Reacher Said Nothing

It had never been attempted before, and might never be done again. One man watching another man write a novel from beginning to end.
 
On September 1, 2014, in an 11th floor apartment in New York, Lee Child embarked on the twentieth book in his globally successful Jack Reacher series. Andy Martin was there to see him do it, sitting a couple of yards behind him, peering over his shoulder as the writer took another drag of a Camel cigarette and tapped out the first sentence: “Moving a guy as big as Keever wasn’t easy.” Miraculously, Child and Martin stuck with it, in tandem, for the next 8 months, right through to the bitter-sweet end and the last word, “needle”. 
 
Reacher Said Nothing is a one-of-a-kind meta-book, an uncompromising account in real time of the genesis, evolution and completion of a single work, Make Me. While unveiling the art of writing a thriller Martin also gives us a unique insight into the everyday life of an exemplary writer. From beginning to end, Martin captures all the sublime confidence, stumbling uncertainty, omniscience, cluelessness, ecstasy, despair, and heart-thumping suspense that go into writing a number-one bestseller.

“Love Jack Reacher? You'll have to enjoy this... [Andy Martin] revels in the minutiae you didn't realize you wanted to know. Shortlist It's fascinating to watch the process of writing unfolding in real time... it shouldn't work - after all writing is a predominantly mental activity - and yet it does in a way that makes you wonder why no-one's thought of doing this before... Andy Martin has created something new here: a fusion of literary criticism, biography and fly-on-the-wall meta-novel which serves as a remarkable insight into the creative process. Spectator Very entertaining. Until Child can be persuaded to publish his own version of Stephen King's On Writing , I think it will be a wise investment for anybody who wants to write popular fiction. Jake Kerridge, Daily Telegraph”

�Love Jack Reacher? You'll have to enjoy this... [Andy Martin] revels in the minutiae you didn't realize you wanted to know.�  
Shortlist 

�It's fascinating to watch the process of writing unfolding in real time... it shouldn't work - after all writing is a predominantly mental activity - and yet it does in a way that makes you wonder why no-one's thought of doing this before... Andy Martin has created something new here: a fusion of literary criticism, biography and fly-on-the-wall meta-novel which serves as a remarkable insight into the creative process.�
Spectator

�Very entertaining. Until Child can be persuaded to publish his own version of Stephen King's On Writing, I think it will be a wise investment for anybody who wants to write popular fiction.�
Jake Kerridge, Daily Telegraph

Andy Martin is the author of With Child: Lee Child and the Readers of Jack Reacher.  He writes for The Independent and The New York Times and teaches at the University of Cambridge. His book on surfing, Walking on Water, is a cult classic.

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