I purchased and read the book over two evenings. As a (beginning) writer myself I gleaned many a new idea of where to get content for my work in progress. I am confident that this book will move me along with creative ideas and inspiration.Marie Arana has compiled and edited this book to be packed with useful information that will assist any writer. As I watched C-Span I wondered if this woman is married. Wouldn't it be great to be married and have late night discussions while looking at such beauty. I've never read any of Maria's "Writing Life" columns at the Washington Post. I am delighted to have surfed to Cspan to have learned about this book. There were no disappointments for me. My recommendation to you writers (or beginning writers like me) is to buy this book.