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2023 Vancouver Writers Fest
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Sign up todayOn Writing and Failure
Or, the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer
Narrator
Stephen Marche
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Length
1 hour 55 minutes
Language
English
Summary
Writing is, and always will be, an act defined by failure. The best plan is to just get used to it.
Failure is a topic discussed in every creative writing department in the world, but this is the book every beginning writer should have on their shelf to prepare them. Less a guide to writing and more a guide to what you need to continue existing as a writer, On Writing and Failure: Or, On the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer describes the defining role played by rejection in literary endeavors and contemplates failure as the essence of the writer’s life. Along with his own history of rejection, Marche offers stories from the history of writerly failure, from Ovid’s exile and Dostoevsky’s mock execution to James Baldwin's advice just to endure, where living with the struggle and the pointlessness of writing is the point.
Reviews
“The Canadian novelist and essayist describes the defining role rejection has played in his career and reflects on its importance in the lives of notable writers, from Ovid to Dostoyevsky and Baldwin.” — New York Times
“[Marche's] writing style is buoyant and funny. [...] When the stars are aligned, someone writes a work as provocative, informed and droll as On Writing and Failure.” — Maureen Corrigan, NPR
“On Writing and Failure romps through a series of anecdotes about the thwarted aspirations of authors so as to instruct a 'kid writer' not to hope for anything.” — Literary Review of Canada
“On Writing and Failure: Or, On the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer must be considered essential reading for anyone seeking to write for a living, be it as a novelist, essayist, poet, columnist, or any other writing genre. Itself exceptionally well written.” — Midwest Book Review
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