How to Become a Writer

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“How to Become a Writer” by contemporary American author Lorrie Moore is a short story that utilizes everyday Realism within a second-person “how-to” point of view to explore themes of Identity Through Purpose, Sex Versus Romantic Love and Pain and Suffering of the Artist. These themes run through Moore’s body of work. First published as part of her debut story collection, Self Help, in March 1985, “How to Become a Writer” follows the life of aspiring writer Francie from her teenaged to her middle-aged years. She both laments her writerly life and finds solace in it.

Self Help launched Moore’s career, surprising critics with its acute attention to detail and its parody of the widespread self-help industry. Self Help was quickly followed by an experimental novel, Anagrams. Moore has written 12 books over a well-regarded career of more than 40 years and her work explores the lives of women and mothers in modern America. Her best-known book, Birds of America, was the winner of the Irish Times international fiction prize.