The Laughing String collects author and playwright Stephen Evans' thoughts on writing and the writing life, both what inspires him and what makes him smile. The title comes from a poem by W. B. Yeats:
"Bred to a harder thing
Than Triumph, turn away
And like a laughing string
Whereon mad fingers play
Amid a place of stone,
Be secret and exult,
Because of all things known
That is most difficult."
The book has four sections:
The first section, Some Version of This is Funny, contains observations, sly, witty, sometimes silly, about the job and the work of writing.
The second section, Be Secret and Exult, holds quotes from other writers that move, clarify, or inspire.
The third section, You May Quote Me, is comprised of the author's longer pieces on the writing life, many of which have been first published elsewhere (Publishers Weekly, Writers Digest, etc.). The final section, Worth Failing At, collects random thoughts, opinions, and epigrams about the craft and the art.
Sometimes wry, often opinionated, always thoughtful, The Laughing String records the concerns, concepts, and convictions of an author committed to the art, though he isn't always sure why.
