Write Away: One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life

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Write Away: One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 441 ratings · 62 reviews

"Here's what I tell my students on the first day when I teach one of my creative writing courses: You will be published if you possess three qualities -- talent, passion, and discipline. "In Write Away, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George offers would-be writers exactly what they need to know about how to construct a novel. She provides a detailed overview o...more

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published March 2nd 2004 by Harper (first published March 1st 2004)

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May 31, 2008 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love reading Elizabeth George's novels. They are, as she calls them, literary mysteries. And they are masterfully plotted. But also contain a lot of scene-setting verbiage that I regularly skip. These passages often seem to take me away from, rather than closer to, the dramatic tension of the current characters and plot.

But the passages remain in all of her best-selling books. So perhaps I should not have been surprised to find that she takes a great deal of time to craft those portions of the...more I love reading Elizabeth George's novels. They are, as she calls them, literary mysteries. And they are masterfully plotted. But also contain a lot of scene-setting verbiage that I regularly skip. These passages often seem to take me away from, rather than closer to, the dramatic tension of the current characters and plot.

But the passages remain in all of her best-selling books. So perhaps I should not have been surprised to find that she takes a great deal of time to craft those portions of the novels. It turns out, for example, that she goes to England and takes pictures of every major setting in her novels. And writes key scenes while reviewing her notes. She is impressively disciplined in her research and writing process, and the description of how she actually writes HER kind of novel was fascinating.

My biggest problem with this book though, is that she buries the lead. The interesting parts about her process are surrounded with a really boring English teacher like explanation of plot, character and setting. What we want to know is: How do you write your novels? What are your unique techniques/flaws/hangups? She reveals more in the small quotes in the head of each chapter than she does in 75% of the book. Her doubts, her daily fears, her huge admiration of other writers. This is what we crave - to learn about HER!

She finally includes two very small chapters on how she works, and how she organizes her day. They are followed by her admission that she finds it tough to let go of her left-brain organized self to get to the right brained creativity of writing. And that she has always lacked a lot of confidence about her talent. No kidding! A more confident writer would have started with the personal, and used it as a jumping off point for the theory and definitions.

So, a note to the author: as you write on p.168, Elizabeth, "when we care, we continue to read." I dropped this book twice early on because there was so little of your personality in it to motivate me to keep going. You are a best-selling writer who is hugely successful and anyone reading your book cares about YOU. Don't be afraid to put yourself front and center. This book seemed to have you hiding behind generic definitions way too long.

I did very much enjoy, though, the selections you chose of other writings, and disagree with other reviewers here that you shouldn't have included your own novels as examples. But you needn't pay homage to them in order to earn the right to tell us how you do what you do. (less)

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Mar 17, 2008 Jocelyn rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: an enemy

Two main exceptions I took with this book:

1) When writing about writing, do not include as examples numerous lengthy excerpts from your own fiction books. Especially when the excerpts are so long that, by the end of them, the reader has forgotten the purpose of reading them in the first place. I find this objectionable in its tackiness.

2) When writing to writers about writing, do not assume that your readers do not know the difference between first and third person. This is inane. Rather than in...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Bill rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: writing-how-to

A Beginner’s How-To on Writing

George, Elizabeth. (2004) Write Away. New York: Harper Collins.

There are a lot of how-to books on writing out there. If you haven’t read any, this one is a reasonable place to start. It’s easy to read, encouraging in tone, covers most of the basics, and has plenty of examples. George is a well-known writer of mysteries and thrillers, and a teacher of writing. She describes her personal understanding of writing fundamentals and her own writing process. The result is...more A Beginner’s How-To on Writing

George, Elizabeth. (2004) Write Away. New York: Harper Collins.

There are a lot of how-to books on writing out there. If you haven’t read any, this one is a reasonable place to start. It’s easy to read, encouraging in tone, covers most of the basics, and has plenty of examples. George is a well-known writer of mysteries and thrillers, and a teacher of writing. She describes her personal understanding of writing fundamentals and her own writing process. The result is a solid overview for a beginning writer.

