So What'chu Want Dept.

One of the standard pieces of advice that writers are given is "Write the book you want to read." This is great advice, but like all advice it has just as much potential to leave the recipient hidebound as it does to liberate him. It's no fun gnawing through straps you pulled into place yourself, trust me.

First, the good parts. It's always best to write the kind of book you want to read, because that increases the chances of you writing somethingthat doesn't actually exist yet. If the kind of...