With the constant theme of the mysterious process of creativity running through its essays, this book discusses the work of some much admired 20th-century writers--Graham Greene, James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, Henry Green, Kingsley Amis, Vladimir Nabokov, and Anthony Burgess. The book addresses the situation of the contemporary novelist, both aesthetically and institutionally, and describes the pleasures of the novelistic text. It considers the different techniques required to work on a novel and a screenplay, focusing on the problems that arise between the idea and the performance. Some of the book's essays discuss academic literary studies, including structuralist and post-structuralist critical theory. The dominant emphasis of the book is on the "practice" of writing. The book contains criticism that tries to demystify and shed light on the creative process. It is intended to be of interest and value for students and teachers of literature, creative writing, and media studies, but is also intended for the general reader. It concludes with extracts from the diary the author kept while his play, "The Writing Game" was making its way to the footlights. (NKA)