The Secret Miracle The Novelist's Handbook

The world'Äôs best contemporary writers'Äîfrom Michael Chabon and Claire Messud to Jonathan Lethem and Amy Tan'Äîengage in a wide-ranging, insightful, and oft- surprising roundtable discussion on the art of writing fiction Drawing back the curtain on the mysterious process of writing novels, The Secret Miracle brings together the foremost practitioners of the craft to discuss how they write. Paul Auster, Roddy Doyle, Allegra Goodman, Aleksandar Hemon, Mario Vargas Llosa, Susan Minot, Rick Moody, Haruki Murakami, George Pelecanos, Gary Shteyngart, and others take us step by step through the alchemy of writing fiction, answering everything from nuts-and-bolts queries'Äî'ÄúDo you outline? 'Äù'Äîto perennial questions posed by writers and readers alike: 'ÄúWhat makes a character compelling? 'Äù From Stephen King'Äôs deadpan distinction between novels and short stories ('ÄúNovels are longer and have more s**t in them'Äù) to Colm Toibin'Äôs anti-romanticized take on his characters ('ÄúThey are just words'Äù) to Josv© Manuel Prieto'Äôs mature perspective on the anxieties of influence ('ÄúInfluences are felt or weigh you down more when young'Äù) , every page contains insights found nowhere else. With honesty, humor, and elegance, The Secret Miracle gives both aspiring writers and lovers of literature a master class in the art of writing.