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REVIEWS - MASTERING THE PROCESS:
FROM IDEA TO NOVEL
"Anthony
and Agatha Award winner George (The Great Deliverance) has authored
20 psychological suspense novels, four YA fiction titles, two short
story collections, and a volume on writing titled Write Away. George
asserts she did not set out to pen a follow-up to that latter work,
but after several years of teaching and speaking at writers’
conferences, she shared the process of creating her novel Careless
in Red to novice authors as a step-by-step illustration of her
methods with embedded writing exercises to reinforce lessons in
craft. The resulting book has much to teach about developing
character, plot, and point of view. In many ways, the best chapters
revolve around the use of landscape and voice. VERDICT This
practical guide to technique and intimate look into George’s writing
life wisely reminds readers and students that writing is a job and
should be scheduled as such. The anecdotal material and reading
lists offer penetrating looks into the author’s sensibilities.
—Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama,
Florence
“George demonstrates her own cardinal virtues of writing—careful
organization and meticulous attention to detail—in this skillful
guide to creating a novel. . . . Writers looking for practical
insights will find this book to be of great merit.”
—Publishers Weekly
“An up-close and personal class in writing a novel.”
—Kirkus
“In Mastering the Process, bestselling author Elizabeth George takes
us on her step-by-step process for creating a novel. I have never
before read a book about writing that is so thorough, thoughtful,
and most of all, helpful. She gives structure to the creative act of
writing. I would recommend this to beginning writers and to writing
pros who are looking for new ways to improve their work or approach
it differently.”
—Lisa See, New York Times bestselling
author of The Island of Sea Women
“Mastering the Process will be either enormously useful or
enormously fascinating, depending on whether you wish to write
yourself or simply to see from the inside how a brilliant writer
writes a brilliant book. Or both! We fans have long admired George’s
intricate plots, her memorable and complicated characters, and her
deeply committed sense of place. This is a wonderful doorway into a
seductive world, recommended for writers and readers alike.”
—Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times
bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
“This is not only a useful guide to Elizabeth George’s writing
methods, but an intimate and generous look into the mind of one of
our great mystery writers. Detailed and optimistic. You will love
it.”
—T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times
bestselling author of The Last Good Guy
“Mastering the Process is a splendid gift to new novelists and
seasoned ones alike. With the savvy and humor her readers love,
Elizabeth George generously provides instruction in the writing
approach she has honed over two bestselling decades. I finished the
book inspired by new ideas and feeling a real appreciation for the
author not only as a writer but as a teacher.”
—Nancy Horan, New York Times bestselling
author of Loving Frank
“No one writing today is a better craftsman of fiction than
Elizabeth George. When she offers to tell you the mysteries of the
writing process, as she does in Mastering the Process, we should sit
up and pay attention. This book is revealing and charming by turns,
and anyone interested in how the magic works will want to read it.”
—Terry Brooks, author of The Sword of
Shannara
“What a gift! Elizabeth George unites two of her greatest
strengths—the keen insight of a master storyteller, along with the
soul of a teacher—in her new book, Mastering the Process. What a
rare treat for any writer, or any fan of George’s work, a smart,
thoughtful, approachable book on the writing process, on her writing
process, as she generously shares her step-by-step method of what
has made her one of the most beloved writers of our time.”
—Gail Tsukiyama, author of The Samurai’s
Garden and A Hundred Flowers
“Through the years I've been lucky enough to watch Elizabeth George
at work, to learn from her as she makes her way through her complex
and beloved novels. (Full disclosure: I've been lucky to call her a
friend.) Now, in this fascinating, instructive book, anyone who is
interested in writing and process can learn from the master herself;
all of us are in luck.”
—Jane Hamilton, author of When Madeline Was
Young
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