
The Writing Life
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Narrated by:
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Tavia Gilbert
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By:
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Annie Dillard
About this listen
With color, irony, and sensitivity, Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Dillard illuminates the dedication, absurdity, and daring that is the writer’s life. As it probes and exposes, examines and analyzes, The Writing Life offers deeper insight into one of the most mysterious of professions.
©1989 Annie Dillard (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Novelist John Gardner's thesis in On Moral Fiction is simple: "True art is by its nature moral." It is also an audacious statement, as Gardner asserts an inherent value in life and in art. Since the book's first publication, the passion behind Gardner's assertion has both provoked and inspired fans. In examining the work of his peers, Gardner analyzes what has gone wrong, in his view, in modern art and literature, and how shortcomings in artistic criticism have contributed to the problem.
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Right in the Chops!
- By Jim T on 10-18-19
By: John Gardner
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Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
- By: Natalie Goldberg
- Narrated by: Natalie Goldberg
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Over a decade ago, when Writing Down the Bones first appeared, Natalie Goldberg started a revolution in the way we practice writing. Now, for the first time, Goldberg reads her classic work, while offering new commentary about the creative, spiritual, and practical dimensions of writing. This collector's edition also includes an exclusive interview with the author.
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An excellent edition to any writer's toolbox!
- By Aisha on 05-06-04
By: Natalie Goldberg
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Bird by Bird
- Some Instructions on Writing and Life
- By: Anne Lamott
- Narrated by: Anne Lamott
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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For a quarter century, more than a million readers and listeners—scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities—have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom passed down from Anne’s father—also a writer—in the iconic passage that gives the book its title.
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Why oh why did she narrate this?!
- By Amor Fati on 01-02-23
By: Anne Lamott
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Creating Character Arcs
- The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development
- By: K.M. Weiland
- Narrated by: Sonja Field
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Have you written a story with an exciting concept and interesting characters - but it just isn't grabbing the attention of readers or agents? It's time to look deeper into the story beats that create realistic and compelling character arcs. Internationally published, award-winning novelist K.M. Weiland shares her acclaimed method for achieving memorable and moving character arcs in every book you write.
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Why We Read (Listen To) These Books
- By C. Deputy on 06-07-18
By: K.M. Weiland
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Still Writing
- The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life
- By: Dani Shapiro
- Narrated by: Dani Shapiro
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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From Dani Shapiro, best-selling author of Devotion and Slow Motion, comes a witty, heartfelt, and practical look at the exhilarating and challenging process of storytelling. At once a memoir, a meditation on the artistic process, and advice on craft, Still Writing is an intimate companion to living a creative life. Writers - and anyone with an artistic temperament - will find inspiration and comfort here.
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Inspiring but dark, better to read than listen
- By Raquel on 10-22-21
By: Dani Shapiro
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Writing Down the Bones
- By: Natalie Goldberg
- Narrated by: Natalie Goldberg
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
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Here is a new collector's edition of this modern classic as you have never heard it before, read by Natalie Goldberg herself and then infused with her most personal reflections about this "magic manual" for all writers. Try these ingenious, Zen-based exercises to expand your writing skills - or just for fun.
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The Substance
- By Krissy D. on 07-09-10
By: Natalie Goldberg
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Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated
- And the Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time
- By: Keith Ferrazzi, Tahl Raz
- Narrated by: Richard Harries
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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In Never Eat Alone, Ferrazzi lays out the specific steps - and inner mindset - he uses to reach out to connect with the thousands of colleagues, friends, and associates on his contacts list, people he has helped and who have helped him. And in the time since Never Eat Alone was published in 2005, the rise of social media and new, collaborative management styles have only made Ferrazzi’s advice more essential for anyone hoping to get ahead in business.
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Couldn't finish
- By book smart on 05-01-16
By: Keith Ferrazzi, and others
What listeners say about The Writing Life
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Bridgette Womack
- 10-06-16
must read
good for all who are looking to write something. the imagery is fantastic.i loved it even more the second time.
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- Deanna
- 05-15-21
Lyrical
This piece about what it’s like to be a writer - both philosophically and practically - has been illuminating for me. Thank you for the insights and a few tips, Ms. Dillard.
Audible narration is top-notch.
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- Tom
- 02-14-21
Random Thoughts on the Writer’s Craft
Dillard is a Pulitzer Prize winning Poet, Essayist and Novelist whose work I read many years ago. She married a friend of mine and I’ve followed her work over the years. Since I’ve been doing a little writing recently I thought I would read her thoughts on the craft.
That’s exactly what the bulk of this brief work is: a Stream of Consciousness of her thoughts as she has struggled with the challenges the writer faces when they sit down with the blank page. It’s not a step by step how-to manual but rather a scattering of notions that go through one’s mind during the process.
That said, just hearing the thoughts of an accomplished author and sympathizing with her experiences has value to anyone who enjoys writing or even reading. Four stars.
I might add that her final story about the work of a professional acrobatic performance pilot and his bi-plane on how he sees his art is worth the price of admission.
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- Pam
- 04-14-13
Reads like a poem
This is written in the spirit of a long-form poem, as an ode to (and lamentation of) the creative life. There's some good information here—not presented as a to-do list, but rather as a story, where we learn from the example of the author and her life as a writer. The narrator is absolutely excellent, with her voice inflections worthy of a poetry performance.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Nebs
- 12-15-20
Entertaining Read
Riveting and poignant description of the life of a writer. Brimming with many metaphors and descriptions of the difficulty and apparent impossibilities which come with the territory.
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- B. Cannon
- 05-14-21
Started strong, ended meh
I enjoyed the early chapters which did, indeed, relate to writing. Less so the latter chapters. The final chapter was so out of context and the book ended so abruptly that I actually went back and played the last part of chapter 7 to see if I missed something? Nope. Disappointed.
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- Danielle
- 02-06-24
A quick fun listen
This book is little sparks of wisdom about writing and writers surrounded by lovely prose.
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- Gillian
- 02-27-15
How Odd--How Poorly Written?!?
If you can weed through the flowery language, the endless adjectives and adjectives, you might find something here. I, however, feel that this was a waste of time. This had more the feel of a "reality check," which, okay, writers sure as hell need from time to time, but there was little wisdom offered in its place.
This is a very short work, not a lot of money, but still. The only thing worse than a waste of money is a waste of time. Save both of yours; go for a longer, more in-depth work for real education, real inspiration, real guidance.
Avoid the adjective/adverb exhaustion
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21 people found this helpful
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- Ralphie J.
- 11-27-21
Stimulating
It's interesting The way they describe fighting through riders block Issues that come up with writing.
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- Eve
- 08-08-23
She Crashed and Burned
This book was a downer about the writing process, but I’m glad I listened, because it showed me that even a great writer, like Dillard, doesn’t really know how she does it. It’s a gift, and she’s clueless about it.
What she does share well is what a bore it is to slog through monotonous days, trying to call forth inspiration. In fact she does it so well, I felt completely bored by her myself. After listening to this, I’d think she never wrote a thing worth reading. But she has!
Why the disconnect? No idea.
Her writing here sounds self conscious and self consumed, and assumes the reader is an idiot. I felt insulted by it, listening to her go on and on about nothing. If you’ve got nothing to say, give the reader the respect of not wasting his/her time.
I read that she disavowed this book years after she wrote it, except for the last chapter about the stunt pilot. I found it just as forgettable as the rest of it. She goes on and on, losing the pilot in the clouds of her metaphor, trying to transcend gravity and achieve something grand, but imho, she crashes and burns, just like he does.
For very helpful books on the writing process, I recommend Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and On Writing Well by William Zinsser.
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