Historical Nonfiction, 5/5
Telling the true tale of the shipwreck of The Wager in 1741, David Grann provides incredible detail about life on the sea in the 18th century—as well as a gripping mystery. As a novelist with a book set on a 1630 Atlantic trading vessel, I’m thrilled with the opportunity to get a sense of the world during the age of sail.
It is so satisfying to cut repetitions, reorganise paragraphs, fix sentences for more impact. The subject material is super-interesting–this guy has led a phenomenal life. I think it’s going to be a really good book. There’s been a lot of picky double-checking of different versions of the stories, but that’s unearthed some wonderful, quirky language and phrasings. Slow progress, though. I wanted a draft by tomorrow and I’m less than 75% of the way through…
Nonfiction, 3/5
Using the techniques of fiction writers, Jack Hart guides nonfiction writers through how to create a compelling news article or essay. As a fiction writer, I found this book informative for my own writing as well, comparing forms.
Spent a week at camp with my grandson, so no writing last week. Back working on the biography!
Memoir, 3/5
This book explores the complexities and considerations of writing a memoir. As someone new to this field, I found it very interesting and thought provoking.
