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The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life
The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life | Ann Patchett
10 posts | 12 read | 14 to read
The journey from the head to the hand is perilous and lined with bodies. It is the road on which nearly everyone who wants to writeand many of the people who do writeget lost. So writes Ann Patchett in The Getaway Car, a wry, wisdom-packed memoir of her life as a writer. Here, for the first time, one of Americas most celebrated authors (State of Wonder, Bel Canto, Truth and Beauty), talks at length about her literary careerthe highs and the lowsand shares advice on the craft and art of writing. In this fascinating look at the development of a novelist, we meet Patchetts mentors (Allan Gurganas, Grace Paley, Russell Banks), see where she made wrong turns (poetry), and learn how she gets the pages written (an unromantic process of pure hard work). Woven through engaging anecdotes from Patchetts life are lessons about writing that offer an inside peek into the storytelling process and provide a blueprint for anyone wanting to give writing a serious try. The bestselling author gives pointers on everything from finding ideas to constructing a plot to combating writers block. More than that, she conveys the joys and rewards of a life spent reading and writing. What I like about the job of being a novelist, and at the same time what I find so exhausting about it, is that its the closest thing to being God that youre ever going to get, she writes. All of the decisions are yours. You decide when the sun comes up. You decide who gets to fall in love... In this Byliner Original, The Getaway Car is a delightful autobiography-cum-users guide that appeals to both aspiring writers and anyone who loves a great story.
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SheReadsAndWrites
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I wanted to post something super pretty and Instagram-worthy but this is TRULY how I feel about writing THE END. Tenth book is written and done!! #imtired #butalsohappy 😊 Bring on the holidays and all the books to read!! 😎 (I also thought a favorite book on writing was appropriate to reference. Love The Getaway Car 🤓)

mcipher Congrats!! 🍾 7y
Hollie Woohoo!! Way to go!! 7y
Pamwurtzler Congratulations!! 7y
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GAustin
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Pickpick

So this short story by Ann Patchett had me right away. It is a small pice of her book of essays "This is a Story of a Happy Marriage" I did not know that strait away. In just 45 pages she packs in a life she lived through trying to become a writer and how getting locked into a cottage to write her fist book that would be her Getaway Car from her miserable life and into the life she always wanted. A nice #Ride. #90sInJuly

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PacingTheCage
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Megabooks 👍🏻👍🏻 8y
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PacingTheCage
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Lets see how this goes

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LisaJo
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#24To48 So, as I approach Hour 11, I decided to read a short book. This book was about the writing process, a good book to read during a read-a-thon. Plus, huge Ann Patchett fan and I have not read this one yet.

ValerieAndBooks Looks good!! 8y
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LisaJo
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#24in48 10 hours… Nothing is getting done today: not laundry, not cooking, not a thing is getting dusted. Reading - that is all that is getting done this weekend.

MrBook That's all that needs to get done 😆👌🏻🙌🏻! 8y
DebinHawaii The important thing! 😆👍 8y
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Denisereads75
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Pickpick

I am fascinated by the writing process and I enjoyed this short and sweet book. Ann Patchett gives writing advice and explains her own process.

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SusaninTX
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Pickpick

This is a good one for those interested in writing. (And for those of us who are just readers who enjoy reading about the writing process!) I borrowed my daughter's Kindle while I'm taking care of my mother and am surprised by how much more I like it than I thought I would.

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kiminreverse

Art stands on the shoulders of craft, which means that to get to the art, you must master the craft. If you want to write, practice writing. Practice it for hours a day, not to come up with a story you can publish but because you long to learn how to write well, because there is something that you alone can say.

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shawnmooney
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Anne Bogel recommended this on her What Should I Read Next podcast this week, and since I'm loving Patchett's 'Bel Canto' right now, the author's part memoir part practical how-to on becoming a writer sounds awesome!

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