Rating: 
Summary: ONE FOR GEORGE FANS
Review: "Here's what I tell my students on the first day when I teach one of my creative writing courses: You will be published if you possess three qualities -talent, passion, and discipline." George has much to say about the job of writing and how she masters it. Basically, Write Away is about Elizabeth George, the writer. Her chapters address the same subjects on the craft as other writing books, but the emphasis is on her writing style and beliefs. She starts off by telling us she believes the fundamentals of fiction can be taught. Although writing can be taught, art, passion and discipline cannot. The lessons begin with an overview of "the craft." George's teachings cover characters, settings, landscape and plotting. She then moves to "The Basics," which are plotting, moving on from an idea, decisions, viewpoint, voice, dialogue, the scene, and wrapping up the loose ends about the craft, such as suspense. Part four is about the process, and part five offers "Examples and Guides." Like other writing books, George includes writing examples by famous authors, as well as many from her books. Like Stephen King's _On Writing_, which was praised as a memoir with writing lesson, George's _Write Away_ has its place on the how-to shelf. There are things novice writers can glean from writing books by popular authors like George and King. What I like most about them is that they appeal to those who would most likely never attempt to write, but do because they picked up a book on writing by their favorite author.
Rating:
Summary: ONE FOR GEORGE FANS
Review: "Here's what I tell my students on the first day when I teach one of my creative writing courses: You will be published if you possess three qualities -talent, passion, and discipline." George has much to say about the job of writing and how she masters it. Basically, Write Away is about Elizabeth George, the writer. Her chapters address the same subjects on the craft as other writing books, but the emphasis is on her writing style and beliefs. She starts off by telling us she believes the fundamentals of fiction can be taught. Although writing can be taught, art, passion and discipline cannot. The lessons begin with an overview of "the craft." George's teachings cover characters, settings, landscape and plotting. She then moves to "The Basics," which are plotting, moving on from an idea, decisions, viewpoint, voice, dialogue, the scene, and wrapping up the loose ends about the craft, such as suspense. Part four is about the process, and part five offers "Examples and Guides." Like other writing books, George includes writing examples by famous authors, as well as many from her books. Like Stephen King's _On Writing_, which was praised as a memoir with writing lesson, George's _Write Away_ has its place on the how-to shelf. There are things novice writers can glean from writing books by popular authors like George and King. What I like most about them is that they appeal to those who would most likely never attempt to write, but do because they picked up a book on writing by their favorite author.
Rating:
Summary: sound, honest and entertaining guide
Review: As someone who has written a (unpublished) book, I admire George's dedication and sense of humor toward her craft. She obviously does not suffer from the syndrome that makes writers veer from embarrassing self-deprecation to pompous claims of being a genius. There is nothing I dislike more than a novelist using a how-to guide for the purpose of complaining how he or she should be more well-known and/or critically acclaimed. George avoids the temptation of taking pot shots at her critics and instead focuses on the writing process itself. She is admirably honest about stating that what works for her won't necessarily work for everyone. Therefore, even if you can't see yourself having the same kind of self-discipline she does, you will probably still find at least part of the book useful. Where George differs from many other writers is that she writes about a place (England) where she was not raised and does not live. However, the process she uses to ensure her mysteries are realistic is interesting in and of itself. People who believe the writing process is some mysterious and murky voodoo only a few are lucky enough to know will be pleasantly surprised at how clearly George describes the writing process, even if the path that they discover works best for them is not identical.
Rating: 
Summary: Instructional and Inspirational
Review: Elizabeth's book is both instructional and inspirational. In her introduction she discusses the role of craft and art to writing. Thankfully, for those of us who lack confidence in our artistic abilities, it seems being an artist is only part of the equation. According to Elizabeth, a writer who brings talent, passion, and discipline to the table, will succeed.
