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The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling
From Charles Johnson—a National Book Award winner, Professor Emeritus at University of Washington, and one of America’s preeminent scholars on literature and race—comes an instructive, inspiring guide to the craft and art of writing.
An award-winning novelist, philosopher, essayist, screenwriter, professor, and cartoonist, Charles Johnson has devoted his life to creative pursuit. His 1990 National Book Award-winning novel Middle Passage is a modern classic, revered as much for its daring plot as its philosophical underpinnings. For thirty-three years, Johnson taught and mentored students in the art and craft of creative writing. The Way of the Writer is his record of those years, and the coda to a kaleidoscopic, boundary-shattering career.
Organized into six accessible, easy-to-navigate sections, The Way of the Writer is both a literary reflection on the creative impulse and a utilitarian guide to the writing process. Johnson shares his lessons and exercises from the classroom, starting with word choice, sentence structure, and narrative voice, and delving into the mechanics of scene, dialogue, plot and storytelling before exploring the larger questions at stake for the serious writer. What separates literature from industrial fiction? What lies at the heart of the creative impulse? How does one navigate the literary world? And how are philosophy and fiction concomitant?
Luminous, inspiring, and imminently accessible, The Way of the Writer is a revelatory glimpse into the mind of the writer and an essential guide for anyone with a story to tell.
An award-winning novelist, philosopher, essayist, screenwriter, professor, and cartoonist, Charles Johnson has devoted his life to creative pursuit. His 1990 National Book Award-winning novel Middle Passage is a modern classic, revered as much for its daring plot as its philosophical underpinnings. For thirty-three years, Johnson taught and mentored students in the art and craft of creative writing. The Way of the Writer is his record of those years, and the coda to a kaleidoscopic, boundary-shattering career.
Organized into six accessible, easy-to-navigate sections, The Way of the Writer is both a literary reflection on the creative impulse and a utilitarian guide to the writing process. Johnson shares his lessons and exercises from the classroom, starting with word choice, sentence structure, and narrative voice, and delving into the mechanics of scene, dialogue, plot and storytelling before exploring the larger questions at stake for the serious writer. What separates literature from industrial fiction? What lies at the heart of the creative impulse? How does one navigate the literary world? And how are philosophy and fiction concomitant?
Luminous, inspiring, and imminently accessible, The Way of the Writer is a revelatory glimpse into the mind of the writer and an essential guide for anyone with a story to tell.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
116 people are currently reading
963 people want to read
About the author
Charles R. Johnson
87books237followersCharles R. Johnson is an American scholar and author of novels, short stories, and essays. Johnson, an African-American, has directly addressed the issues of black life in America in novels such as Middle Passage and Dreamer. Johnson first came to prominence in the 1960s as a political cartoonist, at which time he was also involved in radical politics. In 1970, he published a collection of cartoons, and this led to a television series about cartooning on PBS.
1990 National Book Award Winner.
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February 7, 2017
I recently read - and loved - by Stephen King, so when I saw this book on NetGalley I thought I’d give it a go. The description suggested it would be in the same vein as King’s - a career novelist gives tips and insights into the craft, melding advice with memoir.
Unfortunately, the tone of this book and the author’s voice really grated on me. It might be a transatlantic thing - I am English and am particularly sensitive to braggadocio and pompousness. In the UK, if a leader in a field wants to write a book giving advice to those starting out, it needs to be done with a healthy dose of self-deprecation. This was not the case here.
Perhaps it is also because I’m not the kind of person who would enjoy Johnson’s novels, which sound a bit academic and po-faced to me. I read for fun and escapism - not to find a poem within every line or to educate my soul (or whatever).
Here’s a quick rundown of my bugbears:
Namedropping - I swear there was a reference to John Gardner on every other page. Johnson was mentored by Gardner early in his career, so fair enough the guy should get a mention. But honestly, the number of banal anecdotes about what Gardner once said at a dinner party, all of which felt like they had been inserted with a crowbar� it was too much. Full disclosure - I’d never heard of Gardner and had to do a Google.
Read a dictionary?! - How is that a genuine piece of advice for a budding writer? To READ A DICTIONARY FROM COVER TO COVER? I just� I mean maybe it would work for some people, but I don’t think I’d want to read a book by someone who had literally read a dictionary. That’s just me - other opinions are available.
Product placement - Or perhaps a more apt word is ‘plugs�. It’s fine to reference one’s own work in this kind of book, but some of these references felt really hamfisted. It felt like every few paragraphs it would be ‘When writing [blah blah blah]�, ‘In my novel [blah]�...Also he goes on at quite some length about his various achievements and awards…I found it all a bit awkward (remember - English).
Anyway...I could go on but I don’t want to lay into it too hard. I’m sure there are lots of people who will get something out of this. It just wasn’t for me.
(With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review)
Unfortunately, the tone of this book and the author’s voice really grated on me. It might be a transatlantic thing - I am English and am particularly sensitive to braggadocio and pompousness. In the UK, if a leader in a field wants to write a book giving advice to those starting out, it needs to be done with a healthy dose of self-deprecation. This was not the case here.
Perhaps it is also because I’m not the kind of person who would enjoy Johnson’s novels, which sound a bit academic and po-faced to me. I read for fun and escapism - not to find a poem within every line or to educate my soul (or whatever).
Here’s a quick rundown of my bugbears:
Namedropping - I swear there was a reference to John Gardner on every other page. Johnson was mentored by Gardner early in his career, so fair enough the guy should get a mention. But honestly, the number of banal anecdotes about what Gardner once said at a dinner party, all of which felt like they had been inserted with a crowbar� it was too much. Full disclosure - I’d never heard of Gardner and had to do a Google.
Read a dictionary?! - How is that a genuine piece of advice for a budding writer? To READ A DICTIONARY FROM COVER TO COVER? I just� I mean maybe it would work for some people, but I don’t think I’d want to read a book by someone who had literally read a dictionary. That’s just me - other opinions are available.
