A Brief Book Review of “The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling” by Charles Johnson
Charles Johnson is a gifted storyteller and probably best known for his works of literary fiction, especially the National Book Award winner Middle Passage (1990). However, in this collection of 42 essays, The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling (2016), he comes across more as a hardworking, determined, and successful teacher. Though his essay style gravitates more toward professorial lecturing than emotional persuasion, this book works best when Johnson is sharing personal anecdotes. It is most instructive when he elaborates on his relationship with his mother, his mentorship by the late writer John Gardner, his wide-ranging enthusiasms as a reader and cartoonist, the utility of working in journalism, and some of his techniques and tools for masterful storytelling. I found it less compelling during the essays on philosophy later in the book, in which he tackles ideas such as the similarities and differences between Buddhism and French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialism. That said, I am grateful Johnson wrote and published this collection of essays. You will learn a lot about the “[seductive] beauty of a blank page” and how to become a better writer, whatever your genre of expression. To hear Johnson tell it, a writer needs personal experience (live a little), systematic study (read a lot), humility (revise continuously), and an open and inquisitive mind (buy a dictionary; no, seriously, buy a dictionary). I have already acquired some books referenced in this (including a dictionary) and will likely acquire more.