Returning from a "Master Writers Class with Caleb Carr" at the Center for Fiction on 47th Street-
* said more 4 hours a day a writer is producing gibberish
* talked about a number of different writers he appreciated (he's read War and Peace 3x) which seemed to be a lot of 19th century writers - but did regard both Graham Greene and William Gibson highly
* said that much of a mystery book is composed of dialogue so the dialogue has to be good
* a mystery always starts with its ending
* he compared certain successful parts of a novel to a music improvisor, who is playing a riff and then goes off and then has to figure out a way to get back into the riff
* writing is hard work
the The Alienist is an excellent NYC novel as well as disturbing mystery
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