On the down side, the information content is low and conversely, redundancy and irrelevance are high. That’s what makes the book easy to read, but a more experienced writer would be better off with a genre-specific how-to book, or a more rigorous treatment, such as “Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft,” by Burroway and Stuckey-French.

George offers a “Seven step story line” guide, based on common sense and apparently derived, as much modern writing method is, from Aristotle’s Poetics. In short, a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end; the dramatic tension reaches an apex in the middle; the main character makes a critical choice that leads to a climactic confrontation, a reversal, an epiphany, and establishment of a new status quo. There’s nothing wrong with that formula. It seems like common knowledge, but maybe it isn’t if you’re just starting out.

George’s examples are way, way too long, often two or three pages, when a couple of well-selected paragraphs would have done the trick. Most of the examples are extremely boring, almost unreadable, especially those taken from her own works, which is the majority of them. Hundreds and hundreds of words illustrate nothing but generic prose. The examples illustrating dialog are especially uninformative. These excessive excerpts seem like filler to me.

When George gets down to specifics, which is not often, I usually found her explanations lacking. For example, concerning the difficult problem of creating a character’s voice, she says merely that the voice arises “naturally” from the character’s biography that you have previously written. At a very high level of abstraction, that’s true. A garbage man is not going to talk like an Oxford don. But an interesting voice does NOT arise “naturally” from a specific biography. It must be explicitly created by the author and George offers no clue about how one does that.

The last third of the book covers George’s writing process, how she actually goes about writing a novel from start to finish. Most of that material is idiosyncratic and of little interest to anyone else. For example, she is extremely keen on researching locations for her novels. She flies off to Europe to make extensive tours of old castles, wineries, and government institutions. Nice work if you can get it. She takes photos and records her impressions. However, she never mentions why she does all this. Is a novel an exercise of the imagination or is it a travelogue? Yes, readers appreciate accuracy, but for a how-to book published in 2004, this one seems curiously uninformed about the virtues of internet searches.

Besides, the best stories are about characters, and in some important sense, location hardly matters. Maybe this is one reason I do not enjoy George’s novels. I have found them to be long on costumes and scenery and short on character-based drama. I often find that in her novels, what’s at stake comes down to some wrinkle in family systems involving other siblings, half-siblings, long-lost siblings, twins, paternity, maternity, illegitimacy, abandonment, disownings, etc. Kinship relations are about as interesting to me as digestion. I’m sure others differ, as she is a best-selling author, so somebody likes that stuff.

George’s best advice comes in her final words. “You WILL be published if you possess…talent, passion, and discipline. You will PROBABLY be published if you possess… talent and discipline or passion and discipline. You will LIKELY be published if you possess [only] discipline.” In other words, writing discipline is necessary and sufficient, the other two qualities only helpful.(less)

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Feb 22, 2013 Evelyn Puerto rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

When I picked up Write Away, I had never heard of the author, Elizabeth George. All I knew of her book is that several authors have said this is a “must read.” I’m inclined to agree with them.

Write Away is an excellent overview of the craft of writing, from the perspective of how one successful author creates her novels. She clearly is in the camp of those who plot more up front before starting to write, but that resonates with me. More planning up front does free your mind for the art, rather t...more When I picked up Write Away, I had never heard of the author, Elizabeth George. All I knew of her book is that several authors have said this is a “must read.” I’m inclined to agree with them.

Write Away is an excellent overview of the craft of writing, from the perspective of how one successful author creates her novels. She clearly is in the camp of those who plot more up front before starting to write, but that resonates with me. More planning up front does free your mind for the art, rather than the craft of writing, as she puts it.

I especially appreciated how much detail of her process she shared. This has given me much to think about, and many ideas I can adapt to my own writing. She even provides a step by step plan for creating a novel.

Character development gets a lot of attention, and she offers a wealth of ideas for creating characters that readers will relate to, will cheer for, and most of all, believe. She also explains the value of research and how it contributes details that add to the credibility and richness of your book. When discussing how to create settings readers feel are real, she demonstrates from her own novels, how she researches places, and merges real ones together. Using details from her research, her settings ring true and do more than just provide a placed for the characters to walk around in. They can function almost like another character.

