In college, there’s a whole culture of buying, selling, and trading new and used books. In fact, there are some professors who assign books with no binding just to decrease the cost of the book (and in turn, increase the cost by not having a used copy to be found.) So, as I jump back into blogging, I’ve decided to take on a new genre in nonfiction — the book on writing — and the used college textbook.
Used college books are terrible examples of bargain book hunting. Sure, if you’re shopping online it’s one thing, but at UC Irvine the bookstore themselves sold books in new and used form. I was a lazy online shopper, so I often succumbed to the yellow USED labeling that knocked down book prices by a few dollars. On the bright side, while being an English major meant purchasing about ten books every ten weeks, the books were usually novels, short stories, or could easily be used with older editions. Unlike science, math, or any practical degree.
Every writing student at UC Irvine has to read one book: Ron Carlson’s Ron Carlson Writes a Story. Largely, because Ron Carlson directs the graduate program and it ties in nicely to the writing pedagogy of the school.
In One Sentence: …Ron Carlson writes a story.
Favorite Line: “The single largest advantage a veteran writer has over the beginner is this tolerance for not knowing.” – p. 15
Review: I was fortunate enough at Irvine to take a few classes with Ron Carlson. Being in the room with a writer is infinitely more rewarding to learning their process than anything they could write. Perhaps ironic given the profession. There was one day when he talked about writing the book. A student interjected that everyone had been required to read it. Carlson asked, “what’d you think? Was it a useful?” The student paused, smiled, and Carlson laughed himself. “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.” He acknowledged the question that learning about writing through reading about writing is sort of a moot strategy. You have to write. You have to write and write and write. Ron Carlson Writes a Story is about a writer learning about writing as he writes — to tell the reader exactly what he needs to know. Stop reading. Start writing. I’d recommend this book for pieces of writing inspiration, but as far as seeing deeply into a writing process I’d put Stephen King’s On Writing on a higher pedestal if only for the intimacy into King’s commitment and personal struggles. Carlson never goes too deeply into his own life as a writer, except to say that he’s having fun on the page. Maybe that’s all he needs to say on the subject. A useful book, but not required of every writer.
The Book Would Have Ended a Lot Sooner If: Ron Carlson almost wrote a story.
Now, Read Ron Carlson:
Bargain Book Blog 