The Writing Class by Jincy Willett
Writers find writers endlessly fascinating. Is it because we want to compare ourselves to others? Even though, if the writer is at all honest, we know that no two writers are exactly alike, that our work will be different and that our skills differ. We still are fascinated. I’ve included myself in that, because I am a writer, and I too respond this way. And I’ve gone into this because The Writing Class plays on this a bit.
Jincy Willett
What would happen if a pathological menace were hidden under the sufrace of one of the students in a writing class? Especially since writing classes that include open critiquing can be bruising to one’s ego?
Willett takes this emotionally charged situation and tells an engaging mystery story. It starts out with acts of petty malice, the sort people usually brush off or don’t talk about. But just as Willett builds on her observations about writing in general (making the book a bit of a study course for a writer-reader, but in the most entertaining way), she also builds up the underlying resentment of the perpetrator. The bitter resentment of thwarted ambition drives the story’s villain, on of those “Why can’t I get published?” angry ones.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Writing Class. I liked the discussions the characters have regarding each others’ works. But I especially liked the main character of the teacher, a published novelist who has lost her inspiration and so lives by teaching and editing.
Will non-writers enjoy this story? I think so, as it is a nicely crafted mystery wrapped up in a genuine picture of the different ways that writers come to their work. Get comfortable, curl up, and join the Writing Class of Amy Gallup.