Write Away also contains a thorough discussion of viewpoint, the multitude of POV possibilities, and advantages and pitfalls of each. She’s honest about her preferences, but gives fair shake to the others. Voice, and how to create a distinct one for each character, is also covered. She suggests ways to write dialogue that sounds as though real humans, rather than artificial creations are talking. Even though that is exactly who is supposedly speaking, you don’t want your reader to think that.

The book is filled with lots of examples so you can see what she means. Many are from her own work, and some get rather long. A few times I got lost in the story, and forgot I was reading to learn how a certain element of the craft is executed well. I noticed that she used one excerpt in three different spots.
But these are minor quibbles with what is sure to be a valuable resource for me as I try to make the jump from writing non-fiction to fiction.

She sums it up by saying you need talent, passion and discipline. Talent and discipline or passion and discipline may get you published, but lacking the discipline of getting down to work, or as she puts it, using the bum glue to adhere yourself to whatever you sit in to write. The key is without discipline, it’s unlikely you’ll find success as a writer.

In short, Write Away is an excellent work on the craft of writing that delivers as much information as a textbook, but is entertaining to read and very practical, with some humor thrown in along the way.
(less)

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Mar 15, 2012 Lynne Favreau rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: writing

What a relief this book was. I really needed someone to spell out exactly how this writing thing works and here she does it “Start here, move on to here and pretty soon you’ll have this-” is how this book feels. That’s what I’ve been wanting and needing to understand—the progression, the advancing of a story.

I realize every writer will have their own way of working but for someone just starting out, who hasn’t developed any patterns or particular way of structuring the way they work, this is an...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Keryn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: self-help

I wrote copious notes from this book for use in my own writing development. Halfway through, I rushed out and bought one of Elizabeth George's novels ('Careless in Red' published after this novel) because I wanted to read it in parallel, in order to experience her craft in action. For she definitely separates art from craft in writing, and this was an 'Aha!' moment for me. I was so fascinated by the aspects of craft illustrated through the excerpts she quotes from her work that I needed to follo...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Bob Mayer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I taught with Elizabeth for 7 straight years at the Maui Writers Conference and we now both live on Whidbey Island, a few miles apart. She came and spoke to my last Writers Workshop here on the island and outlined her creative process and it was fascinating as she laid it out. She kept saying the #1 trait to be successful as a writer is the ability to be ruthless. What she meant was ruthless was oneself. To sit and work hard. The one common trait I see in every successful writer I know is the ab...more

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Oct 05, 2009 Ray rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: writing

Novelist Elizabeth George (author of the Inspector Lynley mysteries) shows the refreshingly left-brained process she uses to craft novels with tight, character-based plots. Her process is heavily front-loaded with background research, character creation, and plotting in advance, which allows her to focus on the art of writing when it finally comes time to draft the novel itself. This is almost the polar opposite of Stephen King's approach given in "On Writing," where King encourages the writer t...more

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May 04, 2009 Margot rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, on-writing, own, 2009

This is one of the best books on writing that I have read so far. It provides practical insight and advice and really gets down into the dirty details of process and perseverance. Despite George's crime novel background, her advice and insight is practical for any genre.

My only complaint with the book is that she frequently uses her own writing as example for the techniques or issues she's discussing. I find this both pompous and wearing. How many little snippets of scenes do I really have to r...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Erika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, writing

If you are looking for a practical, how-to become a writer book, look no further. George, who is a well loved mystery writer gives us a glimpse into how her books take shape. It's always fascinating for me to find out how a writer arrived at a particular character or scene. But she does more than give us biographical snapshots of her work, she breaks writing down into manageable chunks. Ms. George gives some very hands-on advice on how to develop character and plot, and even leaves her aspiring...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Tiah added it

Interesting, and very glad to have read it. Gave me some new ideas on how to tackle different aspects of the 'getting ready to write' part of writing.

