Reviews

The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear by Ralph Keyes

fandom4ever's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.25

I’m so glad I found out about this book! It was a wonderful, fast read that can give anyone wishing to write or even create some much needed optimism. This is by no means a self-help book or even a how-to book on getting past your fears. Instead it’s simply a book that talks about the very real fear inside anyone who wishes to write. It talks about how fear has crushed many would-be writers who let how scared they were stop them. I appreciated that it talked about how most of the time, the most determined get published, not the most talented. You have to want that end result more than you let any fear cripple you. The Courage to Write also helps to try and get you to know yourself better, to find out what really scares you and how you can push on despite that. Keyes tells us that fear is a part of the writing process and you shouldn’t really want to destroy it completely. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by fear or feeling that ‘no one else can feel this way when it comes to writing’, then you should pick this up. Keyes cites many authors and poets and how they’ve all felt the same things, and gives what they’ve done to continue on. It’s comforting to know you’re not alone in this. And to know we’re all more fearful of showing our true writing selves than we are of actually writing. 

igne_ale's review

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

theatb's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

4.0

This book is excellent to use when you feel stuck in your writing process. I enjoyed reading about the author's experiences as well as the experiences of other writers.

cjdawn236's review against another edition

4.0

At times while reading this book I felt like Keyes was speaking directly to me. This is a great book for anyone who wants to write, but is worried about now being "good enough."

shiradest's review

3.0

Guilty as Charged...

This book was Horrifyingly accurate. The fear that stalks me all the time looks over my shoulder as I write this pitifully short review, twisting my stomach into a very tiring knot.

I must get to my revision, but I think I find it far easier and a little bit more interesting, or at least less stressful, to get back to my comparison of Victor Hugo's Notre dame de Paris in the French next to Nesrin Altınova's Turkish translation (at least I feel less guilty doing that than simply pacing the floor to avoid my 3rd draft...).

In Guilt,
Shira
10 February, 12017 HE

thems0kitty's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

2.0

deboram23's review against another edition

informative reflective fast-paced

4.75

readingspells's review against another edition

5.0

If you write in any way shape or form then you HAVE to read this book. Page after page, chapter after chapter I felt like this book was written AT me. Not only did I come away from reading this book feeling better about the issues and difficulties I have with my writing but I also felt enthused to get on and write more. I think for the first time ever I truly understood myself as a writer.

Mollyxxx

cifritz's review

5.0

I moved to a smaller apartment and 99% of my books are in boxes in a storage unit. This book is one of them. I have had it for years and never read it, until now and am glad that I finally did. Keyes does an excellent job in breaking down the reasons why writers don't write and offers what works/worked for other writers. It was incredibly helpful without being a "how-to" sort of book while offering words of encouragement.

theilliteratebookseller's review against another edition

5.0

Definitely one of the 3 most helpful books on writing I’ve ever read.