Part memoir, part handbook, part survey of the contemporary
literary scene, Joan Frank's "Because You Have To: A Writing Life"
is a collection of essays that, taken together, provide a walking
tour of the writing life. Frank's aim is to form a coherent vision,
one that may provide some communion about realities of the writer's
vocation that have struck her as rarely revealed. Frank offers what
she has learned as a writer not only to other writers, but to those
to whom good writing matters. Her insights about "thinking on
paper" are never dogmatic or pontifical; rather, they are cordial
and intellectually welcoming. Original, witty, and practical, Frank
ably steers us through the journey of her own life as a writer, as
well as through the careers and work of other writers. Her subjects
range widely, from the "boot camp" conditioning of marketing work
to squaring off with rejection and envy; from sustaining belief in
art's necessity to the baffling subjectivity of literary perception
and the magical books that nourish writers. Frank's personal
journey is wonderfully told, so that what in these essays is
particular becomes useful and universal.
"Once in a blue moon a book on writing comes along that reads
as though it's speaking directly to you. "Because You Have To" is
just that: an honest and wise and brave account of what it means to
be a writer in this odd, new century. I recommend to you this rare
thing, a book packed full of useful information that is also a work
of art." -John McNally, author of "After the Workshop" "What I
treasure is Joan Frank's voice, placed so beautifully in concert
with those of a multitude of writers in our tradition. She has
turned research into art and advice into song. No matter where you
are in your artistic evolution, you will appreciate this writer
blues, writer-opera, writer-jazz." -David Huddle, author of "La
Tour Dreams of the Wolf Girl "and "Nothing Can Make Me Do This"
"Wittily, elegantly, disputatiously, passionately, Joan Frank lays
bare the paradox-ridden psychology of the artistic vocation. She
has a wised-up and intimate knowledge of the writing life's
curriculum: doubt, fear, anticipation, rejection, recovery. Here is
a writer speaking from the heart. "Because You Have To "delivers
hard-won recognitions with an almost disconcerting fluency." -Sven
Birkerts, author of "The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in
an Electronic Age "and "The Other Walk: Essays " "Poignant and
witty, trenchant and tender, lament and celebration-wisdom deeply
honed, in beautifully crafted sentences. A companion volume in the
truest sense: a book for writers at every stage, through every mood
of the writing life." -Noelle Oxenhandler, author of "The Wishing
Year "and" The Eros of Parenthood" "On every page of these stunning
essays, Frank lays bare the hardest truths of being a writer, and
on every page she confesses her hopeless, passionate love for the
pursuit. The artist's conundrum has rarely been so eloquently
voiced. Part erudite treatise, part love letter, "Because You Have
To" is certain to find myriad ardent admirers of its own." -Robin
Black, author of "If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This" "There are
craft books. There are "Just do it" books. There are memoirs. But
"Because You Have To" is the story of what it is like to "be" a
real literary writer in the 21st century, a story about time,
money, desire, anxiety, and (complicated) community. It's about
loving books, writing, and art. Occupational hazards of the writing
life? Many. Pleasures for the reader? Plenty-if Joan Frank is the
writer, and "Because You Have To" is the book." -Debra Spark,
author of "The Pretty Girl
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!