Cirrus@Austlit

'Nigel Krauth’s book is so rich in what creative writers are seldom granted but yearn for, from inspiring quotations to insightful explanations to occasional – perhaps too occasional – revelations of his own practise, that anyone embarking on a life of what Krauth calls “the writer’s mind-work” would be foolhardy not to pack it. Experienced writers too, for Krauth’s thinking is that rare joy, it clarifies and distils what we are doing. I would’ve packed it when I first embarked on creative writing, about the same time as Krauth himself. I will still keep it near. Krauth and I met over the years on stages at festivals, and whispered snatches of encouragement and advice, mainly about my terror of accounting for myself to audiences, or critics’ reactions to our work.' (Introduction)