Barnaby Conrad (1922–2013)

A guide for authors, divided into a lot of sections which each tackle a particular topic. Rather an old book now (1990), but the general sections on e.g. character development, endings, themes, description, how to deal with writer's block and rejection, how short stories differ from novels etc are still applicable, it's just the material on the publishing industry which is now out of date and that is a relatively small part of the book.

The book uses a lot of examples, with some quotes, and show more also advice from a lot of different writers, either classic ones such as Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald etc, or those who were very popular at the time of publication. Some, who were apparently best sellers, I've never heard of, but a lot are familiar names even if I've never read their books, e.g. Sidney Sheldon. Quite a few extracts come from the various addresses given at the Santa Barbara Writers' Conference which I think was held annually and is still running.

The main 'bias' is that the book is overwhelmingly American, unsurprisingly in view of its genesis at the Santa Barbara Writers' Conference, and references to 'this country' etc are obviously the USA, although authors like Chekhov are discussed. There's some good advice here for beginner writers; for me, it's reinforcement although I found the examples interesting and I wish I'd read this years ago when I was given bad advice about writer's block, because the advice in this book is what I discovered the hard way - don't wait for a great idea, instead just write any old thing and eventually the creative spirit will return. show less

I've had this book since I was a child, it originally belonged to my father...and although I detest bull fighting, I really like this book. I like it so much, that I reread it every few years.

It is about the Torero, Manolete (Manuel Laureano Rodrigues de Sanchez), who was killed in the arena Linares, August 28, 1947 at the age of 30 by the Muira toro (that he killed) Islero.

The narrative is storylike in that it is a tale of both Islero, Manolete, and the fateful day they met and killed each show more other. show less

Conrad selects favorite scenes from literature, theater, and film, groups them into categories, and analyzes them in order to help writers and readers understand why they are great. Its mainly presented to writers as a way to show how great scenes manage the trick of making you fall in love with a story, so that they can learn to do it themselves.

As with any list that declaims "Best" in its title, there are always scenes that are left out. However, I found the scenes selected to be worth show more reading, so I didn't doubt their value. He sticks mostly to canonical titles and well known works, which means that there is a prevalence of works by dead white men, few women, and almost no minorities. This does not take a way from the scenes presented, as these are certainly great scenes; it just reflects on the author's preferences and biases. Any such list is going to be limited, of course, but something from The Color Purple, Their Eyes Were Watching God, just about anything by Toni Morrison, or other such works with fabulous writing could have been considered.

In terms of advice, the author lays down "rules" with a mildly patronizing tone. Many of the rules I don't agree with and Conrad makes no reference to when authors break "rules" for better effect.

Worth a read, but I recommend borrowing it from a library as opposed to buying it. show less

Snoopy writes the same story over and over, without seeming to realize it, just like me and so many other writers. He receives the most outrageous rejections in the business, sometimes days before he's finished, let alone submitted, his manuscripts. Snoopy's "brother" Monte, son of Charles Schulz, has provided the ultimate fantasy writing guide: a collection of strips featuring Snoopy as auteur and brief essays from writers that are part fan letter, part heartfelt advice for the struggling show more rooftop typist. Comfort and reassurance--and bracing, hard recommendations--are all wrapped up in the star of Happiness Is a Warm Puppy. show less