Would recommend the book to an individual who wants a step by step formula on creating a story. (Not suggesting EG writes formula fiction.) That said, her methods may strangle some writers / writers-to-be. Could see people following this book becoming so wrapped up in the 'get ready to write' process that the actual sit-down-and-write part of the...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Vivien rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I skimmed this for the parts that were relevant to me, but those parts I read I really liked. It's somewhat validating and interesting that Elizabeth George shares some of my habits; I think there are certain instinctual things that many writers do. For instance I have a theory that five-pages-a-day feels good to the brain. More than that is a stretch but possible with pressure or inspiration; less than that indicates that I'm stuck over something. And she likes doing a quick read-through of the...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Terry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Although I prefer Stephen King's book "On Writing," this is an excellent book from a woman who knows of what she speaks. Nothing revolutionary here - indeed, is there really anything new to be said about writing? - but well put. Fans of her mysteries will get lots of tasty morsels about her thinking and process.

My favorite lines are, "Teaching English well at the high school level is generally a twelve-hour-a-day job," (p. 193, and so true) and her repeat of Bryce Courtenay's axiom, "He who poss...more

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May 07, 2013 Shannon Donnelly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are a few writing books that I end up recommending over and over again--this is one of them.

I will caution that much of the advice here is of most benefit to a writer who has the basics in place (basics of grammar, story and scene structure, dialogue, and character arcs). But if you know your stuff, and are looking for how to reach the next level, the advice here is invaluable. She particularly talks about linking sentences and paragraphs the way we link scenes to pull the reader through t...more

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Jul 04, 2009 Anne Broyles rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Part how-to, part "This is how I do it" by the successful author of 22 books, WRITE AWAY is an interesting look at how George works (she does more work than before actually beginning to write than any author I know). Beginning writers could also get the basics (different points of view, how to hook readers, how to flesh out characters). George's "Examples and Guides" at the end of the book include her list of THADS (Talking Head Avoidance Devices), possible story structures (such as the seven-st...more

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Mar 08, 2010 Jean rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I actually took notes as I read this. I'm not sure that I actually want to write myself, but this helps me savor EG's works that much more. How many times have I looked at another profession and wondered "what it took to do that job?" This book answers that question for at least one writer. I can almost feel how EG's methods have come into a life of their own, all that stream of consciousness writing prior to the actual novel. Neat stuff! I'll enjoy rereading my notes as if I am enjoying the boo...more

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May 12, 2009 Deb rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If I had tons of manuscript written, I would find this book more helpful. But since I don't it just makes me worry that writing is too hard and I'll never put in enough effort to do it for real.

The book has a lot of nuts and bolts description about elements of writing that make stories work. Many lengthy examples from novels are included. My favorite parts are probably the quotes from George's personal journals that begin each chapter. I like knowing her own struggles with story, and her involve...more

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Nov 05, 2008 Winna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Windry

Shelves: self-learning

This book is perfect for a beginner with no experience or any idea about writing at all. However, for beginners and experts who have tried writing and become successful in it, this book merely serves as a guide to remind them what they have to do.

This book is all about craft of writing. Technique, plotting, voice, process. Sadly, I feel that this is so similar to James Frey's how to write a damn good novel. Many chapters and samples are similar, therefore I feel like reading the same book twice....more

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Jul 21, 2012 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: writing, read-frequently-while-writing, education-information, non-fiction

BY GEORGE, I THINK I'VE READ IT!

"Write Away" holds a prominent place on my "Read Frequently [While Writing]" shelf. As I can't help doing with instructional books, I read this one in a haphazard fashion--picking it up here & there, flipping to the chapters that covered the particular writing question I had at the time. I'm pretty sure that at some point I read every page!

With each chapter, Ms. George sparked my thoughts & creativity, sharing insights & work methods that proved valua...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Wendy Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: writing-craft, non-fiction

This turned out to be one of my favorite writing books written by a bestselling author (Stephen King's On Writing and Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird being tied for my favorite). She caught my attention early on when she described herself as mostly left-brained (like me) and her subsequent need for a logical writing process and strategy to liberate her right-brained creative side.

