Why authors go wrong

Grant M. Overton's "Why Authors Go Wrong and Other Explanations" focuses on the complex nature of fiction writing, defining the creative process of novel writing as less of a 'profession' and more of a 'disease' or 'one of the most rounded forms of self-education'. The author argues that the ideas that constitute a novel do not belong to the writer, but rather, the characters and the story create themselves through an automatic process likened to a 'hypnosis' or deep self-discovery experience that gathers and transcends the writer's consciousness. The book advises aspiring writers not to listen to superficial technical advice, asserting that even the outline of a novel will be tossed aside by the narrative's own dynamics, and emphasizes that the act of writing is an intensive, satisfying, and wholesome experience of 'self-culture'.