Product placement - Or perhaps a more apt word is ‘plugs�. It’s fine to reference one’s own work in this kind of book, but some of these references felt really hamfisted. It felt like every few paragraphs it would be ‘When writing [blah blah blah]�, ‘In my novel [blah]�...Also he goes on at quite some length about his various achievements and awards…I found it all a bit awkward (remember - English).
Anyway...I could go on but I don’t want to lay into it too hard. I’m sure there are lots of people who will get something out of this. It just wasn’t for me.
(With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review)
July 4, 2019
A book chock full of writing wisdom from a master of the craft who claims that a prerequisite to the creative life is a focus on the art 24/7 x 365 until one’s last day on earth.
There are a lot of tips here on the art and craft of writing. Having taught creative writing for 30 plus years, Johnson is able to dissect creative writing into its myriad forms (realism, naturalism, romanticism, modernism, post-modernism), and break it down into its elements (plot, character, voice, paragraph, sentence and word), and compare it to various branches of philosophy (existentialism, Buddhism). He posits that a well educated literature student’s arsenal should include a firm understanding of New Criticism, structuralism, feminism, deconstruction and race theory, but advises that in the process of creation, which is discovery, all theories and explanatory models should be set aside—I found the last part of this statement refreshing.
He owes his success to mentor John Gardner who helped get his early work published and sponsored his employment as a university professor. Although he claims that childhood trauma creates good novelists, Johnson himself was an only child with a relatively stable childhood. He wrote six novels and turned down an early publication offer for one of them, as the seventh he was working on appeared to be of the calibre of a debut novel he could live with. A debut defines a writer’s career, Garner advised him. “If climbing past your debut is going to be difficult, don’t publish it.�
The many pearls of wisdom spewed out were the most interesting for me to ponder, and I quote a few here:
a) You extend the form only after you understand the form
b) Hand-copying an established writer’s work will give you a sense of meter and rhythm.
c) Publishing is an aristocracy. With digital publishing it has become a democracy.
d) Education without imagination is empty, and imagination without education is blind.
e) What makes a great writer is a great vision.
f) Art is the community’s medicine for the worst disease of the mind, the corruption of consciousness.
g) Event reveals character and character leads to event.
h) Voice gives way to Viewpoint and ultimately to Character.
There are many more third party quotes from Aristotle to Virginia Woolf that dot the book. Johnson is clear that even though he started out his literary life as a journalist and cartoonist, the writing of utilitarian prose (literary pork) is to be eschewed in favour of “words that are the flesh of thought,� i.e. well constructed and thoroughly revised literary language. “A literary work is a performance of language.� And yet, plot is important to him as well. He also devotes an entire chapter to opening lines, which are crucial to the success of a novel. Having only one literary hit over a body of work is okay to advance literary culture, he posits; doing it twice reveals a major literary talent; doing it three times vaults you into the ranks of Twain and Shakespeare.
Much has been said about the self-adulation that goes on in this book, and although I found it only mildly distracting, I put it down to the earnestness of this consummate devotee of the art of writing who needs to establish his credentials with his reader and who also needs to show some of the benefits that have accrued to him over a life dedicated to this perilous profession, where one is only as good as one’s last book. Besides who the heck writes if they don’t have a big ego?
There are a lot of tips here on the art and craft of writing. Having taught creative writing for 30 plus years, Johnson is able to dissect creative writing into its myriad forms (realism, naturalism, romanticism, modernism, post-modernism), and break it down into its elements (plot, character, voice, paragraph, sentence and word), and compare it to various branches of philosophy (existentialism, Buddhism). He posits that a well educated literature student’s arsenal should include a firm understanding of New Criticism, structuralism, feminism, deconstruction and race theory, but advises that in the process of creation, which is discovery, all theories and explanatory models should be set aside—I found the last part of this statement refreshing.
He owes his success to mentor John Gardner who helped get his early work published and sponsored his employment as a university professor. Although he claims that childhood trauma creates good novelists, Johnson himself was an only child with a relatively stable childhood. He wrote six novels and turned down an early publication offer for one of them, as the seventh he was working on appeared to be of the calibre of a debut novel he could live with. A debut defines a writer’s career, Garner advised him. “If climbing past your debut is going to be difficult, don’t publish it.�
The many pearls of wisdom spewed out were the most interesting for me to ponder, and I quote a few here:
a) You extend the form only after you understand the form
b) Hand-copying an established writer’s work will give you a sense of meter and rhythm.
c) Publishing is an aristocracy. With digital publishing it has become a democracy.
d) Education without imagination is empty, and imagination without education is blind.
e) What makes a great writer is a great vision.
f) Art is the community’s medicine for the worst disease of the mind, the corruption of consciousness.
g) Event reveals character and character leads to event.
h) Voice gives way to Viewpoint and ultimately to Character.
There are many more third party quotes from Aristotle to Virginia Woolf that dot the book. Johnson is clear that even though he started out his literary life as a journalist and cartoonist, the writing of utilitarian prose (literary pork) is to be eschewed in favour of “words that are the flesh of thought,� i.e. well constructed and thoroughly revised literary language. “A literary work is a performance of language.� And yet, plot is important to him as well. He also devotes an entire chapter to opening lines, which are crucial to the success of a novel. Having only one literary hit over a body of work is okay to advance literary culture, he posits; doing it twice reveals a major literary talent; doing it three times vaults you into the ranks of Twain and Shakespeare.
Much has been said about the self-adulation that goes on in this book, and although I found it only mildly distracting, I put it down to the earnestness of this consummate devotee of the art of writing who needs to establish his credentials with his reader and who also needs to show some of the benefits that have accrued to him over a life dedicated to this perilous profession, where one is only as good as one’s last book. Besides who the heck writes if they don’t have a big ego?
December 6, 2016
“Why do we write fiction?� Charles Johnson asks. “Why do we read it? Why are stories so important to us?�
I've read umpteen books on the art and craft of writing, but I couldn't resist one more. Johnson's credentials are as numerous as Abraham's descendants.
Confession: I skimmed the opening chapters, full of autobiography, in order to zero in on the parts of most interest to me. Namely, what gives a story the power and magic to consume readers and make everything disappear but the story?
