A Piece Of Work: Five Writers Discuss Their Revisions

by Jay Woodruff

Learning how to revise may well be the most excruciating part of writing - frequently it is what makes or breaks new writers. Now, in this unique and highly useful book, Jay Woodruff gives some of America's finest contemporary writers an opportunity to talk with passion and professionalism about revision - about the hard work of their writing. Books on writing generally offer prescriptions and proscriptions about this craft so hard to learn instead of evidence. But in A Piece of Work Woodruff's incisive questions guide five writers - Tobias Wolff, Tess Gallagher, Robert Coles, Joyce Carol Oates, and Donald Hall - through specific examples that enable the reader to see how good writing becomes better. From the first draft through various revisions and finally to the printed version of a single piece of each author's work, Woodruff traces the full course of the revision process. While we might prefer to picture all authors as Coleridge, with the perfectly formed lines and stanzas of Kubla Khan emerging from a dream, the truth of the matter is that the development of a final text is often as much a hard-won discovery as it is an initial inspiration. A Piece of Work offers a road map to that discovery.

Genres: Writing

285 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1993

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't that this was a bad book, but the idea is a bit difficult to swallow. I mean it's interesting, at most, but serves it's intended purpose. It takes the work of five well-known authors and shows you their drafts along with an interview done by the editor. This idea was always if'fy to me because what would that show you? Would you then know how to write? Of course not; it's simply interesting to see some of the things successful writers do that we might, and to see some of their differences. In no way do you grasp the idea of revising (there isn't one), but in no way is that attempted to be achieved--which is good. I'm not really too fond of anyone in this collection besides Tobias Wolff (who I'll read his stuff except for the newer short stories). I know, blasphemy. The other writers include Joyce Carol Oates (she's hit or miss for me, but this piece was great), Tess Gallagher (not really), Robert Coles (good, but not crazy about him), Donald Hall (pretty good writer, love the books he edits, the anthologies he puts together, and his thoughts on writing).

Writers are also very weird creatures, and so the interviews are more on the interesting side than on the entertaining side. For example: Joyce Carol Oates reminded me of the rapper Nas, who never answers a question directly and some times even refuses to really answer. It might be a stretch, but I've been trying to draw parallels to both writer's inconsistencies. In short, it's something good to look at but not much of a prize...the book, not Joyce Carol Oates.

That's my word, and I'm sticking to it.

Yay! I got to 150 books on Goodreads. I'm coming for you Aristotle.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so helpful in the classroom - Opening the book to show students what a revision looks like on the page takes the word revision from an abstraction to a possible reality for them. Also, it helps to let them know that real writers - famous ones - don't just magically create perfect art the first time.