If a non-fiction book doesn’t interest you in the first 10 pages it never will. Non fiction rarely starts out slow or dull and gets better.
-
-
Replying to @nytdavidbrooks @tylercowen
Exception: autobiographies. Sometimes lives start slow.
4 replies 3 retweets 138 likes -
In my experience, autobiographies are usually much more exciting in the early going than biographies. So many biographers feel an overwhelming obligation to begin by telling you all about the various grand uncles and second cousins of their subjects. Autobiographers don't.
1 reply 2 retweets 17 likes -
Replying to @MathPrinceps @tylercowen and
How helpful do you think knitting distant relatives is to give more context to people's lives though?
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
The key principle for a biographer to bear in mind is that a good story includes no needless parts -- and that readers only remember good stories. It's futile to insert things (and characters) merely because they make a story "more complete." No one will remember these things.
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.