Some of the answers to Johnson's questions, posed as a teacher to students, are already familiar to writers. Others are not as commonly followed as I’d like � in fact, in fiction workshops, people who do this are likely to be clobbered: EXPAND YOUR VOCABULARY. Read the dictionary. The writer won’t use most of the words, but “a large vocabulary is comparable to an artist with many colors on his palette. He doesn’t use all of them on a single canvas, but he always has the right shade available when he needs it.� Now I feel entitled to use some of those ten-dollar words I picked up from Zane Grey in my childhood. Lugubrious. Taciturn. Pusillanimous. Woot!
In an era of texting and “the truncated language Twitter, the anonymity of the Internet, and the triumph of hip-hop and gangster rap,� Johnson writes, “does anyone ever talk anymore about taste?� Read the book for more on that timely topic.
Another suggestion I love: filling cheap, unlined spiral notebooks with notes on “literally everything I experience or think worth remembering during the day; I jot down images, phrases used by my friends, fragments of thoughts, overheard dialogue, anything I flag in something I’ve read that strikes me for its sentence form or memorable qualities, its beauty or its truth.� I’ve done this for years, and I usually find these notations more accessible than what I save on a computer. (That’s a long story.) Johnson has hundreds of these notebooks, 43 years of accumulation“I save everything; it’s shameless� � but he does revisit them, hunting for thoughts, images, ideas, and “I can always count on finding some sentence, phrase, or idea I had, say, twenty or thirty years ago that is perfect for a story or novel in progress.�
The chapter on voice is mostly familiar advice, but with examples we may not have seen before.
Chapter 23, “The Wounds That Create Our Work,� is worth visiting. It is the wound, Gardner says, that makes the writer “driven.� Johnson emphasizes that “happy, well-adjusted children� or adults can create great art, too. The suffering artist isn’t the only kind of artist.
I own the John Gardner classic, “The Art of Fiction,� and Johnson quotes from it all throughout this book, but he quotes philosophers as well, e.g. Sartre, Hegel, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Herbert Spiegelberg, and more. There’s David Hume and his denial of the self’s existence. Those who find philosophy daunting can look to other chapters and still get their money’s worth from this book.
“Buddhists are naturally fans of science fiction,� Johnson says. Why? Buddhism, philosophy, and science fiction “as well as science itself”challenge our views and transform our perception.
Chapter 36, “Writing Well Is Thinking Well,� especially speaks to me. Too many excerpts would relieve you of the need to buy this book, but let me assure you, it’s packed with great lines. “With the first draft, every page is like a prayerin that draft we put something on paper just to determine whether it is worth our continuing to work on it.�
Chapter 42, “The Truth-Telling Power of Fiction,� is especially empowering for me. I believe the truth can be *best* expressed in the guise of fiction, sometimes. This chapter is packed with quotes (William James, for one), and the idea that each sentence is a unit of energy.
The fact that fiction “humanizes� is something all careful readers know. Albert Camus is quoted: “Feelings and images multiply a philosophy by ten. People think only in images� If you want to be a philosopher, write novels.�
Johnson himself is not a product of the university writing workshop approach to teaching writing, notes Marc C. Conner in the Afterword. Johnson took a medieval apprentice model, comparing the training of a writer to that of a jazz musician or martial artist.
Chapter 32, “The Art of Book Reviewing,� is a special favorite for me. Johnson reached a point, after reviewing so many authors, where he could “let reviewing become one of the things I’d done enough of� and could final “let go.� (I’m very close to this point myself.) I applaud his view that “a serious writer has an obligation to respond to and be engaged with other contemporary authors.�
And I love this: “a well-done book review can be a thing of beauty as memorable as the book under reviewand in some cases more engaging and memorable than the book being discussed.�
My habit of quoting extensively from the text when I review a book is vindicated here: “that way a reader could directly experience the work without me, the reviewer,� as a middle man mediating “or standing in the way of� readers encountering the author’s own words, thoughts, and prose style.
Here’s one for the one-star bandits to internalize: “I always tried to review the work of others with the kind of mindfulness, sympathy, compassion, and care that I hoped reviewers would bring to my own literary creations.�
In all, this is a thoughtful and fascinating, inspiring and encouraging book for writers. We can never have too many books on writing, right?
NOTE: Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
I've read umpteen books on the art and craft of writing, but I couldn't resist one more. Johnson's credentials are as numerous as Abraham's descendants.
Confession: I skimmed the opening chapters, full of autobiography, in order to zero in on the parts of most interest to me. Namely, what gives a story the power and magic to consume readers and make everything disappear but the story?
Some of the answers to Johnson's questions, posed as a teacher to students, are already familiar to writers. Others are not as commonly followed as I’d like � in fact, in fiction workshops, people who do this are likely to be clobbered: EXPAND YOUR VOCABULARY. Read the dictionary. The writer won’t use most of the words, but “a large vocabulary is comparable to an artist with many colors on his palette. He doesn’t use all of them on a single canvas, but he always has the right shade available when he needs it.� Now I feel entitled to use some of those ten-dollar words I picked up from Zane Grey in my childhood. Lugubrious. Taciturn. Pusillanimous. Woot!
In an era of texting and “the truncated language Twitter, the anonymity of the Internet, and the triumph of hip-hop and gangster rap,� Johnson writes, “does anyone ever talk anymore about taste?� Read the book for more on that timely topic.
Another suggestion I love: filling cheap, unlined spiral notebooks with notes on “literally everything I experience or think worth remembering during the day; I jot down images, phrases used by my friends, fragments of thoughts, overheard dialogue, anything I flag in something I’ve read that strikes me for its sentence form or memorable qualities, its beauty or its truth.� I’ve done this for years, and I usually find these notations more accessible than what I save on a computer. (That’s a long story.) Johnson has hundreds of these notebooks, 43 years of accumulation“I save everything; it’s shameless� � but he does revisit them, hunting for thoughts, images, ideas, and “I can always count on finding some sentence, phrase, or idea I had, say, twenty or thirty years ago that is perfect for a story or novel in progress.�
The chapter on voice is mostly familiar advice, but with examples we may not have seen before.
