Nuggets – DaneCobain.com

Title: On Writing

Author: Charles Bukowski

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 216

Rating: 5*/5

Charles Bukowski – On Writing

First thing’s first – before you start wondering about the title, because it’s the same as a Stephen King book, let me clarify. This book was published after King’s book, and way after Bukowski’s death, but the title is forgiveable because it’s part of a series that also includes On Cats and On Love. I think it’s fine – after all, it’s a pretty descriptive title.

In this book, then, we get to see a collection of Bukowski’s thoughts on both the process of writing and his career as a whole, thanks to fragments of letters, unpublished excerpts and other bits and bobs. Even a non-fan would find this interesting, and even a non-author would enjoy the little nuggets that Bukowski has to offer. But if you’re a big fan of his, like I am, then you’re going to love it.

Ultimately, it’s difficult to get a collection of letters to have a narrative of its own right, but the editors have done well here and I think even the man himself would have begrudgingly admitted that this collection has a certain literary merit – and a certain charm – of its own. Worth reading for anyone – but especially for writers.

Charles Bukowski

Click here to buy On Writing.

Stevyn Colgan – Joined-Up Thinking | Review

Title: Joined-Up Thinking

Author: Stevyn Colgan

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 254

Rating: 8/10

Stevyn Colgan – Joined-Up Thinking

I first heard about Stevyn Colgan after a friend suggested that I should invite him to be a speaker at the writers’ group that I’m organising. He’s a local writer who’s attained a certain level of success, winning praise from Stephen Fry and Q.I. creators John Lloyd and John Mitchinson – in fact, Colgan went on to become an Elf on the show, a term that’s used to describe their researchers.

Because of this, I already knew quite a lot of the facts that Colgan includes in the book – many of them were recycled and used within the show, and I’ve watched every episode multiple times. That said, it didn’t really matter, because Colgan’s point here is that everything’s connected – he’s effectively using the six degrees of separation with facts.

For example, he may begin by explaining how to hypnotise a chicken, then relate that to chicken nuggets, then relate that to the gold rush, then relate that to the song Gold by Spandau Ballet, and then it might transpire that the lead singer for Spandau Ballet (Tony Hadley) keeps pet chickens.

Now, that’s a hypothetical example, and Colgan is much better at making links than I am, but it does illustrate how the book is laid out. In fact, every single chapter, including the final chapter which houses the acknowledgements and dedications, is written in a loop. Must’ve been challenging to plan, but it’s well-executed.