Re: OT: Books on writing?

["Patricia M. Godfrey" priscamg@xxxxxxxx]

Harry Binswanger wrote:
> And you have to have way more knowledge, even on the specific
> topic, than what you include in your piece.
Indeed. That's why the preliminary research takes so long. And as
I learned when trying to do brief entries on historical subjects
for encyclopedias, if you're really honest you'll tell the
publisher: "This cannot be covered accurately in this space,
because there is so much legitimate controversy over what exactly
happened when, and who did what."
> Incidentally, I recall that AR liked Dorothy
> Sayers' mysteries, and recommended an interesting piece Sayers wrote
> about the difference between mystery writing and horror stories.
Surprising in one respect (Sayers was an orthodox, if not very
practicing, Anglo-Catholic), but not in another (she was as
tough-minded and logical as they come). In the essay "Problem
Picture," in _Unpopular Opinions_, she connects the popularity of
the detective story with the current (and still current) idea
that we are presented with problems that have solutions, whereas
she argued that reality was far more complex than that. But I
cannot recall any discussion of detective story and horror story.
Of course, a lot of Sayers is out of print.

--
Patricia M. Godfrey
PriscaMG@xxxxxxxx