We expect a dieting guru to be svelte, a personal trainer to sport strong muscles and the author of a book called The Writer’s Diet to produce flawless prose. In anticipation of robust critique from literary stylists, linguists and grammarians, I invited a number of people to read early drafts of this book and to cast stones both large and small. I thank these generous friends and colleagues by name in the first edition, and I renew my gratitude here.
My writing remains a glass house, of course; but I no longer fear shattered windows. Since its first publication in 2007, readers have embraced The Writer’s Diet. Some, predictably, have attacked the diet/edit analogy and questioned my fitness algorithms. Most, however, have responded exactly as I hoped they would: with a sense of humour and a grain of salt. A full list of the many people who have sent me helpful feedback about the book and website would fill several pages. I thank them all warmly.
Special thanks to Rachel Booth for early inspiration; to Lois Van Waardenburg for enduring wisdom; to Bronwen Nicholson at Pearson Education New Zealand for her act of faith in publishing the first edition; to Sam Elworthy, Anna Hodge, Katrina Duncan and the whole team at Auckland University Press for guiding this new version into print; to John Hamer for bringing the WritersDiet Test to life online; and to Richard, Claire, Peter and David – yes, and Lyra too – for keeping me fit and well-nourished in all the ways that matter most.