Chapter 23, “The Wounds That Create Our Work,� is worth visiting. It is the wound, Gardner says, that makes the writer “driven.� Johnson emphasizes that “happy, well-adjusted children� or adults can create great art, too. The suffering artist isn’t the only kind of artist.
I own the John Gardner classic, “The Art of Fiction,� and Johnson quotes from it all throughout this book, but he quotes philosophers as well, e.g. Sartre, Hegel, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Herbert Spiegelberg, and more. There’s David Hume and his denial of the self’s existence. Those who find philosophy daunting can look to other chapters and still get their money’s worth from this book.
“Buddhists are naturally fans of science fiction,� Johnson says. Why? Buddhism, philosophy, and science fiction “as well as science itself”challenge our views and transform our perception.
Chapter 36, “Writing Well Is Thinking Well,� especially speaks to me. Too many excerpts would relieve you of the need to buy this book, but let me assure you, it’s packed with great lines. “With the first draft, every page is like a prayerin that draft we put something on paper just to determine whether it is worth our continuing to work on it.�
Chapter 42, “The Truth-Telling Power of Fiction,� is especially empowering for me. I believe the truth can be *best* expressed in the guise of fiction, sometimes. This chapter is packed with quotes (William James, for one), and the idea that each sentence is a unit of energy.
The fact that fiction “humanizes� is something all careful readers know. Albert Camus is quoted: “Feelings and images multiply a philosophy by ten. People think only in images� If you want to be a philosopher, write novels.�
Johnson himself is not a product of the university writing workshop approach to teaching writing, notes Marc C. Conner in the Afterword. Johnson took a medieval apprentice model, comparing the training of a writer to that of a jazz musician or martial artist.
Chapter 32, “The Art of Book Reviewing,� is a special favorite for me. Johnson reached a point, after reviewing so many authors, where he could “let reviewing become one of the things I’d done enough of� and could final “let go.� (I’m very close to this point myself.) I applaud his view that “a serious writer has an obligation to respond to and be engaged with other contemporary authors.�
And I love this: “a well-done book review can be a thing of beauty as memorable as the book under reviewand in some cases more engaging and memorable than the book being discussed.�
My habit of quoting extensively from the text when I review a book is vindicated here: “that way a reader could directly experience the work without me, the reviewer,� as a middle man mediating “or standing in the way of� readers encountering the author’s own words, thoughts, and prose style.
Here’s one for the one-star bandits to internalize: “I always tried to review the work of others with the kind of mindfulness, sympathy, compassion, and care that I hoped reviewers would bring to my own literary creations.�
In all, this is a thoughtful and fascinating, inspiring and encouraging book for writers. We can never have too many books on writing, right?
NOTE: Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
April 18, 2021
Cheguei a "The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling" (2016) de Charles Johnson (1948) por via de várias resenhas que o identificavam como um dos livros mais interessantes sobre a produção criativa, nomeadamente por toda paixão e abordagem filosófica ao mundo da arte e da escrita. Contudo, pouco depois de iniciar a leitura surgiram as primeiras suspeitas de estar perante alguém que, apesar de ter feito algumas coisas relevantes na sua vida, longe de alcançar um reconhecimento internacional, demonstrava uma enorme falta de humildade. A meio do livro, não conseguia deixar de pensar noutro livro que segue exatamente a mesma fórmula � memórias-instrutivas-na-forma-de-romance-inspiracional �, escrito por um autor de fama mundial, com um volume de produção ímpar, ainda que nem tudo de qualidade inquestionável, mas oferecendo-se em toda a sua simplicidade, como se não tivesse publicado mais do que um livro que poucos leram, falo de "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" (2000) de Stephen King (1947). Isto diria quase tudo o que haveria para dizer sobre o livro, e em sua vez recomendaria a leitura duas ou três vezes do livro de King, mesmo que, como eu, não o considerem um dos vossos escritores preferidos. Mas, existe uma outra coisa que me incomodou tanto ou mais na leitura, e como tal não consigo deixar de o referir, assim como também existem um conjunto de notas muitíssimo interessantes.
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July 26, 2022
Reread: July 2022
Reread: August 2020
Picked this up on a whim, and enjoyed it just as much as the first time around.
Original Review: February 2019
This ticked all my boxes.
1) Always looked forward to reading this and always made time for it. �
2) Ordered a print copy soon after starting the audiobook, to both have for my shelves and support the author. �
3) Reached the final page and immediately wanted to flip back to the beginning and start the journey all over again. �
I thought this was going to be a charming little writing book that would entertain, and possibly gleam a kernel or two of craft from, and then largely forget about once I’d moved on. But instead Charles Johnson hits you with decades of experience and knowledge that only a seasoned author and dedicated teacher can impart. In short—I loved this book and will be returning to it again in the future. 5/5
Reread: August 2020
Picked this up on a whim, and enjoyed it just as much as the first time around.
Original Review: February 2019
This ticked all my boxes.
1) Always looked forward to reading this and always made time for it. �
2) Ordered a print copy soon after starting the audiobook, to both have for my shelves and support the author. �
3) Reached the final page and immediately wanted to flip back to the beginning and start the journey all over again. �
I thought this was going to be a charming little writing book that would entertain, and possibly gleam a kernel or two of craft from, and then largely forget about once I’d moved on. But instead Charles Johnson hits you with decades of experience and knowledge that only a seasoned author and dedicated teacher can impart. In short—I loved this book and will be returning to it again in the future. 5/5
Read
August 19, 2022I've never read any of Charles R. Johnson's fiction, which I obviously need to remedy. This book was a great book about the craft of writing, but also the life of a writer.
December 7, 2018
The book was divided into five parts with forty-two essays. Part II was the most useful, portions of which described exercises or drills that one could complete to improve one's writing. However, even that was a bit thin. There were few practical tips about writing. Mostly this book contained musings about writing. It is not a how-to.
The book was very academic in the sense that it was written by a professor, many of the anecdotes are about college life, and the opinions put forth come across as rather ivory tower. The book suggests that serious writers should also be students of philosophy, which is great in theory but not very practical for somebody like me with a day job who is writing on the side.
