{"product_id":"the-secret-miracle-the-novelists-handbook-9780805087147","title":"The Secret Miracle: The Novelist's Handbook","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe world's best contemporary writers--from Michael Chabon and Claire Messud to Jonathan Lethem and Amy Tan--engage in a wide-ranging, insightful, and oft- surprising roundtable discussion on the art of writing fiction\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing back the curtain on the mysterious process of writing novels, \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Miracle \u003c\/i\u003ebrings together the foremost practitioners of the craft to discuss how they write. Paul Auster, Roddy Doyle, Allegra Goodman, Aleksandar Hemon, Mario Vargas Llosa, Susan Minot, Rick Moody, Haruki Murakami, George Pelecanos, Gary Shteyngart, Daniel Alarc n, and others take us step by step through the alchemy of writing fiction, answering everything from nuts-and-bolts queries--\"Do you outline?\"--to perennial questions posed by writers and readers alike: \"What makes a character compelling?\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom Stephen King's deadpan distinction between novels and short stories (\"Novels are longer and have more s**t in them\") to Colm Toibin's anti-romanticized take on his characters (\"They are just words\") to Jos  Manuel Prieto's mature perspective on the anxieties of influence (\"Influences are felt or weigh you down more when young\"), every page contains insights found nowhere else.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith honesty, humor, and elegance, \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Miracle\u003c\/i\u003e gives both aspiring writers and lovers of literature a master class in the art of writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Holt McDougal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/13\/2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780805087147\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 357\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.95lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.40w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2010 pg. 65\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2010\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Daniel Alarcon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36643917922460,"sku":"9780805087147","price":22.09,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_60384013-0e3b-4a22-841e-1f3a74f02bae.jpg?v=1603857530","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-secret-miracle-the-novelists-handbook-9780805087147","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}