The ways we write can be as important as what it is we write, says Bethanie Blanchard. The little rituals or habits, the strange superstitions we have about composing, the things that must occur if we are to have any success.
Literature
Re-writing literary history: what happens when you kill the main character
Harry Potter author JK Rowling recently announced that she nearly killed off sidekick Ron Weasley midway through the series. Jon Methven examines what would happen if some of literature’s favourite characters had been edited off the page.
Did a man or woman write this?
In recent weeks debate has erupted in Oz over female authors. But can you easily differentiate between the writings of a man and a woman? Take The Guardian’s interactive test…
An intriguing read that paints a vivid portrait of the publishing industry
Does a plug by another author on a book cover ever convince you to buy it? Author Bill Morris explains the delicate business of ‘blurbing’, where writers indulge in mutual pats-on-the-back and help aspiring writers get their books onto shelves.
Daily Proposition: Make some time for the classics
Angela Meyer, of Crikey’s books blog Literary Minded, is going to read 20 classic, modern-classic or cult books in 2011. All book-lovers have gaps in their reading — will you join her in catching up?
Sophie Cunningham: is writing evolving?
Is form following function? Are we evolving? Or, to the question I want to consider here: is writing evolving? And is there a danger of Australian writers losing their distinctive voice, asks writer and editor Sophie Cunningham?
Totally hip book reviews with Ron Charles
He may not be as hot as the inflammatory James Wood, or as icily cool as J M Coetzee, the only critic to have won the Nobel and two Bookers, but Ron Charles has many virtues as a book reviewer that draw him close: he is judicious but merciful; rigorous but generous, says W H Chong.
Do you write for yourself or an audience?
It’s a common issue with authors: who is the target audience? For an intensely private activity, writing can have very public repercussions. And the sweet innocence of a first novel can never be replicated, notes Jessica Au.
Book people face audience verdict: “Boring”
While Rome fiddles, book people burn. A brief illustrated report on a small but critical event beyond Canberra, by W H Chong.
Tony Martin: Byron, books and bombing out in public
If you thought being an author on the panel of the Byron Bay Writers Festival was a glam affair, Tony Martin will prove you wrong. There’s little signing of autographs or selling books, but lots of jealously for Bret Easton Ellis’ popularity.
The famous last words of famous authors
A collection of literature’s famous last words, from Anton Chekov’s “It’s a long time since I drank champagne” to Virginia Woolf’s “I feel certain that I’m going mad again …”
Writers can’t write for free forever
The rise of Australia’s literary journal blogs as intellectual spaces is a great thing. But with no money in blogging, can an effective long term model be found to sustain them? asks Jessica Au.
The crime of Truth’s triumph
Truth by Peter Temple, won the Miles Franklin Literary Award last night, the first time a crime novel has won the big prize. Are genre-busting thrillers the way of the future? asks W H Chong.
How Jane Austen became a global brand
Jane Austen was hardly a household name when she died in 1817, but in the 1870s, “Austenmania” started spreading around the globe — and it isn’t dying out any time soon.
Writing a good title is really… something
Writer and journalist Gordon Haber’s untitled essay on the lazy patterns authors fall into when titling their books. Ever read Participling the Proper Noun, The Occupation’s Relative or The Lyrical Instruction Manual?
Hitchens: Dickens was a bit of a dickhead
Charles Dickens was a great writer, but a fairly awful human being, says Christopher Hitchens. Still: who better to write about lives of misery and misfortune than someone who knew it so well?
Christopher Hitchens reviews Animal Farm
Christopher Hitchens re-reads George Orwell’s timeless dystopian novel Animal Farm: 65 years on, there’s still a lot to learn from a pen of power-hungry pigs.
A history of US Presidential bookworms
Barack Obama is well known as a “reader” — but he’s hardly the first US President to bury his nose in a book: Nixon loved Tolstoy, Reagen studied the ideas of Milton Friedman, and Clinton liked the “cheap thrill” of a mystery novel.
PHOTO GALLERY: The worst sci-fi novel covers of all time
Unicorns, dragons, and naked men riding killer whales: a classic collection of hilariously bad sci fi and fantasy novel covers.
History lessons from Hitler’s library
Was Hitler a book lover or a book burner? asks Michael McDonald. A new book offers a peak at the shelves of the Nazi leader’s 16,000-volume library. So how much can you really tell about a man from what he reads?
The most complained about library books of 2009
The American Library Association has released its annual list of the books most requested to be removed from library shelves. Newcomers include Twilight and My Sister’s Keeper, while To Kill a Mockingbird is still offending people 40 years on.
Why authors should write apps, not e-books
Authors shouldn’t just think of the iPad as another place to publish their books, says Cody Brown: they should see it as an opportunity to communicate their stories and messages in new, “mind-blowing” ways.
When good writers are bad people
It can be crushing to find out your favourite author is (or was) actually a bit of a jerk, writes literature expert Sam Schulman. But should we let it affect our enjoyment of their books?
Read the original handwritten, handdrawn Alice in Wonderland online
As the story gets a(nother) modern reworking on the silver screen, the British Library has posted the entire text and stunning images of Lewis Carroll’s original manuscript for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland online.
What makes a book “bad”?
Academics name their top 40 “bad” books and grapple with the question of what exactly makes a crap piece of fiction. The Da Vinci Code gets a predictable nod, but so does The Great Gatsby.
