Search results for “so you want to write a book”

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Tracy Kidder in conversation with Darcy Frey, part 2: "I write as fast as I can to prevent remorse for having written badly."

Today we offer part 2 of last week’s discussion of narrative nonfiction between Tracy Kidder and Nieman Fellow Darcy Frey. (Check out the first installment, if you haven’t read it…
October 22, 2010

Tracy Kidder in conversation with Darcy Frey, part 1: "Anyone who writes for a living and doesn’t admit to being very lucky is almost certainly insane"

Last week, veteran writer Tracy Kidder offered his reflections on narrative nonfiction a public conversation with current Nieman Fellow Darcy Frey. Part of the Harvard Writers at Work series, the…
October 21, 2010

Move over Lady Gaga; meet Ron Charles (a.k.a. the Totally Hip Video Book Reviewer)

Has book publishing found its savior? Well, probably not, but in August, The Washington Post's Ron Charles made his small-screen debut in the role of a cranky, self-important book reviewer.…
October 1, 2010
Colin Harrison and Sam Gwynne on the editor-writer partnership, going deep and the difference between a subject and a story

Colin Harrison and Sam Gwynne on the editor-writer partnership, going deep and the difference between a subject and a story

In yet more goodness from July's Mayborn Conference, we're happy to post this conversation between Colin Harrison, who is currently senior editor at Scribner, and S.C. "Sam" Gwynne, author of "Empire of…
September 21, 2010
What’s in it from me? Crowdsourced magazines and storytelling

What’s in it from me? Crowdsourced magazines and storytelling

As a child, did you ever imagine yourself waiting for a call from people in need, people who were praying that you'd see their signal and come to the rescue?…
September 16, 2010

Vanity Fair’s Bryan Burrough on writing narrative: “people are dying to put down your article”

In what might be the only performance of Texas stand-up comedy about narrative writing, Vanity Fair writer Bryan Burrough recently offered practical tips for long-form storytelling to a Mayborn Conference…
August 6, 2010
Gary Smith on intimacy and connecting with subjects: "Any uneasiness you bring is going to cost you dearly"

Gary Smith on intimacy and connecting with subjects: "Any uneasiness you bring is going to cost you dearly"

On the last day of the Mayborn Conference, Sports Illustrated’s Gary Smith read from and discussed “Shadow of a Nation,” his 1991 story about a Crow basketball player named Jonathan…
August 2, 2010
Mark Bowden on discovering narrative and the value of beginner's mind: "only if you are truly ignorant can you ask the truly ignorant question"

Mark Bowden on discovering narrative and the value of beginner’s mind: "only if you are truly ignorant can you ask the truly ignorant question"

Next up in our series of highlights from last weekend's Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference is Mark Bowden. Author of "Black Hawk Down" and a former reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer,…
July 30, 2010
Mary Karr on truth: "the least of my problems as a memoirist, as a writer, is getting my facts right"

Mary Karr on truth: "the least of my problems as a memoirist, as a writer, is getting my facts right"

Author Mary Karr showed up Friday in Grapevine, Texas, in the middle of a thunderstorm to talk about telling the truth. The first keynote speaker at the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction…
July 28, 2010
Katy Butler on Greek tragedy, reader comments and how "scenes keep you close to the bone truth of things"

Katy Butler on Greek tragedy, reader comments and how "scenes keep you close to the bone truth of things"

We recently spoke with Katy Butler about her New York Times Magazine piece, “What Broke My Father’s Heart,” our latest Notable Narrative. Butler, whose work has appeared in magazines such as…
July 6, 2010