Mycket intressanta intervjuer. Some wonderful insights into how writers, and in particular Australian writers of literary fiction, work, plan, plot, write, and deal with setbacks, I was hoping to enjoy this more, It's not bad: there are some interesting writers talking candidly about their works and processes, I enjoyed the candid and systematic Lloyd Jones and Malcolm Knox's refusal to pander for a particular audience, However, the transcript form of interview is a difficult one and these wandered loosely at times, The form works some times, The Paris being a case in point, but those interviews benefit from a lot of set up, structure and arc, Nevertheless, The Writer's Room is worth dipping into, Wonderfully insightful interviews with writers, Charlotte Wood asks the right questions and gives her subjects enough space to answer with depth and grace, I listen to a lot of interviews and have conducted a fair few of them myself, and am always interested in seeing what the form can do, Charlotte Woods longform, extended interviews with other highly experienced writers about as good as interviewing gets, The conversations laid in The Writers Room are rich, detailed, honest, and relaxed, providing an easily referenced compendium of what Wood calls her "threeyear masterclass”, All of the writers involved, including Wood, are extensively experienced, and though the genres differ, theres a definite literary quality to the work of all the writers, These are certainly authors at the peak of their game: Tegan Bennett Daylight, James Bradley, Lloyd Jones, Malcolm Knox, Margo Lanagan, Amanda Lohrey, Joan London, Wayne Macauley, Emily Perkins, Kim Scott, Craig Sherborne, and Christos Tsiolkas.
The conversations draw on a deep well of mutual respect, and the information provided is so rich, and there is so much honesty and intimacy here, that it feels almost wrong like an unfair advantage to read them.
Its as if you were overhearing a very intense and somewhat private conversation between the two cherished friends about the very heart of how and why they do their work.
Wood creates an environment of trust that allows the conversations to go very deep, well beyond the mechanics of craft, though there are plenty of tips on craft.
The discussions explore all sorts of aspects of the writing process, including anxieties and aesthetic vision, as well as work methods, the building of worlds, structure, habits, characterisation, on writing darkness, on writing humour, on writers block, and almost everything else you can think of.
Wood allows each writer full space to explore her questions, which are so wellthought out, that theyre instructive even before the answer is read, Each of the interviews begins with Woods own introduction to the author, which goes well beyond a bio, These introductions covers Woods own experience of their books, as well as information about the person themselves how they present even what they were wearing in some cases, during the interview, their manner, the scene and circumstance of the discussion.
As a reader, you really get to join the scene, and experience the conversation with all senses engaged,
The book is so full of insights that my copy is now full of dogears and postit notes sorry book purists for points I want to return to or draw on.
The topics that Wood covers are farreaching, For anyone who has read and loved as I certainly did The Natural Way of Things, an added bonus is seeing the bones of what she was grappling with through that book, such as the writing of darkness, what it means to immerse yourself in a dystopian world, or the link between risk, humiliation, and the writers connection with humanity.
At one point Wood asks Christos Tsiolkas about entering the kind of dark places that you have to go when writing about misogyny or racism something that both Wood and Tsiolkas have done with great skill in their work, and how that might implicate the writer.
Wood seems to be very good at coaxing out the richest, most honest thoughts from the writers she talks to, even when the question is a simple one, such as whether a journal is kept:
Because the writer part of you is always on, isnt it Theres this awful ruthless, churning machine and it doesnt matter where you are, youre thinking, Whats here that I can use Amanda Lohrey,
Most of the writers interviewed came across as incredibly generous, surprisingly humble, and warm and accessible.
Wood allowed the writers to approve their interviews before they went to print, and the resulting transcripts are beautifully readable, smooth and lucid, without losing any of the candid nature of the conversations, or the intimacy.
I felt, above all, that the information provided in these interviews was a tremendous act of generosity not just in terms of authors sharing their best tricks, their struggles and their visions, but also because of the way these discussions draw the reader almost directly into the writing process.
