The Writing Well

We continue our “Classics Series” by going to the writing well to fill our creative spirits with advice from several fiction writers, including Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Jane Smiley, who reveals her “Five Writing Tips.” The author of the trilogy of novels The Last Hundred Years, she has also written the essay collection Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel. Charles Baxter, whose novels include The Soul Thief and The Feast of Love, gives advice for new writers, as he discusses The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot and the influence of narrative poetry on his fiction. Acclaimed short story writer Antonya Nelson, whose most recent novel is called Bound, gives a fresh take on “writing what you know” as she talks about creating a hybrid reality of her own experiences and invention. And finally, another Pulitzer winner, Richard Ford, whose recent novels include Canada and Let Me Be Frank With You, gives encouragement on finishing a novel.