Creativity and 'The Paris Review' Interviews: A Discourse Analysis of Famous Writers' Composing Practices centers around a thematic discourse analysis of a 2000-page corpus of ‘Paris Review’ interviews, focusing on the creative processes of some of the world's most famous fiction-writers and poets. The discourse analysis traces elements of the paradigmatic creative-process model - first insight, preparation, incubation, insight, verification - through the focal artists’ descriptions of their composing practices as embedded in the interview transcripts. That analysis also reveals multiple and significant emergent themes germane to fiction and poetry writing. The ultimate goal of this analysis is to identify patterns relevant to the aforementioned creative-process elements and themes that are suggestive of specific strategies writers can employ to facilitate their own composing acts - whether fictional, poetic, or expository. Such findings will also benefit teachers seeking to facilitate student success in the composition classroom.

In addition to the sheer pleasure and fascination derived from reading about famous authors’ reflections on the creation of their masterworks, this book provides a catalog of specific environmental conditions, behavioral routines, and cognitive practices that can productively expand the repertoires of writers and writing teachers alike.