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The Writing Life
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins
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Publisher's summary
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.
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In 2012, Ali Smith delivered the Weidenfeld lectures on European comparative literature at St. Anne’s College, Oxford. Those lectures, presented here, took the shape of discursive stories that refused to be tied down to either fiction or the essay form. Thus, Artful is narrated by a character who is haunted - literally - by a former lover, the writer of a series of lectures about art and literature. A hypnotic dialogue unfolds between storytelling and a meditation on art that encompasses love, grief, memory, and revitalization.
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#Reality/Loss/Mythology
- By Ellen K. on 11-14-18
By: Ali Smith
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The Poet of Tolstoy Park
- By: Sonny Brewer
- Narrated by: Rick Bragg
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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This book is based on the true life of Henry Stuart. When the 67-year-old former professor finds out he is dying of tuberculosis, he vows to “learn in solitude how to save myself.” He sets off for Fairhope, Alabama, with only the writings of his beloved Tolstoy for company. There, the barefoot poet builds himself a small hut and slowly becomes an inspiration for the rest of the utopian town. When his last few months become his last few years, Henry’s attempt to understand death becomes a lesson on life.
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Great read
- By Jimmy Oaks on 03-23-15
By: Sonny Brewer
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The Great Spring
- Writing, Zen, and This ZigZag Life
- By: Natalie Goldberg
- Narrated by: Natalie Goldberg
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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What does it take to have a long writing life? Drawing on her years of writing, teaching, and practicing Zen, Natalie Goldberg shares the experiences that have opened her to new ways of being alive - experiences that point the way forward in our lives and our writing. The "great spring" of this book title refers to the great rush of energy that arrives when you think no life will ever come again - the early yellow flowering forsythia, for example.
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An enjoyable insight
- By Leigh A on 05-22-23
By: Natalie Goldberg
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The Trip to Echo Spring
- On Writers and Drinking
- By: Olivia Laing
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Trip to Echo Spring, Olivia Laing examines the link between creativity and alcohol through the work and lives of six of America's finest writers: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, John Berryman, John Cheever, and Raymond Carver. All six of these men were alcoholics, and the subject of drinking surfaces in some of their finest work, from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to A Moveable Feast.
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Great Narration!!!!!! Great story about 20 Century make writer who suffer with alcoholism. If you like this topic and want more
- By Pamela Abbey on 04-25-21
By: Olivia Laing
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The Lightkeeper's Daughters
- A Novel
- By: Jean E. Pendziwol
- Narrated by: Dara Rosenberg, Dawn Harvey, Tom Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Though her mind is still sharp, Elizabeth's eyes have failed. No longer able to linger over her beloved books or gaze at the paintings that move her spirit, she fills the void with music and memories of her family, especially her beloved twin sister, Emily. When her late father's journals are discovered after an accident, the past suddenly becomes all too present. With the help of Morgan, a delinquent teenager performing community service at her senior home, Elizabeth goes through the diaries.
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very good
- By A concerned consumer on 09-17-17
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The Stolen Child
- By: Keith Donohue
- Narrated by: Andy Paris, Jeff Woodman
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Seven-year-old Henry Day is kidnapped and renamed "Aniday" by changelings, ageless beings who inhabit the woods near his home. The changelings also leave behind one of their own, who flawlessly impersonates Henry except for one noteworthy detail: the new Henry is a prodigiously talented pianist.
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Not Anything Close to the Hype
- By Jon on 06-20-06
By: Keith Donohue
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Without a Map
- A Memoir
- By: Meredith Hall
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Meredith Hall's moving but unsentimental memoir begins in 1965, when she becomes pregnant at sixteen. Shunned by her insular New Hampshire community, she is then kicked out of the house by her mother. Her father and stepmother reluctantly take her in, hiding her before they finally banish her altogether. After giving her baby up for adoption, Hall wanders recklessly through the Middle East, where she survives by selling her possessions and finally her blood.
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Not Your Average "16 and Pregnant"
- By Susie on 12-11-12
By: Meredith Hall
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Stories
- All-New Tales
- By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, Al Sarrantonio - editor, Joe Hill, and others
- Narrated by: Anne Bobby, Jonathan Davis, Katherine Kellgren, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The best stories pull readers in and keep them turning the pages, eager to discover more—to find the answer to the question: "And then what happened?" The true hallmark of great literature is great imagination, and as Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio prove with this outstanding collection, when it comes to great fiction, all genres are equal.
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Something for Everyone
- By Nicole on 05-24-17
By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, and others
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The Patch
- By: John McPhee
- Narrated by: John McPhee
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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The Patch is the seventh collection of essays by the nonfiction master John McPhee. It is divided into two parts. It is an "album quilt", an artful assortment of nonfiction writings that have not previously appeared in any book.
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A thousand details add up to one impression
- By Darwin8u on 11-15-18
By: John McPhee
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dislike narrator voice/intonation, didnt get far
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Why oh why did she narrate this?!
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Go ahead. Download it.
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Abridged and censored- not the full book!
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The Memoir Project
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amazing what you can learn from brevity
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In How to Write Short , Roy Peter Clark turns his attention to the art of painting a thousand pictures with just a few words. Short forms of writing have always existed - from ship logs and telegrams to prayers and haikus. But in this ever-changing Internet age, short-form writing has become an essential skill. Clark covers how to write effective and powerful titles, headlines, essays, sales pitches, Tweets, letters, and even self-descriptions for online dating services.
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Ironically long
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Zen in the Art of Writing
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"Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a land mine. The land mine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces back together. Now, it's your turn. Jump!" Zest. Gusto. Curiosity. These are the qualities every writer must have, as well as a spirit of adventure. In this exuberant book, the incomparable Ray Bradbury shares the wisdom, experience, and excitement of a lifetime of writing. Here are practical tips on the art of writing from a master of the craft - everything from finding original ideas to developing your own voice and style.
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Evocative fuel for any Muse!
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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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