Why I write. Thoughts on the craft of fiction is a collection of 26 fairly short essays in which authors explain why they write. Among the more famous contributors are names such as David Foster Williams, Ann Patchett, Jane Ann Philips, Richard Ford and William Vollmann, etc. According to comments by authors in the essays, the authors were apparently left very freely to decide how to write their essays, while they wereome contributors seem generously paid for their contributions. Some contributors seem to have taken this authorial liberty to the limit and produced some pretty awful postmodern trash. However, most authors provide a neat, short essay explaining their motivations to write. There is also one essay which celebrates the reputation of Alan Gurganus as a creative writing tutor. Interesting for a wide readership. ( )

Amazing essays from different writers. Some are brilliant and made me want to look the authors up to see what else they had written. Others are not so interesting but overall this is a great read! ( )

Thoughful and illuminating essays from a variety of writers. While some of the essays are so horribly self-indulgent as to be almost unreadable, most of them are wonderful gems of insight for any serious writer or reader. ( )

Love, love, love this book. Made me laugh; made me cry. ( )