Novels About Writing

[sarillia]

Every once in a while I get in a mood where I like to read fiction centered around writers. I find it interesting and motivating. But I need to broaden my selection. There are three books that I keep going back to when I get in this mood.

Misery by Stephen King. Most people think of the "crazy fan" angle before really considering the writer protagonist, but besides the suspense and horror, the thing that keeps bringing me back is the fun of reading about his writing process.

Hygiene and the Assassin by Amelie Nothomb. This one belongs to a group of books I go back to when I'm in a different mood too: when I want to read something that provokes strong feelings. I can't stand the writer in this book. But I find his opinions fascinating. It's got a lot of interesting things that make me think, like "If I knew what I was thinking, I suppose I would never have become a writer".

London Fields by Martin Amis. I go to this one less often but I still enjoy reading about how the main character (though I'm not sure I would call him the protagonist) turns the lives of the people he meets into his next novel.

Does anyone else like reading books like this? Do you have any suggestions for others?

Comments

[inevitableentresol]

I love epistolary novels so much. The Hippopotamus and Liaisons Dangereuses are two of my favourites, but I love fanfic using that idea too.

These days, there's so many interesting ways that people communicate, not just by letters/email but using texts, facebook updates, even post-it notes left around the house. Excerpts from imaginary books/articles can also be added, and all of which build a story, even if they're not the entire thing.

Bridget Jones' Diary was an epistolary novel. It's not fashionable to admit it, but I loved that book.

Ugh, so many people complain about first person narration, but when it's done well there's nothing like it for getting inside the character's head. There are a lot of pitfalls, sure. The tiniest bit of lack of empathy with the narrator and it's much more jarring than if it were in the third person.

That's the main problem for me. The common criticism I've seen from others is that a lot of beginner writers use first person, because it's like writing their own diary. I haven't come across this at all in practice myself.

If you do get successful, you might be known for the first thing you're successful at. Ha, did you ever worry about that? One more thing to worry about, just what we all need.

I had some short stories published a while ago and it was a bleh experience. It turned me off getting published for a while. I should really put on my big girl's pants and persevere. But I was edited so badly it was an embarassment - though they meant well. Luckily no one ever read it.

For novels, it's probably different. If I picked up a book in a bookshop and saw the whole thing was in second person (we all have our own blind spots) I'd consider twice. With a short story, I'd push through.

And just for interest, here are some successful books off the top of my head I've enjoyed, all in the first person:

Feersum Endjinn
The Hunger Games
Jane Eyre
Lolita
Memoirs of a Geisha
Life of Pi
The Eyre Affair
The Secret History
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
American Psycho
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

list of hundreds more here, including many of the biggest recent bestsellers

People may bad mouth it, but first person sells.