A Braided Heart: Essays on Writing and Form

“In the lyric essay, it all shows up. The good and the bad,” writes Miller (Tell It Slant) in this eclectic amalgam of memoir and writing guide. Miller traces her influences (William Styron’s novel Sophie’s Choice, her friend Nancy Canyon’s art) and her development as a writer, emphasizing the importance of both mastering form and of letting go. “A Case Against Courage in Creative Nonfiction” explores the “hermit crab essay,” in which essays take on an existing form, such as a to-do list or a field guide. “First Words,” meanwhile, finds Miller trying to remember the first thing she ever wrote. Miller soars when she captures such personal, vivid details as lipstick-lacquered mouths or the “film” of coffee dregs, though she’s not immune to overwriting (“the aesthetic power of instinct coupled with improvisation, of training hitched to transience,” for example). The writing advice is solid and practical, if at times puzzling, as with her discussion of metaphors that makes a case both for and against them. Aspiring writers will find some sound advice, but there isn’t much to distinguish this in a crowded field. (July)