With the clear knowledge that I am a reader, not a writer (sadly) I love reading about the trials and tribulations writers experience in creating a work of fiction.
American Gods is one of my favorite Gaiman books and this account of how he names the characters, how they developed in their own right and getting to the final product was fascinating.
I'm always fascinated by writers' accounts on the way a book of theirs was conceived and written, especially if the book is one of my favorites. In this short "essay", Neil Gaiman is talking about the birth and development of "American Gods" and the uniqueness of this process.
"I saved the document on the computer, and I realised I’d finished writing a book. " "You never learn how to write a novel," he said. "You just learn how to write the novel that you’re writing."
A short book - really more of an essay - on Neil Gaiman's writing process or at least part of it. Interesting for the insight as to how he thinks of his stories and his characters names.
Short little essay that details Gaiman's process (or lack thereof) for creating American Gods. It was interesting enough for the 5 minutes it took me to read it.
A book with fewer pages is usually up to the point. Having started reading this intrigued by the title and the author, it was highly disappointing that after the initial few paragraphs that related to the title, the remaining paragraphs were completely different in that they were about his trials and tribulations in naming the characters. And what more it halts with a quote leaving me with nothing but disappointment.
One more book / article that makes me revere the supreme skill some writers have, to present the universe in a teaspoon, both satiating, a joy to the taste buds and leave the reader yearning for more.