On the positive side, many of the essays were pleasantly short. Johnson covered a subject and moved on. Nevertheless, I came away with very little from the book.
The book was very academic in the sense that it was written by a professor, many of the anecdotes are about college life, and the opinions put forth come across as rather ivory tower. The book suggests that serious writers should also be students of philosophy, which is great in theory but not very practical for somebody like me with a day job who is writing on the side.
On the positive side, many of the essays were pleasantly short. Johnson covered a subject and moved on. Nevertheless, I came away with very little from the book.
November 16, 2021
As a writing teacher myself, this book was most unhelpful. It really is on Johnson’s own writers-life, spending too many words on lists of his accomplishments and not nearly enough on varying (or any other) perspectives on his chosen topics. Occasionally he phrases something worth remembering, but those moments are few and far between.
April 21, 2023
Johnson's book was hit and miss for me, not for a lack of quality, but for a sense that we don't always see the world the same way. At times bombastic and a little self-aggrandizing, Johnson seemed too interested in critique of what was wrong with the current state of writing programs. That said, I've no doubt he is a caring and devoted teacher of his students. For me, his most valuable contribution is an insistence on the hard work and rigor necessary to write good work. His no-nonsense approach to bearing down and taking the practice and ethic of craft seriously made me slightly ashamed of those times when I chalked up a lazy day as a lack of "inspiration," instead of facing the truth that I just didn't want to work.
August 11, 2017
This is one of those 'how to be a writer' books that's incredibly inspiring and practical. However, it's very much not a touchy-feely, 'you can do it,' let's laugh about writing shitty drafts kind of thing. This is pretty much the opposite of Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. This is a workman's approach. Johnson is very literary and smart, and he's all about working hard—damn hard—to be a good writer. John Gardner was his mentor, and he pulls a lot of thoughts and ideas, and especially exercises, from Gardner. At times it's a little too intellectual for me, but in all seriousness I wish someone had kicked me in the ass like this when I was learning. I always wanted to write a novel (and then fully revise a novel), but I never had the commitment or the know-how. That's always something you just have to wrestle with to figure out, but this is as close to an instruction manual as I've ever found.
November 11, 2021
This sentence was by far my favorite part of the book..."I didn't want to stop reading or go to bed or do anything else until I learned how events and the story unfolded because I was certain the outcome had meaning for my own life." Reminds me of myself when I read! 😉
The author teaches the importance of the techniques and elements...the craft. The art of writing is to be a storyteller.
The author shares his daily routine, life experience, and syllabus from the creative writing classes he taught. He talks about what to look for in a teacher and mentor. He mentions some of the great writers have read dictionaries to improve their vocabulary...he did the same...might be my next endeavor. 😊
I will leave you with a quote that caught my attention, "Remember the quality of the answers we get in this life is based on the quality of the questions we ask."
The author teaches the importance of the techniques and elements...the craft. The art of writing is to be a storyteller.
The author shares his daily routine, life experience, and syllabus from the creative writing classes he taught. He talks about what to look for in a teacher and mentor. He mentions some of the great writers have read dictionaries to improve their vocabulary...he did the same...might be my next endeavor. 😊
I will leave you with a quote that caught my attention, "Remember the quality of the answers we get in this life is based on the quality of the questions we ask."
December 31, 2024
Very instructive on fiction writing as craft and discipline with lots of references to other works that I now plan to read, but also a great illustration of writing by someone who has perfected their craft. Even if you have no aspirations as a writer, this book is worth reading with its offerings of concise insights and meditations on art, craft, philosophy, and the humanities. This is the kind of book I can see myself revisiting in the future because of its richness and breadth.
March 23, 2017
I thought this book, which according to the cover, is full of "reflections on the art and craft of storytelling," would contain just that. It didn't. It read more like a professor listing his accomplishments, dropping names, and going in about himself. The book is more about him than it is about writing.
July 17, 2017
Insightful snippets about the writing process but overall, a bit self indulgent and not accessible to lovers of writing who haven't completed an MFA program.
December 1, 2022
Crisp, informative, and beautiful.
January 31, 2018
An autobiography long on the author's accomplishments and short on practical applications
The Way of the Writer, Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling is long on the accomplishments of Charles Johnson, his philosophy in regards to writing and the benefits of academia. Somewhere among this rather high-minded autobiography (because that's basically what it is) are some insights about actual writing (that would be literary fiction with a capital L since Johnson considers anything else "pork" or industrial writing and not worth the effort).
Much of his philosophy is similar to John Gardner's who was his teacher and mentor. Indeed, one might be better off reading Gardner's On Moral Fiction as well as The Art of Fiction for more specifics on these two areas unless you're want to know more about Johnson's career highlights beginning in grade school.
I did find it interesting that he places more emphasis on plot than character development which could be considered a contradiction since one definition of literary fiction is that it's character driven.
I'm now inclined to read at least one of his novels to see if it is actually as good as he thinks it is.
The Way of the Writer, Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling is long on the accomplishments of Charles Johnson, his philosophy in regards to writing and the benefits of academia. Somewhere among this rather high-minded autobiography (because that's basically what it is) are some insights about actual writing (that would be literary fiction with a capital L since Johnson considers anything else "pork" or industrial writing and not worth the effort).
Much of his philosophy is similar to John Gardner's who was his teacher and mentor. Indeed, one might be better off reading Gardner's On Moral Fiction as well as The Art of Fiction for more specifics on these two areas unless you're want to know more about Johnson's career highlights beginning in grade school.
I did find it interesting that he places more emphasis on plot than character development which could be considered a contradiction since one definition of literary fiction is that it's character driven.
I'm now inclined to read at least one of his novels to see if it is actually as good as he thinks it is.
January 4, 2017
Unique reflections based on a lifetime of thinking and writing well. Thanks to Net Galley and Scribner for offering me an ARC copy of this book that I voluntarily review.
This non-fiction book is not a ‘how to� book and won’t give the reader a formula for producing, and even less, selling, books by the bucket load. The subtitle, Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling describes much more precisely what the book is. And if there’s one thing we can’t accuse Charles Johnson of, is of lacking precision.
