The hidden machinery : essays on writing

Summary:

In The Hidden Machinery, critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author Margot Livesey offers a masterclass for those who love reading literature and for those who aspire to write it. Through close readings, arguments about craft, and personal essay, Livesey delves into the inner workings of fiction and considers how our stories and novels benefit from paying close attention to both great works of literature and to our own individual experiences. Her essays range in subject matter from navigating the shoals of research to creating characters that walk off the page, from how Flaubert came to write his first novel to how Jane Austen subverted romance in her last one. As much at home on your nightstand as it is in the classroom, The Hidden Machinery will become a book readers and writers return to over and over again.

Record details

ISBN: 9781941040683
ISBN: 1941040683
Physical Description: 301 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm
Edition: First U.S. edition.
Publisher: Portland, Oregon : Tin House Books, 2017.
Distributor: New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, 2017.
Copyright: ©2017

Content descriptions

Formatted Contents Note:

The hidden machinery: writing the life, shaping the novel -- Mrs. Turpin reads the stars: creating characters who walk off the page -- Nothing but himself: embracing Jane Austen's second chances -- Hush, shut up, please be quiet: letting our characters tell and show -- Even one day: considering aesthetics with Virginia Woolf -- Neither a borrower nor a lender be: paying homage -- Gustave and Emma: finding the first novel -- How to tell a true story: mapping our narratives onto the world -- Shakespeare for writers: learning from the master -- He liked custard: navigating the shoals of research.