Good Prose is an inspiring book about writing—about the creation of good prose—and the record of a warm and productive literary friendship. The story begins in 1973, in the offices of The Atlantic Monthly, in Boston, where a young freelance writer named Tracy Kidder came looking for an assignment. Richard Todd was the editor who encouraged him. From that article grew a lifelong association. Before long, Kidder’s The Soul of a New Machine, the first book the two worked on together, had won the Pulitzer Prize. It was a heady moment, but for Kidder and Todd it was only the beginning of an education in the art of nonfiction.
Good Prose explores three major nonfiction forms: narratives, essays, and memoirs. Kidder and Todd draw candidly, sometimes comically, on their own experience—their mistakes as well as accomplishments—to demonstrate the pragmatic ways in which creative problems get solved. They also turn to the works of a wide range of writers, novelists as well as nonfiction writers, for models and instruction. They talk about narrative strategies (and about how to find a story, sometimes in surprising places), about the ethical challenges of nonfiction, and about the realities of making a living as a writer. They offer some tart and emphatic opinions on the current state of language. And they take a clear stand against playing loose with the facts. Their advice is always grounded in the practical world of writing and publishing.
Good Prose—like Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style—is a succinct, authoritative, and entertaining arbiter of standards in contemporary writing, offering guidance for the professional writer and the beginner alike. This wise and useful book is the perfect companion for anyone who loves to read good books and longs to write one.
Praise for Good Prose
“Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction takes us into the back room behind the shop, where strong, effective, even beautiful sentences are crafted. Tracy Kidder and his longtime editor, Richard Todd, offer lots of useful advice, and, still more, they offer insight into the painstaking collaboration, thoughtfulness, and hard work that create the masterful illusion of effortless clarity.”—Stephen Greenblatt, author of The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
“Good Prose offers consummate guidance from one of our finest writers and his longtime editor. Explaining that ‘the techniques of fiction never belonged exclusively to fiction,’ Kidder and Todd make a persuasive case that ‘no techniques of storytelling are prohibited to the nonfiction writer, only the attempt to pass off invention as facts.’ Writers of all stripes, from fledgling journalists to essayists of the highest rank, stand to benefit from this engrossing manual.”—Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild
“What a pleasure to read a book about good prose written in such good prose! It will make many of its readers better writers (though none as good as Tracy Kidder, who sets an impossible standard), and it will make all of them wish they could hire Richard Todd to work his editorial magic on their words.”—Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Lovely story of a friendship Wanna-be writers like me are always looking for good books on good writing. I love Tracy Kidder’s writing and, if Richard Todd is, indeed, Kidder’s long-time editor, then he is also on my Good Boy list.So I thus fell into that old trap of Anticipating and Having Expectations that so often disappoints.I tell you this so you won’t Anticipate and Expect, too.This is a lovely book, a lovely story of friendship and learning to work together, and learning to write and learning to edit, but it is not much of a book about how to write well. That isn’t to say that this book isn’t full of ideas about how to write well, but put it down if it’s an authoritative how-to book that you are seeking. Lots of stories that will make you smile if you’ve read much Kidder but that’s really it.I’m going to really be daring here—as I step out on a thin limb—and assert that in my (VH) opinion what this book could have used is a good editor. And a better title.Just my two cents as a reader. And let me close by using an old psychological technique of Blaming the Victim: had this been a better how-to book, perhaps I could now be writing a better review of this book.
A must read for those interested in learning about creating – or discovering – powerful works of nonfiction Pulitzer prize winner Tracy Kidder (The Soul of a New Machine) and his friend and frequent collaborator Richard Todd share the wisdom they have accumulated over a 40 year span. Both readers and/or writers who buy Good Prose can reap the benefits of the authors’ experience..I often paused to ponder the authors’ words and opinions about what it takes to produce solid and resonant nonfiction. One example: a warning not to confuse facts with “truth”. Information can be tailored to express a particular viewpoint that might be factually accurate – but still off base in so many other ways – perhaps missing the heart of an event, a person’s experience or more.There is more about fact and truth in “Beyond Accuracy”, a chapter which focuses both on accuracy as well as the picture created in readers’ minds by writers. Do the facts convey the deeper realities and truths behind those facts? When it comes to interviews, Kidder and Todd urge writers to respect those people who are generous and trusting enough to share parts of their lives. The authors also suggest that writers behave as guests- knowing when to listen, question, and encourage those they interview.This book should be a staple in any aspiring nonfiction writer’s library, especially as an aid for understanding what goes into creating solid nonfiction pieces – and discerning those which are weaker or inauthentic. Examples from various writers: George Orwell, Janet Malcolm, and John D’Agata (among others) provide lessons as well as perspectives on various forms of nonfiction.Kidd and Todd are not shy about criticizing other writers’ beliefs and practices. They provide plenty of material which illustrate mistakes, both in writing and viewpoint, from others.There were certain parts of the book which stood out for me. In the section on “Being Edited and Editing”, I discovered more about the editing process and how writers can “learn how to be edited.” Writing styles and evolving words and usages are also covered in the book. Examples of overused intensifiers, cliches, tired phrases, etc ought to improve writing – if reviewed and remembered.Good Prose goes beyond writing advice. It also reveals the authors’ friendship. Kidder and Todd learned much from each other through the years and certainly had their differences. But their combined experiences led to a remarkable collaboration as authors, teachers, and editors.At the end of the book, there is a bibliography of writing guides and references, useful for additional perspectives on writing.. It is fairly short but the works included are gems. I’ve read many of them and find they are often worth revisiting.
An Amusing and Helpful Companion This book is a collaboration by writer, Tracy Kidder and editor, Richard Toddd who have worked together for 40 years since Richard Todd edited Kidder’s first story for the Atlantic Monthly in the early 1970′s.The author and editor discuss narrarives, memoirs, essays, acuracy, style, art and commerce and being edited and editing.The chapter, ‘Notes on Usage’ which discusses neologisms and ‘bad’ (my word) form is helpful and may raise a smile of recognition.There are words of good advice: Start slow; ‘The trick is not to make everything into a grand idea, but to treat something specific with such attention that it magnifies into significance’; ‘market plans are nonsense’; ‘fall out of love with your own words’.This book is an amusing companion.Todd thinks (not unkindly) that writers are by nature narcissists. He thinks to maintain one’s project as preminently worthy requires a distorted sense of reality.There’s an excellent biblography.The gems in this book make reading through the boring parts worth the effort.