Video of the Day: Learn to Write from Lemony Snicket

Meredith Heuer

Lemony Snicket

At author readings, young fiction writers often leave disenchanted, because people are always going on about the book. Who has time to read? You want to know about the writing process, about the physical act of getting the words on the page, specifically that magical quality or thing or bit of advice that will put you the fast-track to Zyzzyva sending you an e-mail for once. Sure, you could go to writing school -- so go there. Tonight, at a bona fide writing class (CW 520, according to the syllabus) taught by an esteemed professor (Robert Glück) at an esteemed school (the S.F. State Creative Writing Department), which is open to the public one night a week. All that's needed is a big-shot author you can machine gun questions at. How about Daniel Handler?

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Did your jaw just shatter on the ground? At Writers on Writing: Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler sets up camp at the front of the class to discuss his "creative process" (again, syllabus), along with his excellent and well received new Snicket book, Who Could That Be at This Hour? Now is not the time to be shy; you have every right as a fake student to raise your hand and bellow things like, "Do you work in the morning?" "Computer or ballpoint?" "What should I do about adverbs?" "Writing drunk: pros and cons, please!" You can also ask about his new book. He'd probably prefer that.

Writers on Writing: Lemony Snicket starts Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway (at 19th Ave.), S.F. Admission is free.