The book is structured in six parts (1. Who Is the Writer?, 2. The Process of Writing, 3. What Helps the Writer, 4. The Writer as Teacher, 5. The Writing Life and Duties of the Writer, 6. Philosophy and the Writer), each one collecting some of his essays on topics related to the craft of writing, that are very numerous. The parts, and each essay, can be read separately, although if read as a book there are reflections and quotes that will become familiar, and anecdotes and thoughts that appear more than once (not a big problem if readers dip in and out, or read it over an extended period and go back to revisit the parts they find more relevant or inspiring). Due to the nature of the materials, some of the content overlaps, particularly as this is a deeply personal book, based on Charles Johnson’s experiences, and he talks about his personal writing schedule, his interest in martial arts, how he started his career as a journalist, his love of drawing and design, his Buddhist beliefs, his interest in Philosophy�
The author taught an undergraduate and a postgraduate writing course for many years, although he has been retired for a while, and he describes his ‘boot camp for writers� that he strongly based on John Gardner’s (that he describes as his writing mentor) programme. Johnson talks about the readings he recommends, the hard schedule of writing he requires, how he focuses on technique, how he advises writers to read a dictionary cover to cover� So, there are exercises one could do independently and advice one can follow, but mostly the book is a reflection on his career, as a writer, philosopher, teacher and reviewer. From a personal point of view, I especially enjoyed his essay on reviews because it spoke to me and to my thoughts on what a review should be like, and the importance of telling people what they might find and like in the book, above and beyond your personal taste and opinion in the matter.
In some of his essays, he uses his own books as examples of some of the points he makes (character building, voice, point of view, among others), understandably, as he can discuss his intentions and how they relate to the technique he used, rather than assume what other authors were trying to do. This creates two issues. I’ve read some comments that would indicate he might come across as self-aggrandizing, arrogant and full of himself, although reading the rest of the articles makes quite clear that that is far from the truth. The other issue is that the comparisons and examples might not be as clear for readers who are not familiar with his work (although he does mention other writers often). I must admit that living in the UK, although I studied American Literature years back, I am not familiar with his work, and checking Amazon.co.uk, this is the only one of his books I could easily find. Even in Amazon.com most of his books are only available in paperback or hardback. But many of his comments about drafts, editing, working as a journalist, and his compelling defence of storytelling and the importance of finding a story that captures the reader’s (and of course, first the writer’s) imagination can be enjoyed and savoured without direct knowledge of Johnson’s fiction.
The author is an exacting and hardworking writer and thinker and he expresses strong opinions about what literature should be like. His is the world of literary fiction, and literature and stories used to explore and explain philosophical insights, of traditional publishing and paper books. He does mention pork literature or industrial literature and acknowledges that some writers make a living by writing genre fiction (although he does not mention it by name or discusses it in any details) but that is not what he’s interested in. I could not help but think about the self-publishing movement and the writers who embrace it, who will also find much to enjoy in the book but, like many other writers will feel very differently about some of the topics. Charles Johnson mentions a couple of times that he did not himself study a degree in creative writing (his method is more like an apprenticeship, and it reminded me of Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography and his account of his self-education and dedication to learning, although with a very different goal in mind) and says that those degrees do not exist in Europe (they do, so I’m not sure all the essays are up-to-date). He acknowledges changes in standards and interests in the student body, and how he’s had to adapt his reading list to such changes so they remain relevant.
The author uses wonderful quotes from great writers and philosophers to illustrate his thoughts and make some points. I had to stop highlighting the text as there was hardly anything left without colour on the page, and this is one of those books eminently quotable and that will keep readers going back for second helpings.
This collection of writings by Charles Johnson is likely to make anybody interested in books and writing think and reflect. Some of the advice might be easier to apply than other, depending on the style of writing and the intentions of those reading it, but many of his reflections and thoughts will resonate and inspire most of us, and who would dispute the importance of storytelling?
This non-fiction book is not a ‘how to� book and won’t give the reader a formula for producing, and even less, selling, books by the bucket load. The subtitle, Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling describes much more precisely what the book is. And if there’s one thing we can’t accuse Charles Johnson of, is of lacking precision.
The book is structured in six parts (1. Who Is the Writer?, 2. The Process of Writing, 3. What Helps the Writer, 4. The Writer as Teacher, 5. The Writing Life and Duties of the Writer, 6. Philosophy and the Writer), each one collecting some of his essays on topics related to the craft of writing, that are very numerous. The parts, and each essay, can be read separately, although if read as a book there are reflections and quotes that will become familiar, and anecdotes and thoughts that appear more than once (not a big problem if readers dip in and out, or read it over an extended period and go back to revisit the parts they find more relevant or inspiring). Due to the nature of the materials, some of the content overlaps, particularly as this is a deeply personal book, based on Charles Johnson’s experiences, and he talks about his personal writing schedule, his interest in martial arts, how he started his career as a journalist, his love of drawing and design, his Buddhist beliefs, his interest in Philosophy�
The author taught an undergraduate and a postgraduate writing course for many years, although he has been retired for a while, and he describes his ‘boot camp for writers� that he strongly based on John Gardner’s (that he describes as his writing mentor) programme. Johnson talks about the readings he recommends, the hard schedule of writing he requires, how he focuses on technique, how he advises writers to read a dictionary cover to cover� So, there are exercises one could do independently and advice one can follow, but mostly the book is a reflection on his career, as a writer, philosopher, teacher and reviewer. From a personal point of view, I especially enjoyed his essay on reviews because it spoke to me and to my thoughts on what a review should be like, and the importance of telling people what they might find and like in the book, above and beyond your personal taste and opinion in the matter.
