Writing as a Way of Life A Book About Art, Craft, and Devotion

by Morton, Brian

• ISBN13: 9781625571779
• ISBN10: 1625571771
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2025-09-09
• Publisher: Black Lawrence Press

Summary

In Writing as a Way of Life: A Book About Art, Craft, and Devotion, novelist and memoirist Brian Morton (Starting Out in the Evening) provides writers with a guidebook for finding the psychic equipment they'll need to remain committed to their craft over the long haul. Drawing on a rich and varied career as a writer and teacher, Morton gives writers at every level of experience a masterclass in how to deepen their tenacity and resilience.

Weaving together stories from the lives of literary masters like Virginia Woolf, Henry James, and Anton Chekhov and lessons gleaned from a surprising array of artists and thinkers including Joni Mitchell, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Miss Manners, Morton reveals writing to be a calling akin to meditation or prayer. Filled with practical, actionable tips for developing and sustaining a habit of writing that will last a lifetime, Morton has written a generous, funny, humane, and friendly guide for anyone who writes and anyone who wants to write.

Author Biography

Brian Morton's previous books include the novels Starting Out in the Evening and Florence Gordon and the memoir Tasha. A member of the faculty in writing at Sarah Lawrence College, he has received the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Koret Jewish Book Award for Fiction, and the Pushcart Prize, and has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Kirkus Prize for Fiction. The movie adaptation of Starting Out in the Evening premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.

Table of Contents

Make It a Habit Trust Your Stuff Interlude: Who Am I To Be Writing This Book? Write It For Yourself: On Publication Instructions for the Hitbodedut: On Literary Craft "A True Poet Can Have No Competition": On Envy How to Keep Going