This book offers a similar format to other writing instruction books, covering the obligatory, plotting, setting, characterization, etc. However, Elizabeth offers a unique perspective by discussing these issues from the perspective of what has worked for her. Based on her time proven success, the reader knows these are not just formulaic lessons somebody learned in a seminar. The examples, techniques, and advice given by Elizabeth came from years of successful publication. The book is also somewhat autobiographical, as in King's book "On Writing," and gives the reader a unique look at the inner workings of a writer's psyche.
I enjoyed reading this book, and plan to incorporate some of the tools Elizabeth has provided into my next project. My current book, "Abby and the Bicycle Caper," available at Amazon, is the product of heeding Elizabeth's advice to "write away," and is the beginning of what I hope is a continual journey towards improving my craft. I hope to continue building on this small success, using the tools Elizabeth gave me in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth reading
Review: For wannabe authors, best selling writer Elizabeth George provides an easy to follow step by step guide to writing predominantly novels. The tips seem logical and readers will have no problem employing them. Ms. George states that the key element self-discipline is necessary; many potentially talented authors do not take the time to write away, seemingly expecting a divine intervention. Instead Ms. George provides guides with specific examples and from her own journal how to overcome frustrations. Since this reviewer has no urge to write a book (not out of fear that Harriet Klausner will stop reading before fifty pages are completed or give it three stars, but out of realism that those who can't write review), I did not test the techniques offered to guide the tyro. WRITE AWAY: ONE NOVELIST'S APPROACH TO FICTION AND THE WRITING LIFE appears logical and includes in depth all the key elements needed especially in authoring a novel (characters, prime and supporting plots, background, perspective/voice, and dialogue). This is a solid self help guide for those who want to write a novel and other forms of literature, but Ms. George points out that all the instruction in the world cannot provide discipline and passion. If you don't have the fervor to write or the discipline to sit down and write, this reference book will not provide that elixir, but if you do. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth George's enthusiasm for writing will draw you in
Review: Full disclosure: Elizabeth George is one of my all-time favorite mystery writers --- actually, George, like the others on that shortlist (including P.D. James and Ruth Rendell), writes in a more specific arm of the genre, known as the "literary mystery." What this means to readers is that the books these authors produce have complex characters, beautifully constructed (sometimes intricate) plots and fine, subtle use of language that manages to simultaneously contribute to the mystery at hand and to delight on its own. What this means to writers is that Elizabeth George knows her stuff. How well she knows it is readily apparent in WRITE AWAY: One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life, because she grounds most of her instructional examples in excerpts from great literature, including classics like TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and modern suspense/thriller novels such as MYSTIC RIVER. George taught English at El Toro High School in Huntington Beach, California for over a decade before turning her back away from the lectern and towards her computer screen in the mid-1980s, and she now frequently teaches creative writing. Her pedantry is of the pleasant variety, meant not to bury potential writers but to encourage them. Still, this book does have its pedantic moments, especially as George elucidates her process. One of the most important parts of her process is creating a "character map" before she begins her first draft. As she explained why and how she does this, it made perfect sense --- for her. I love reading literary mysteries, but they are not a genre I'm likely to write myself. WRITE AWAY, at first, seemed to me to be an excellent way to learn about how to write an Elizabeth George novel. Indeed, it's not as if she's hiding what she's doing: her subtitle says it all. And she begins each chapter with a brief section from one of her own journals kept while writing in order to show that even published authors get the blues. Yet, from the moment I began to read George's book, I was drawn in by her enthusiasm for writing. She may have been describing what works for her, but her energy and excitement made me want to discover what works best for me. George is quite right when she says that she is puzzled by those who believe writing can't be taught; it is, after all, at least halfways a craft. In the sections where she discusses different techniques as "tools" and says that using these well is part of a building process, she reminded me that artisanal skill can be just as important as artistic inspiration. George also reminds would-be, struggling and working writers that all the art and craft in the world can't help if you don't have discipline; her chapter titled "The Value of Bum Glue" (that colorful noun taken from Australian bestselling author Bryce Courtenay) should be read by every writer and writing student in the country. But one of the last things she hits on, while not new under the sun, is made urgent again by her own thoughtful, elegant prose: "Lots of people want to have written; they don't want to write. In other words, they want to see their name on the front cover of a book and their grinning picture on the back. But this is what comes at the end of a job, not at the beginning. To reach that end you have to be willing just to set it aside, knowing that it may never happen at all but not much caring because it's the writing that matters to you; it's the mystery and the magic of putting words on paper that are truly important. If you don't feel this way, then you want to be an author, not a writer." On one hand, I wonder why she didn't put that up front. On the other, I see exactly why she saved these words for last. Great mystery writer that she is, Elizabeth George has forced us to march through the forest tree by tree before revealing her secret. --- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I am very impressed with this book on "Learning the Craft of Writing"
It is extremely practical, user-friendly and personal. A wonderful contribution. I feel blessed to have it (her) as a tutor.