In some of his essays, he uses his own books as examples of some of the points he makes (character building, voice, point of view, among others), understandably, as he can discuss his intentions and how they relate to the technique he used, rather than assume what other authors were trying to do. This creates two issues. I’ve read some comments that would indicate he might come across as self-aggrandizing, arrogant and full of himself, although reading the rest of the articles makes quite clear that that is far from the truth. The other issue is that the comparisons and examples might not be as clear for readers who are not familiar with his work (although he does mention other writers often). I must admit that living in the UK, although I studied American Literature years back, I am not familiar with his work, and checking Amazon.co.uk, this is the only one of his books I could easily find. Even in Amazon.com most of his books are only available in paperback or hardback. But many of his comments about drafts, editing, working as a journalist, and his compelling defence of storytelling and the importance of finding a story that captures the reader’s (and of course, first the writer’s) imagination can be enjoyed and savoured without direct knowledge of Johnson’s fiction.
The author is an exacting and hardworking writer and thinker and he expresses strong opinions about what literature should be like. His is the world of literary fiction, and literature and stories used to explore and explain philosophical insights, of traditional publishing and paper books. He does mention pork literature or industrial literature and acknowledges that some writers make a living by writing genre fiction (although he does not mention it by name or discusses it in any details) but that is not what he’s interested in. I could not help but think about the self-publishing movement and the writers who embrace it, who will also find much to enjoy in the book but, like many other writers will feel very differently about some of the topics. Charles Johnson mentions a couple of times that he did not himself study a degree in creative writing (his method is more like an apprenticeship, and it reminded me of Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography and his account of his self-education and dedication to learning, although with a very different goal in mind) and says that those degrees do not exist in Europe (they do, so I’m not sure all the essays are up-to-date). He acknowledges changes in standards and interests in the student body, and how he’s had to adapt his reading list to such changes so they remain relevant.
The author uses wonderful quotes from great writers and philosophers to illustrate his thoughts and make some points. I had to stop highlighting the text as there was hardly anything left without colour on the page, and this is one of those books eminently quotable and that will keep readers going back for second helpings.
This collection of writings by Charles Johnson is likely to make anybody interested in books and writing think and reflect. Some of the advice might be easier to apply than other, depending on the style of writing and the intentions of those reading it, but many of his reflections and thoughts will resonate and inspire most of us, and who would dispute the importance of storytelling?
February 22, 2024
I'd be lying if I said the author doesn't come off pretentious in this book that leans more autobiographical with a résumé rundown to boot than a helpful writing guide. However, I did find the advice and book recommendations on writing in a number of sections to be helpful for me. The sections that delve into his own writing process was a treat since I love to gage how others work and tap into their creativity for words, characters, and overall structure to come to life on the page.
3.5 rating
3.5 rating
December 17, 2019
I found a lot of nuggets of wisdom in this book. The only reason why I gave it four stars instead of five is that his tone came across conceited. It also didn’t help that he has a decidedly lower opinion of genre writers and those who write for a living, versus those who write for the sake of pure artistry. But if you don’t let personal pride get in the way of smart advice, this book may inspire you the way it inspired the genre-writing me.
December 31, 2017
3.75 stars.
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April 28, 2019Excellent book! I think I've found a new source book for one of my writing classes. Great advice and anecdotes from someone who has been writing and teaching writing for decades.
February 14, 2025
I will admit that I skimmed the first few chapters that seemed mostly autobiographical but as the book progresses it leaves you with some of the most useful words of wisdom. A good read if you want to delve deeper into a writer’s life and the craft of writing itself.
June 24, 2024
This is essentially a love letter to Johnson’s late mentor, John Gardner. A practical book on writing fiction, it is not.
March 20, 2017
This book is a collection of essays with themes ranging from creation to publication, attempting to explain the concept and method of creative writing as an art form through his natural, philosophical style.Often mixing method and spirit liberally, the author conveys spiritual ideals without alienating those of other faiths by showing multiple viewpoints and focusing on the positive messages instead of dragging out the word-by-word transcriptions. While it is often whimsical and thoughtful, it also provides specific exercises and practices that help develop writing skills. All sorts of writing are explored, such as literary and ‘pulp�, newspaper articles and improvised writing prompts, even screenplays and translations. In the end, this book is not simply a manual, focused simply on impersonal instruction, it is an in-depth reflection on the idea of storytelling, both for audiences and for oneself. It instructs seasoned authors and inspires budding artists, telling both to do what they love, and to enjoy every moment of it.
While this book is truly amazing, it is very unusual in it’s coverage, subject matter, and writing style, potentially losing a fair amount of possible readers. Because of the structure of phrases and diverse vocabulary, I doubt it would be considered literary ‘bubble-gum�, in any case. I would recommend it to philosophically-inclined readers interested in the writing process. However, there are also aspects that others might appreciate. The author has faced a significant amount of racism in the past, which could potentially resonate with readers who’ve been through similar experiences. Also, his conversations on spirituality are intriguing, from a theological and a secular viewpoint.
This was a wonderful read, and provided a refreshingly truthful and philosophical view on the creative process. The vocabulary is engaging, the sentences are well-constructed, and concepts are developed beautifully up until their respective conclusions. While the author’s prose often leads into paragraph-long sentences, it never detracts from the clarity of the passage. Personal experiences are shared without arrogance, and instructional advice is given without being bland. Beliefs systems are mentioned without attacking individuals of other faiths. In short, this is probably the most thought-provoking writing guide I’ve read thus far, and I will probably spend the next few days rereading it again and again.
While this book is truly amazing, it is very unusual in it’s coverage, subject matter, and writing style, potentially losing a fair amount of possible readers. Because of the structure of phrases and diverse vocabulary, I doubt it would be considered literary ‘bubble-gum�, in any case. I would recommend it to philosophically-inclined readers interested in the writing process. However, there are also aspects that others might appreciate. The author has faced a significant amount of racism in the past, which could potentially resonate with readers who’ve been through similar experiences. Also, his conversations on spirituality are intriguing, from a theological and a secular viewpoint.
This was a wonderful read, and provided a refreshingly truthful and philosophical view on the creative process. The vocabulary is engaging, the sentences are well-constructed, and concepts are developed beautifully up until their respective conclusions. While the author’s prose often leads into paragraph-long sentences, it never detracts from the clarity of the passage. Personal experiences are shared without arrogance, and instructional advice is given without being bland. Beliefs systems are mentioned without attacking individuals of other faiths. In short, this is probably the most thought-provoking writing guide I’ve read thus far, and I will probably spend the next few days rereading it again and again.
