4/5
This book contains 7 short stories written by Dahl, the last two of which are about how he became a famous author. Although Dahl prefers writing fiction stories, these last two and one other in the book are actually non-fiction. To be honest, I wasn't too keen on the last story in this book, A Piece of Cake, which was his first ever story, but I really enjoyed the others. For one, enjoyed is the wrong word. In The Swan, two boys bully another young boy, and was quite disturbing. I kept wanting to close the book in a bid to stop it from happening.
Dahl is a pleasure to read, both children and adult stories alike.
Here are some of the qualities you should possess or should try to acquire if you wish to become a fiction writer:
1. You should have a lively imagination.
2. You should be able to write well. By that I mean you should be able to make a scene come alive in the reader's mind. Not everybody has this ability. It is a gift, and you either have it or you don't.
3. You must have stamina. In other words, you must be able to stick to what you are doing and never give up, for hour after hour, day after day, week after week and month after month.
4. You must be a perfectionist. That means you must never be satisfied with what you have written until you have rewritten it again and again, making it as good as you possibly can.
5. You must have strong self-discipline. You are working alone. No one is employing you. No one is around to give you the sack if you don't turn up for work, or to tick you off if you start slacking.
6. It helps a lot if you have a keen sense of humour. This is not essential when writing for grown-ups, but for children, it's vital.
7. You must have a degree of humility. The writer who thinks that his work is marvellous is heading for trouble.
Dahl is a pleasure to read, both children and adult stories alike.
~~~
From Lucky Break: How I became a writer.Here are some of the qualities you should possess or should try to acquire if you wish to become a fiction writer:
1. You should have a lively imagination.
2. You should be able to write well. By that I mean you should be able to make a scene come alive in the reader's mind. Not everybody has this ability. It is a gift, and you either have it or you don't.
3. You must have stamina. In other words, you must be able to stick to what you are doing and never give up, for hour after hour, day after day, week after week and month after month.
4. You must be a perfectionist. That means you must never be satisfied with what you have written until you have rewritten it again and again, making it as good as you possibly can.
5. You must have strong self-discipline. You are working alone. No one is employing you. No one is around to give you the sack if you don't turn up for work, or to tick you off if you start slacking.
6. It helps a lot if you have a keen sense of humour. This is not essential when writing for grown-ups, but for children, it's vital.
7. You must have a degree of humility. The writer who thinks that his work is marvellous is heading for trouble.
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