Another Book on Writing

Another Book on Writing- The Writer’s Handbook


Last Friday, I was going to meet some writer friends in the afternoon and I passed a bookstore on the way- MR at Abids. I saw a new magazine- Monocle- that I had not seen earlier anywhere. It appeared quite good and I decided to buy it later in the week. But as I was leaving the store, I decided to take a quick look at another rack. It is odd how the eye locks on some specific words that connect to the important things in our lives. I noticed the word ‘Writer’ and I picked up the book to take a closer look. It was ‘The Writer’s Handbook- 2002’ brought out by ‘The Writer’ magazine. I bought it without a second thought. I got the book for a hundred rupees only.

Though more than half of the book contains details of magazines, publishers etc in the US, it also contains sixty essays on writing by famous writers. Writers like Stephen King, Sue Grafton, John Updike, Martin Amis, Kazuo Ishigoro and my favorite writer, Elmore Leonard have given their advice in this book.

I have older editions of this book, the 1977 edition and also the 1991 one. All three are big tomes, thicker than bricks and running into more than a thousand pages. But is a book worth owning by those who want to write. At hundred rupees it was a terrific bargain. I felt extremely lucky finding this book.