February 4, 2017
Charles R. Johnson is a scholar and the author of novels, short stories, screen-and-teleplays, and essays, whose book Middle Passage won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction in 1990, and who was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship or "Genius Grant" in 1998. He is the recipient of National Endowment For The Arts and Guggenheim Fellowships, and many other prizes such as a 2002 Academy Award in Literature. He is also a former director of the creative writing program at the University of Washington, where he held an endowed chair and is now professor emeritus. In short, Johnson knows how to teach creative writing, and The Way of the Writer packs a master's class in creative writing into its pages.
As an intellectual and a philosopher, Johnson has several chapters which discuss these aspects of writing, and they are interesting. But what I found to be especially valuable were the chapters that discussed the writing exercises he gave to his students, the readings he recommended, and the like. I have read several other books on writing which give the basics on character development, plot/structure, etc. But Johnson's book stood out in the way it explains to the reader about how to think about each of these aspects, as well as how to develop skills in literary use of language. I marked every page where Johnson described an exercise given to his students and as a writer myself, plan to go through as many of them as possible at home.
As an intellectual and a philosopher, Johnson has several chapters which discuss these aspects of writing, and they are interesting. But what I found to be especially valuable were the chapters that discussed the writing exercises he gave to his students, the readings he recommended, and the like. I have read several other books on writing which give the basics on character development, plot/structure, etc. But Johnson's book stood out in the way it explains to the reader about how to think about each of these aspects, as well as how to develop skills in literary use of language. I marked every page where Johnson described an exercise given to his students and as a writer myself, plan to go through as many of them as possible at home.
November 21, 2016
This is an outstanding guide that overviews the art of writing. It is the culmination of a career as an award winning novelist and over thirty years experience of teaching and mentoring students on the components of creative writing and the process of writing. This is the author's record of those years, the teaching strategies, the discussions of what constitutes literature and a practical guide on how to write.
It begins with a look at the life of the author. For those seeking to become writers there are useful nuggets of help, such as developing a large vocabulary from which the able writer therefore has much more to draw on. Techniques for capturing useful experiences, overheard conversations, creative thoughts, like a notebook. Johnson outlines how he studied to be a cartoonist with Lawrence Lariar. He focuses on the joy of the creative impulse, where it may come from and how it might be usefully bought to fruition. The motivation that leads to our own unique writings and building the perseverance and confidence to bring it to completion.
This is a book for those who are interested in knowing more about writing in general, which can help enrich their experience of reading and evaluating writing, and those who want a practical and philosophical resource and guide for their own writing and the encouragement to keep writing. Thanks to Scribner for an ARC.
It begins with a look at the life of the author. For those seeking to become writers there are useful nuggets of help, such as developing a large vocabulary from which the able writer therefore has much more to draw on. Techniques for capturing useful experiences, overheard conversations, creative thoughts, like a notebook. Johnson outlines how he studied to be a cartoonist with Lawrence Lariar. He focuses on the joy of the creative impulse, where it may come from and how it might be usefully bought to fruition. The motivation that leads to our own unique writings and building the perseverance and confidence to bring it to completion.
This is a book for those who are interested in knowing more about writing in general, which can help enrich their experience of reading and evaluating writing, and those who want a practical and philosophical resource and guide for their own writing and the encouragement to keep writing. Thanks to Scribner for an ARC.
November 26, 2019
Charles R. Johnson wanted to be an artist and instead became a writing philosopher. He's everything I find interesting in a person -- intellectually curious, emotionally in tune and ready for life as a big adventure. Therefore, I wanted to read his book on storytelling as a craft. It did not disappoint me.
Johnson sets up his book like a writing workshop. We get to know him, his ideals, and the process he teaches. We also learn and better appreciate the call for black Americans to write and share their experiences. Not that writers need to be divided down lines of genre or cultural background (neither defines what it is to be a writer); however it is important to acknowledge the truth from where a writer writes. We all write from our experiences and we all know that many American experiences have been marginalized. This is why we need diverse voices in literature.
Johnson's book is for every writer and if you are serious about your craft this book will be a Must-Have on your shelf.
Johnson sets up his book like a writing workshop. We get to know him, his ideals, and the process he teaches. We also learn and better appreciate the call for black Americans to write and share their experiences. Not that writers need to be divided down lines of genre or cultural background (neither defines what it is to be a writer); however it is important to acknowledge the truth from where a writer writes. We all write from our experiences and we all know that many American experiences have been marginalized. This is why we need diverse voices in literature.
Johnson's book is for every writer and if you are serious about your craft this book will be a Must-Have on your shelf.
May 18, 2019
Excited that Johnson will be the keynote speaker at a Fall 2019 writers' conference I'll go to, and remembering the impact Middle Passage had on me, I grabbed this book to see what Johnson has been up to. Love it! What a wise and quiet path to really good writiing! My favorite chapter is "In Defense of Our Language," --> "Whenever I start reading something, the first thing I look for is a high level of language performance." Me, too. And Johnson's discussion of this is worth a slew of writers' courses! Simply written, using examples, engaging as a conversation over coffee, full of a writers' lifetime experience, this is one to keep on the top shelf!
October 4, 2020
Johnson is a mighty literary force. He may be a bit too smitten with his friend and mentor, the late (and brilliant) John Gardener, and sometimes overly self-referential, but this simmering stew of clear-headed and passionate advice is a dream for any writer. Often I got lost in thought as I read, pondering his assertions and his unapologetic love of the literary. His words translate into applicable skills, they make you want to step from the pool of milquetoast writers and join the fray of the masters. Maybe it’s not that easy, but Johnson’s Zen and loving guidance will accept no less.
September 23, 2019
This is tip top, people. Your MFA in a single volume. Far from finite (no degree awarded at the end), but a launchpad to other works of fiction and philosophy. Its sensibilities are classic and erudite, in the tradition of knowing and following the masters. It's not a manual for the indulgent, "do your own thing" school of creativity. Novelist, arm thyself, aspire greatly, and work tirelessly, keeping a clear eye on what is truly valuable, namely your family.
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