Revisionaries: What We Can Learn from the Lost, Unfinished, and Just Plain Bad Work of Great Writers

“A pocket-size book of wonders. . . . Both astute and empathetic.”—Wall Street Journal

Find creative inspiration in this fascinating rummage through the wastebaskets, secret diaries, and abandoned files of 20 literary superstars.

If you like to write—whether it’s a pastime, a passion, or a profession—you’ve probably found yourself reading something brilliant and thinking, “I could never do this! I might as well give up.” But if there’s one thing every great author has in common, it’s this: they’ve all written some hot garbage.

In Revisionaries, a writing expert takes you on an engrossing tour through the discarded drafts, false starts, and abandoned projects of influential writers. In the process, he dismantles some of our most deeply held—and most suffocating—ideas about what it takes to produce great creative work. You’ll learn that:

• Franz Kafka lacked confidence
• Octavia Butler had writer's block
• F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote bad drafts
• Ralph Ellison got overwhelmed
• Louisa May Alcott got off to a bad start
• And more deep, dark secrets about the authors you most admire

Written by an award-winning novelist and creative-writing professor, Revisionaries is a compelling peek behind the scenes of genius for writers and readers alike.