Reading like a Writer: Amanda Eyre Ward

I am so very happy to have finally started reading Amanda Eyre Ward's novels. I recently finished CLOSE YOUR EYES and now I'm halfway through HOW TO BE LOST. How am I so late to this party? Ward's books are right up my alley; I can't believe it took me so long to discover her! Smart writing + noirish plots + female protagonists = my favorite kind of book.

Ward is one of those writers who makes every word count...each sentence feels necessary and just right. Such spare prose could result in a spare story, but that's not the case here. Ward tells suspenseful tales that are emotionally resonant and slyly funny. Her protagonists are smart, tough, unpredictable women.

As a writer reading Ward, I'm reminded to weigh each word and sentence carefully. Long descriptions are rarely necessary...the right few words can set a scene and your capable reader can easily intuit the rest.

I'm often wrestling with unwieldy flashbacks in my writing, and it's interesting to see how Ward frequently solves this problem by setting flashbacks into their own chapters...almost creating two separate narratives. I'm always trying to weave my flashbacks into my story's "present" so I'm interested to note another approach.

Thanks for the writing lessons, Amanda Eyre Ward!
Amanda Eyre Ward