The New Writer's Handbook
I am pleased to be included in the inaugural edition of a new book, The Writer's Handbook 2007: A Practical Anthology of Best Advice for Your Craft and Career. The anthology is a new annual collection of articles to refresh and upgrade any writer's skills, with advice on craft and career development. It offers an eclectic mix of expert how-tos, short pieces on creativity, marketing, and professional issues, and other insights on being a successful writer today.
My contribution is the essay "The Origin of Names," which is one of my favorite amusing views of small-town life. What's it doing in a book of writing advice? Editor Philip Martin said, "This anthology is very eclectic, touching on aspects of craft and career, sometimes in practical how-to articles, but sometimes in pieces just trying to get writers to think more about their work. I liked how, in this piece, you address in a fun way that question of identifying yourself as a writer, that it's a real occupation. While a major theme of my anthology is serious -- writing to change the world -- I also think that innate seriousness of writers is essentially funny, too, so I've found a few of humorous pieces as a counterpoint."
The Writer's Handbook is a handsome, well-produced volume with a variety of interesting perspectives. But the real thrill for me is that its concluding "Literary Insights" section sandwiches my work between that of much-heralded authors Barry Lopez and Katha Pollitt. I had read Pollitt's "Thank You for Hating My Book" when it first came out in the New York Times, and of course Barry Lopez is something of a dean of environmental literature. And mixed in with them: John the Writer! How cool!
I'm always interested in feedback, below or via info at johnclaytonbooks dot com
