How To Write Your First Book

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justine zwiebel

writing a book is a daunting task. writing a

chuck klosterman

fargo rock city

i got a job at the

the mineral palace

i'm not ready

i started writing the novel and i instantly felt like

star quest

i was teaching under title iii of the appalachian poverty pro and tutoring kids from families deep in poverty. and i was likewise deep in poverty. i thought

star quest

the summer between those jobs. it was a pretty lame novel. it met the length requirements of a novel but it was like an expanded short story

a novel. i had no intention of writing nonfiction. i was working

shadow and bone

justine zwiebel

my mother is a novelist and i really saw her writing throughout my childhood so it seemed always like a natural thing to do

justine zwiebel

the mineral palace

the mineral palace

i was really focused on writing a book that i'd wanted to write

justine zwiebel

justine zwiebel

justine zwiebel

what obstacles did you encounter while writing

brain freeze

long division

i took it to heart. i took all the bruising to heart. and then i just placed it

justine zwiebel

what ke me going was food. and booze. and music.

part of what helped was that i was in a writers' group

i basically tricked myself into writing the first draft of

shadow and bone

set it on fire

the big breakthrough was the story sold to the

i remember making a pot of coffee

there's paris at your feet. i remember thinking

at least i convinced that semi-famous actor not to order the squab too done

justine zwiebel

from idea to sending out the manuscri was a little under a year. it was a really great year

long division

fargo rock city

how to write your first book

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gepostet am nov 21

how to write your first book

twenty-one successful authors — including junot díaz

by sandy allen

buzzfeed news reporter

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first

book seems especially so. those attempting it may find themselves asking: am i a enough writer? how do i fill so many pages? if i

do

when did you decide to write what became your first book? what were you doing

akron beacon journal

heidi julavits

meg wolitzer

sleepwalking

lev grossman

warp

but i also thought

finally i breathe

dean koontz

i don't want to keep this forever

charlaine harris

deadly

sam lipsyte

venus drive

i started publishing stories in a journal called

open city

sloane crosley

the village voice

junot díaz

drown

leigh bardugo

george saunders

civilwarland in bad decline

civilwarland

were you confident you could do it

alexander chee

edinburgh

no matter the anxiety

jennifer dubois

partial history of lost causes

wells tower

everything ravaged

t boyle

descent of man

david shields

heroes

rachel kushner

telex from cuba

what if nobody wants this? and i spent all these years

i was intimidated by everything

leigh bardugo

had you attempted to write other books prior to the one you ultimately published first

roxane gay

ayiti

oh

was called

chang rae-lee

native speaker

published

book

native speaker

i wasn't thinking so much publishing it and "being a writer." impressing people. with

native speaker

adelle waldman

the love affairs of nathaniel p

i wrote another novel before

nathaniel p

i had previously been doing this column

wall street journal

drafts of your manuscri as you wrote it

no — it was a very lonely time in that way. i was afraid somebody would tell me it sucked. i don't think it was any bold artistic decision. it was just sort of like

let me think through this myself

no

how do you tell feedback from bad

adelle waldman

jennifer dubois

meg wolitzer

i encountered every possible obstacle

all books have their birthing drama. my first book

worthy of finding a publisher then let it go and work on another book

kiese laymon

this is the worst

what helped you get through

every time that voice kicked in that said

it's not enough

instead of trying to fight it

david shields

somebody's going to read this book when i'm dead. i'm going to have to die

the thing that really distinguished that phase relative to all the stuff that came before it was i felt so sure what i was doing. kind of when you wear something's that's really crazy but you

know

it's crazy. if someone says

i remember having a quiet faith in thinking

these stories are really weird

new yorker

in 1992

that's kind of fun

i dare somebody to not like this

boom

wow

it was somehow tied in

new yorker

was going to like my story

wow

i didn't write anything today

any day i did not write i'd be left with

after i got my book contract

all told

it was probably 50

months

so. i sold it right away after i finished it

six years

years

not? yes you can

not? is there something you could do to this first sentence to increase the chances that someone keeps reading

is the story of how i think these kids get into the hole in them middle of mississippi

what do you know now that you wish you'd known then? what advice would you give your younger self

to the contrary: i wish i knew as little now as i did then. when you're just starting out

i don't know if my publisher will be upset this

what i know now is that your worth as a person

someone it

now i think differently

i was inventing my book so it could really be anything. it could be the book i'd always wanted to read but never found

that all human life and endeavor is futile but that art redeems us

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