Song Exploder

Book Exploder: Susan Orlean - The Library Book

Aug 3, 2022
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INSIGHT

Choosing A Narrative Anchor

  • Susan Orlean framed The Library Book around the 1986 Los Angeles Central Library fire as a compelling narrative anchor.
  • She chose the fire angle because it offered better 'shelf appeal' than a general library history.
ADVICE

Finish Reporting Before Writing

  • Do all your reporting before you begin writing to understand the whole story backward and forward.
  • Susan Orlean spent years reporting so she could write with authority and accuracy.
INSIGHT

Fire As A Living Force

  • Susan describes fire as almost animate, a 'beast' present in California's landscape and culture.
  • Treating the fire as an acting force shaped her language and narrative choices about the blaze.
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