Foreword
by John Gardner 11
In Introduction 19
1. The Four Difficulties 25
The Difficulty of Writing at All
The "One-Book Author"
The Occasional Writer
The Uneven Writer
The Difficulties Not in Technical Equipment
2. What Writers are Like 35
Cultivating a Writer's Temperament
False and Real Artists
The Two Sides of a Writer
"Dissociation" Not Always Psychopathic
Everyday Examples of Dual Personality
The Slough of Despond
3. The Advantages of Duplicity 45
The Process of Story Formation
The "Born Writer"
Unconscious and Conscious
The Two Persons of the Writer
The Transparent Barrier
Keep Your Own Counsel
Your "Best Friend and Severest Critic"
The Right Recreation
Friends and Books
The Arrogant Intellect
The Two Selves Not at War
The First Exercise
4. Interlude: On Taking Advice 61
Save Your Energy
Imagination Versus Will in Changing Habits
Displacing Old Habits
A Demonstration
The Right Frame of Mind
5. Harnessing the Unconscious 69
Wordless Daydreams
Toward Effortless Writing
Double Your "Output"
6. Writing on Schedule 75
Engaging to Write
A Debt of Honor
Extending the Exercise
Succeed, or Stop Writing
7. The First Survey 81
Reading Your Work Critically
The Pitfalls of Imitation
Discovering Your Strength
A Footnote for Teachers
8. The Critic at Work on Himself 89
A Critical Dialogue
Be Specific in Suggestions
Correction After Criticism
The Conditions of Excellence
Dictating a Daily Regime
9. Readings as a Writer 99
Read Twice
Summary Judgment and Detailed Analysis
The Second Reading
Points of Importance
10. On Imitation 105
Imitating Technical Excellences
How to Spend Words
Counteracting Monotony
Pick Up Fresh Words
11. Learning to See Again 111
The Blinders of Habit
Causes of Repetitiousness
Recapturing Innocence of Eye
A Stranger in the Streets
The Rewards of Virtue
12. The Source of Originality 119
The Elusive Quality
Originality Not Imitation
The "Surprise Ending"
Honesty, the Source of Originality
Trust Yourself
"Your Anger and My Anger"
One Story, Many Versions
Your Inalienable Uniqueness
A Questionnaire
13. The Writer's Recreation 131
Busmen's Holidays
Wordless Recreation
Find Your Own Stimulus
A Variety of Time-Fillers
14. The Practice Story 137
A Recapitulation
The Contagiousness of Style
Find Your Own Style
The Story in Embryo
The Preparatory Period
Writing Confidently
A Finished Experiment
Time for Detachment
The Critical Reading
15. The Great Discovery 147
The Five-Finger Exercises of Writing
The Root of Genius
Unconscious, Not Subconscious
The Higher Imagination
Come to Terms with the Unconscious
The Artistic Coma and the Writer's Magic
16. The Third Person, Genius 155
The Writer Not Dual But Triple
The Mysterious Faculty
Releasing Genius
Rhythm, Monotony, Silence
A Floor to Scrub
17. The Writer's Magic 163
X Is to Mind as Mind to Body
Hold Your Mind Still
Practice in Control
The Story Idea as the Object
The Magic in Operation
Inducing the "Artistic Coma"
Valedictory
In Conclusion: Some Prosaic Pointers 171
Typewriting
Have Two Typewriters
Stationery
At the Typewriter: WRITE!
For Coffee Addicts
Coffee Versus Mate
Reading
Book and Magazine Buying
Bibliography 177
Index 181