George covers a wide range of territory in the book on the craft of writing, but what was most interesting to me was the...more

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Apr 07, 2010 Daniela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: writing, 2008

One of the books I've read numerous times.

I always find it interesting to see another writer talk about the craft and thier approach to writing. Elizabeth George does so with refreshing honesty and a subtle humor and self-deprecation. I found it rather endearing that even as a bestseller-writer she still worries about every book and is nervous and insecure. It makes her very human.

I also found her approach rather helpful as it is similar to my own.

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Dec 19, 2012 Alexis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I read a lot of books about writing and this one was REALLY useful. It gave me a lot of food for thought and some actual new lessons and new technique. I actually purchased myself a copy while I was reading it, because it's one I want to add to my collection.

My one quibble- the author is a crime writer and I don't read crime books. Therefore, it was a little hard for me to wrap my head around some of her examples.

I'd recommend this book for anyone who wants to write a novel.

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Jan 01, 2013 Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: writing, reference, non-fiction

I was going to write a comprehensive review of this guide, but I decided to go for the short form version since Elizabeth George touches on a lot of topics like character, plotting, among others that are in other writing guides. If you read a lot of writing guides and are a veteran, there's not a lot here that comes across as new territory. I liked this guide and found it worth the read, but slightly cumbersome in some areas. It read a little longer than I thought it would, and part of that was...more

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Jul 13, 2010 Sophia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Auch wenn man nicht plant ein Buch zu schreiben, ist dieses Werk ein toller Einblick in das Handwerk. Und es erinnert einen an längst vergangene, heiß geliebte Deutsch- und Literaturstunden in der Schule.

Even if one does not plan on writing a book this book delivers great insight into the craft of writing. Furthermore does itremind one of much loved literature lessons at school.

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Aug 14, 2010 Mamatua rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book by Elizabeth George on writing. I'm working on a story, which may only ever end up being read by myself, but I seem to need to get it out in written form. Reading her process and the examples she provided from her own writing and others was very valuable. I got this from the library, but I'm going to buy it so that I can refer back to it.

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Mar 24, 2013 Ceri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very interesting. I was surprised when I discovered that Elizabeth George is American as her books are all set in England & she seems to 'get' the English very well. This book is all about how she does it. She has a very thorough, work-manlike approach to writing. If you wanted to write this would be a good book to read to get you started.

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Apr 28, 2009 Jeana rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction-memiors

I'm going to call it quits on this one--I made it through the first 50 pages. This book is directed mainly at people who want to write thriller/detective/murder type stories. This is not something I think applies to what I like to write, so for now, I find this book useless.

The book contains long excerpts from the author's own novels as well as that of others. While I enjoyed to a degree the excerpts from To Kill a Mockingbird and Beloved (it actually makes me want to reread Beloved), the excer...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Victoria Tirrel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-on-writing

What makes her Lynley novels terrific to read--her exquisite and detailed plotting--makes this book a disappointment to this writer. Her explanation is so much focused on the mechanics that it is like seeing the woman behind the plotting curtain. What I thought was magic turns out to be outlining.

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Dec 12, 2012 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought this book from Village Books in Fairhaven/Bellingham, WA. It was a toss up between choosing this one and a book with writing tips for mothers. I may still go get the other one too as I really want to hear about women's writing voices and their life as writers.

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Dec 12, 2009 Christine Sunderland rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Novelists of any genre

Very informative as I jump into writing my fifth novel... She is the most thorough instructor on plotting and character I have come across, insisting that it can all be learned and with hard work can be produced. We shall see.

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About Elizabeth George

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Susan Elizabeth George is an American author of mystery novels set in Great Britain. Eleven of her novels, featuring her character Inspector Lynley, have been adapted for television by the BBC as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.

She was born in Warren, Ohio, but moved to the S...more

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Books by Elizabeth George

A Great Deliverance (Inspector Lynley #1)

Well-Schooled in Murder (Inspector Lynley #3)

This Body of Death (Inspector Lynley #16)

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