Thank you Elizabeth George!
Rating:
Summary: Johnny Dodds MisInformed Review
Review: I found this book to be quite enlightening. Yes, it is her method, but it is obviously a successful one. There's certainly no fluff in this unlike some "how-tos" by other "famous" authors. The method described has been created and refined over her years as a successful author. Even if she's not a "bestseller", she must be accomplished enough to publish as many books as she has, and in hardcover no less! Johnny Dodd stating that 99% of what's published is crap is just opinion, and not a very educated one at that. Tell me this, Johnny, if 99% of what's published is crap, then how did it get published at all? If it's so obvious to you, why wouldn't it be obvious to everyone else? And editors? And reviewers/critics, etc.? Hmmm...
I say, thanks Ms. George, for putting yet another unique spin on the process and perhaps taking some of the mystery out of a mystical profession.
Rating:
Summary: An easy and practical guide to writing
Review: I had never heard of Elizabeth George, but I saw the book in my library, among the most popular books section. I liked it from page one. It is written in an easy conversational tone, and is full to the brim of Ms. George's tricks of the trade. I like her idea of sketching the characters first and then build a story around them, which is really the best way of writing if you think about it. She also give very down to earth advice on how to structure chapters, paragraphs, and even sentences for best results. The ideas are intuitively very clever, so it would be very little effort for anyone to incorporate them in their writing.
Ms. George is a mystery writer, but the book is written for the a general writing audience. If their is one complaint I have it is that the examples are very long, too long. They would work to better effect if they were shorter. It is almost as if she wanted to fill out space.
I divide writing books in four categories: how to start writing and overcoming writer's block, grammars and usage books, craft of writing books, and specialist or genre writing books. This book fits in the third category.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Good
Review: I have never read a novel by Elizabeth George and don't think I ever would. The reason I see no purpose for this book is because it's no different than the hundreds of others "how to be a writer" books. The main flaw I have with this book is her dishonesty. On one hand, she admits that writers with passion and talent and discipline will get published, and that those with passion and talent won't- but those with passion and discipline will, as well as those with talent and discipline. And she admits that you don't need talent nor passion to be published, just discipline. Okay, then- the persistence of mediocrity is an obvious problem with published writers, so who are they then? George gives many examples on what she thinks consists of good writing, dialogue, description, etc. So where are the examples of bad writing? One cannot possibly learn and understand the good without learning the bad and why it's bad. She should have given examples of the so-called contemporary writers who fill the shelves (which she admits more than once for being bad)and show why. But she doesn't do that because she doesn't want to make enemies. 2ndly, what she lists as good writers is a joke- Maya Angelou? Maybe she's a good Hallmark card writer, but certainly she's not a good poet or prosist. Barbara Kingsolver she links next to Faulkner- c'mon, Liz! Barbara is obviously her pal and wants to help her book sales. I would not buy this book, and I discourage anyone wanting to persue writing to read this. She does not talk about the bad- and this is the most important thing a new writer should learn- that 99% of published stuff is junk and won't be remembered 5 mins after the author is dead. I recommend Loren Eiseley for a great writer to learn from. Study the technique of great writers by actually reading them- not low-brow "how to" books by mediocre "best-selling" authors.
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