For this workshop series, 15 major talents in contemporary literature met in a one-on-one forum with well-known author William Price Fox and University of South Carolina creative writing students. Each writer discussed his or her personal writing methods, furnishing insights into the highly individualized process of literary creation. George Plimpton introduced the segments, with James Dickey joining the discussion on several programs.
***Please note: This content was created as part of a college-level course. Some of the content may contain adult themes or language not suitable for all audiences.
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George Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) "An awful lot of people who want to become writers don't really write very much. They think a lot about writing, but they don't really sit down...
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James Dickey (February 2, 1923 – January 19, 1997) In an interview laced with humor and illustrations from the works of other artists, Dickey examines the elements of poetry, compares novels to movies...
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James McPherson (September 16, 1943 – July 27, 2016) "The folktale is like a precedent in law. That is, it points to some wisdom that was derived at a certain point and passed on." Hailed as a "writer...
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John Gardner (July 21, 1933 – September 14, 1982) "Take six months on a short story of 20 pages, until it's right and brilliant and perfect....And when that's done, you've got everybody beat. You're...
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John Hawkes (August 17, 1925 – May 15, 1998) Throughout this interview, Hawkes reiterates his belief that "the imperfect really conveys the essence of perfection more than a whole object. Fiction," he...
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John Irving (Born John Wallace Blunt, Jr. on March 2, 1942) Irving analyzes his methods as a writer, including his unusual technique of writing last things first. "I have to write last sentences," he...
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Kurt Vonnegut (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) "Young writers are too polite....You have to be mean to characters; you have to make the worst thing happen." Vonnegut has an original solution to...
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Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) "One of the most glorious things about being trained as a journalist is that you almost never get writer's block, you get fired." After recalling some of her...
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Pauline Kael (June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) "Reading is probably about the most important thing a writer can do. Certainly as important as living, which is always talked about—but living doesn't...
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Reynolds Price (February 1, 1933 – January 20, 2011) The author of A Long and Happy Life and The Surface of Earth explains his own writing methods, from work schedules and revision, to his aversion...
