Draft No. 4

Publisher's Summary

The long-awaited guide to writing long-form nonfiction by the legendary author and teacher.

Draft No. 4 is an elucidation of the writer's craft by a master practitioner. In a series of playful but expertly wrought essays, John McPhee shares insights he's gathered over his career and refined during his long-running course at Princeton University, where he has launched some of the most esteemed writers of several generations. McPhee offers a definitive guide to the crucial decisions regarding structure, diction, and tone that shape nonfiction pieces and presents extracts from some of his best-loved work, subjecting them to wry scrutiny. The result is a vivid depiction of the writing process, from reporting to drafting to revising - and revising, and revising.

More than a compendium of advice, Draft No. 4 is enriched by personal detail and charming reflections on the life of a writer. McPhee describes his enduring relationships with The New Yorker and Farrar, Straus and Giroux and recalls his early years at Time magazine. Enlivened by his keen sense of writing as a way of being in the world, Draft No. 4 is the long-awaited master class given by America's most renowned writing instructor.

©2017 John McPhee (P)2017 Recorded Books

Critic Reviews

"McPhee delivers a fine performance of this master class in nonfiction writing." (AudioFile)

McPhee is the Craft

"It is possible in managing a quote--not to say manipulating a quote--to present something that is both verbatim and false."
- John McPhee, Draft No. 4


John McPhee is a God. Not a minor deity either. A big "G" god. He isn't just good at the craft of writing nonfiction, he is the craft. Or at least that is how he seems. This perception, this read, of John McPhee only grows the more of his books, articles, etc., the reader consumes. You don't have to be passionate about geology. It is OK. McPhee is. You don't have to care about oranges. McPhee does. What happens is his writing, his interests, his ability to construct a story from the perfect characters and the right place transforms not just the object of McPhee's interest, but the reader. Am I sounding too passionate about this man? Well, of course I'm passionate. I love to read and John McPhee contains multitudes.

Not only is he the Master at the New Yorker, but he has for years (probably since I was near tit) taught writing at Princeton (where he went to school). Can you imagine? Seriously, if I could chose between a $1 million and the ability to audit his course on Creative Nonfiction (JRN 240/CWR 240), I might just say F-it to the money. He has nurtured readers and writers for years. Some of the direct fruit of the McPhee tree include:

- David Remnick (now his editor at the New Yorker)
- Richard Stengel (managing editor of Time magazine)
- Jim Kelly (former managing editor of Time)
- Robert Wright (former senior editor at The New Republic)
- Jennifer Weiner

And many, many more including at least two of his daughters (Jenny and Martha). He really is the godfather (or at least one of the godfathers) of New New Journalism. In an age when good writing seems to be as rare as good readers (dammit, I should probably scratch that pun, too easy), it is nice to read about the craftsmanship of writing from one of the masters.

'Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process' collects eight essays on writing that McPhee has published in the New Yorker (McPhee's home since before I was born). They are:

Progression - 11/14/2014
Structure - 01/14/2013
Editors & Publisher - 07/02/2012
Elicitation - 04/07/2014
Frame of Reference - 03/09/2015
Checkpoints - 02/09/2009
Draft No. 4 - 04/29/2013
Omission - 09/14/2014

19 of 23 people found this review helpful

Boring.

Honestly, this isn’t what I expected, and I felt duped once I heard him say this book contained a few articles he had written. Wasted money on something I could have googled.

The stories themselves were overwritten, and I often asked myself, “Who cares?” Not worth the time, in my opinion.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

Weak

Dated non fiction advice interwoven with pointless anecdotes. If you stare hard enough you might find one or two writing tips.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Disappointing

What was most disappointing about John McPhee’s story?

Expected more writer advice .... instead of a few sprinkles. Stories were ok, but long and not what I was looking for.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Just for the Obsessives and Completists (like me)

This is real inside baseball for the McPhee obsessives and I thought it was excellent. I am glad that he went into such detail with his process and the evolution of his creative process and the journalistic field.
This is definitely not the first McPhee you want to read. Start with Oranges and then read every one after that and finish on this one. It'll take about a year and it'll be great.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

More of a Memoir

It's more of a memoir than an instructional book on writing. It's an excruciating slow stroll through the author's career (mostly for The New Yorker) and about his writing process (like using a fountain pen and paper). While he may appreciate the feel of actually writing in the physical sense, it's hardly advice that would elevate a person's writing skills. The author also doesn't heed his own advice. He warns against making references that the author would consider common knowledge. Yet he included in the book his experience interviewing celebrities like Jackie Gleason, Richard Burton, and Elizabeth Taylor.