Chapters 53-58 Summary

In these short chapters the editor has placed many of Twain's remarks on writing and the issues writers face. He describes his process for writing a book and says that he will write on a book as long as the book will write itself. When it stalls, he lays it aside. The first time he found he could do that was when he wrote Tom Sawyer. He knew there was more to write, but it stalled in the middle. After a rest, he was able to finish it easily.

Twain says he never had to work at a book. His book 1601 was originally a joke he wrote to a friend. The friend found it so funny that he began to pass it around, and finally it was printed.

Two issues are pet peeves of his. One is copyright law. He feels...