The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life

ÒThe journey from the head to the hand is perilous and lined with bodies. It is the road on which nearly everyone who wants to writeÑand many of the people who do writeÑget lost.Ó So writes Ann Patchett in ÒThe Getaway Car,Ó a wry, wisdom-packed memoir of her life as a writer. Here, for the first time, one of AmericaÕs most celebrated authors (ÒState of Wonder,Ó ÒBel Canto,Ó ÒTruth and BeautyÓ), talks at length about her literary careerÑthe highs and the lowsÑand shares advice on the craft and art of writing. In this fascinating look at the development of a novelist, we meet PatchettÕs 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 PatchettÕs 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.Ê The bestselling author gives pointers on everything from finding ideas to constructing a plot to combating writerÕs block. More than that, she conveys the joys and rewards of a life spent reading and writing. ÒWhat I like about the job of being a novelist, and at the same time what I find so exhausting about it, is that itÕs the closest thing to being God that youÕre ever going to get,Ó she writes. ÒAll of the decisions are yours. You decide when the sun comes up. You decide who gets to fall in love...Ó In this Byliner Original, ÒThe Getaway CarÓ is a delightful autobiography-cum-userÕs guide that appeals to both aspiring writers and anyone who loves a great story.