Mommy Brain

I picked up Avi’s A Beginning, A Muddle, and an End: The Right Way to Write Writing on my trip to Barnes and Noble, and I started reading it aloud to the kids this morning. This book is funny and brilliant and had the kids and I in stitches. Here are a few of our favorite parts so far:

“A writer is someone who tries to get the words right. That’s why they are called writers. But an author is someone who has written the words wrong. Any critic will tell you that.” p. 32

“You should know that the number one rule about writing is: Write about what you know. So if you know what you haven’t done, write about that.”

“What if you don’t know what you’ve not done?”

“Then you go on to rule number two.”

“Which is?”

“Write about what you don’t know.”

“Is there a third rule?”

“Yes, stories do usually have three rules. Rule number three is: Write about what you don’t know as if you did know about it.”

“Any fourth rule?”

“Absolutely: Make sure that when you’re writing about what you don’t know as if you did know, conceal the fact that you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Is there a fifth rule?”

“A crucial one. It’s: Always leave your readers guessing.”

“Guessing what?”

“Let them guess about which parts you know, which parts you don’t know, and which parts you don’t know but are writing as if you did know.”

“What if they guess right?”

“I told you, the one who is righter becomes a writer.”

“What if they’re wrong?”

“That’s the moment you become an author.” p. 34-35

“Actually,” explained Edward, “it depends on what kind of writer you are. What kind were you intending to be?”

“A writer who attracts readers.”

“Then for heaven’s sake, don’t write writing. Write reading.” p. 37

Isn’t that delicious?