The Writers Room isnt just a book for writers, though it is an invaluable, almost encyclopaedic source of information for fiction writers in particular, The Writers Room is also a book for readers, a point echoed many times throughout the book, because the reader is integral to the books meaning as the writer is:
In literature you want the intimacy of the collaboration between reader and writerand this is why I like complex stories.Hidden gems in long dialogue
Not to make them difficult, but just so theres a greater collaboration in that very intimate relationship, You can build things out of that, out of the little ambivalences and unknowns, You expand your sense of the world then, rather than just being reassured, or things being simplified,, Kim Scott
I would love to read the cliff notes summary of this book,
From reading one of the interviews I can see there are some great insights about how the authors craft their stories and the
tensions in their own worlds that they draw them from.
But I would have preferred to read a one page summary of the key insights than read through the full record of their conversation, Much needed inspiration for this bloke, A great resource for both readers and writers, Interesting insights into a range of writers, how they plan their work and their daily routines, A good read for aspiring writers, The Writer's Room is a collection of longform interviews with Australian and New Zealand authors, conducted by Australian author Charlotte Wood, These are all fascinating and inspiring, giving insight into each author's thought and work processes though I was a bit surprised and hurt at some of the negative opinions of historical fiction! All up, a great resource easily one to recommend to readers and writers.
As a final note, I want to say bravo to Wood for this:
In Australia there seems to be this continuous anxiety, manifesting in the question, 'What is Australian literature' But as a writer, I basically couldn't give a sht.
A brilliant resource for established and beginning writers and for passionate readers everywhere from a range of acclaimed and muchloved writers, lovingly compiled by the brilliant and insightful Charlotte Wood.
Charlotte Wood's online journal The Writer's Room has become essential reading for writers at all stages of their careers, and also pure reading pleasure for booklovers everywhere, Charlotte's interviews with a wide range of wellknown writers range in topic from the subject matter of the writers' work to quite intricate and intimate revelations about the ways in which they work.
Charlotte's subjects are frank about the failures and successes, the struggles and triumphs of the writing life, and extremely generous in their revelations, A mustread for writers and readers, These interviews accomplish a comfort and ease more akin to conversation than interview, By interviewing writers in the midst of working rather than during the promotional phase immediately after publishing something new, Wood succeeds in her goal of creating a true picture of the writing life.
And withinterviews, the sample size is big enough to offer contradictions and agreements between writers, thus making the writing life feel expansive rather than limiting, I especially loved these as an audiobook because the performances were so natural, and it made me want to pick up some of my own longabandoned writing projects, An interesting, engaging, easy to read book where the author, Charlotte Wood talks with twelve Australian and New Zealand authors, She has a discussion with each about all things to do with writing, How writers think, work, write and organise their writing lives, All the authors had the opportunity to edit their comments, Charlotte Wood provides a summary of each author as an introduction to each discussion, A worthwhile reading experience from a writers and readers perspective,
The twelve authors are Tegan Bennett Daylight, James Bradley, Lloyd Jones, Malcolm Knox, Margo Lanagan, Amanda Lohrey, Joan London, Wayne Macauley, Emily Perkins, Kim Scott, Craig Sherborne and Craig Tsoilkas.
This book was first published in,
Charlotte Wood is a well known, successful Australian author, Her most famous novel is The Natural Way of Things, first published inand shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award, I have read five of her novels and found them all to be very worthwhile, satisfying reading experiences, Started to read this but I wasn't able to finish it before it was due back at the library, It was interesting enough to put on my "borrow again and read soon" list, Highly recommend to anyone interested in writing i, e. not just reading pgCharlotte Wood intervjuar australiensiska och nyzeeländska författare om deras skrivande och verk, Fina samtal där Wood också går in i dialogen med sina egna erfarenheter av skrivande, Intressant att höra om författarnas tankar och erfarenheter, om deras olika väg till skrivandet, Jag är uppenbarligen sorgligt oinsatt i australiensisk litteratur men det var intressant att höra om den nyzeeländska litteraturscenen, hur den är så liten och litteraturen anses ha ett nationsbyggande syfte att litteraturkritiken blir lidande.
Här fanns beröringspunkter till den finlandssvenska litteraturkritiken, The Writer's Room Conversations About Writing Allen amp Unwin Books, is a compilation by Charlotte Wood of her insightful interviews with writers, following The Paris model, Featuringauthors of varying levels, The Writer's Room is an invaluable resource for writers, and a fascinating insight for readers, The book consists of a series of personal interviews conducted over several years in a conversational and casual format, with the interviewee often asking as many questions as they answer.
This is an added bonus, because we hear or read Charlotte's responses, and have the benefit of her thoughts on particular subjects also, The book covers everything from the practical considerations of writing where do you work when for how long what do you need to make it happen, to inspirations and muses, to the perils and joys of success, to the lesser moments of failure and envy and selfdoubt.
And while it is a discourse on the very act of writing of creating something from nothing using words and ideas it is also about the why of writing, It delves into the intangible and often murky waters of what drives us as writers, it looks at writing being an end in itself, and also about the importance of readers in the process none of us write in a vacuum.
The authors interviewed very generously gave their opinions on what drives them, on what they consider success, on how they cope with challenges and difficult times, and what they value in the writing of others.
I gleaned so much. From Tegan Bennett Daylight I learnt about darkness, and respect and kindness, about 'slowly learning to resist the easy manipulation of readers' feelings', about the adaptability of children, and the quickening or urgency of the material, about surprise and movement and confidence.
James Bradley spoke of rhythm and stillness, narrative and tension, exploring ideas and possibilities, imagination and research, about connection and letting go, Lloyd Jones discussed hope, voice, story and character, Malcolm Knox spoke of the truth in fiction, and the idea of what's behind the façade, Margo Lanagan talked of selfconsciousness and energy, and of building up a character with small details, Amanda Lohrey emphasised tone, rhythm, faith in the process 'a style that breaths', and about being prepared to fail, about instinct and dreams, Joan London spoke of sense, logic, vision, context, exploration, getting lost in the story, the music of language, power and risk, Wayne Macauley talks of humanist writing, and humour and fallibility, Emily Perkins examines taking yourself to the edge as a writer, and the fine balance between absolute authority and vulnerability to discovery, about following instinct and moving forward, about hidden intentions.
Kim Scott talks about outsiders and identity, about complexity and intimacy, Craig Sherborne enthused about the energy and creativity of writing, our subconscious, and the juxtaposition between beauty and ugly in the world, about emotional violence, Christos Tsiolkas spoke of obligations and a sense of danger, of honouring mistakes and of pleasing people, Truly this is a compendium of anecdotes and advice and commentary that any writer should have by their side to dip into at will for inspiration and encouragement, These writers will urge you to be the best writer that you can be, And for avid readers, this book gives an easy to read and interesting insight into the way writers think, write, work, edit and manage their writing lives, Charlotte Wood sits down withauthors and has a long form discussion about all things writing, There is no standard questions and the conversation meanders around all things writing,
This is just a wonderful expose and you feel like you are the third person at the table, unable to get a word in but fascinated but your very clever friends.
You will not learn how to write a best selling novel, what you will learn is that all writers struggle and overcome, They find a way around or through an obstacle, How they doubt themselves, how they are full of confidence, how the ideas come and how the writing life is not easy,
Bubbling away through these interviews is when Wood discusses the novel she is working on, There are little hints and clues to the novel 'The Natural Way of Things',
The only downfall to this novel is that my to be read pile has increased because of it and that is not really a bad thing,
Listened to the audio book, highly recommend,
Listened to the audio book version, highly recommend, .