Reviews

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

carvedspines's review against another edition

4.0

"Someone once told me that fear and courage are like lightning and thunder; they both start out at the same time, but fear travels faster and arrives sooner. If we just wait a moment, the requisite courage will be along shortly."

How does one put ink to paper if they are too afraid to even pick up their pen?

Writers are faced with numbing anxieties due to which they give up on their dreams of becoming a writer.

The courage to write is a book which does not show you how to defeat your fears but it asks you to be familiar and comfortable with them.
To look them in the eyes and still find ways to carry on with your life while being terrified.

teaandbooklover's review against another edition

5.0

I think almost the entire book is highlighted. Out of all the writing books I've read, this is my absolute favorite. All the quotes from famous writers that struggled with fear and procrastination were very helpful. Encouraging us to not only get past the fear, but to use it as a weapon instead of an enemy were extremely helpful too.

Just to know that other people struggle with the very same battles yet got through it is comforting. Although this book won't physically put your hand to the paper to write, it will gently lead you to the paper so that you WANT to write, and are able to harness that fear and be in control of it, instead of it controlling you.

lizla's review against another edition

3.0

I lost this book, but I was practically finished. It says some good things in accessible ways - my main problem with it was that I felt it could've been a really effective essay, and as a book it feels like one great point padded with lots of reiteration and interesting quotes.

tanyxscreams's review

3.0

It's very quotable, mostly because of all the authors quotes used, and approaches the feelings of the writer rather than the skill, as most books on writing do.
The chapters are organized; one message for each. All messages could be condensed in a single quote from the chapter.

evavroslin's review against another edition

3.0

I think at the time, in the mid-1990s, this book must have seemed revolutionary or like the author was saying something new, but since 2010, the explosion of online blogs from more contemporary (and better-known) writers has meant offering similar advice but in a more accessible way for modern readers. I don't think that "The Courage to Write" is a 'bad' book or that it's not worthwhile, but to modern readers who are expecting to be blown away or for this book to contain some earth-shattering insights as to why writing can be so difficult for them, I think they are going to find this book mildly disappointing. It is written well and it the organization is good. There are also snippets with some of the best writers of all time and memorable quotations. But other than that, I would advise folks to stick to blogs for a more contemporary take on this topic.

miasutton55's review against another edition

5.0

It spoke to me so much. Fear can be your worst enemy or your best friend when it comes to writing.

saturdaysartre's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5

djrmelvin's review against another edition

3.0

This is the book to turn to when that little voice inside your head begins to whisper (and then shout if you let it get away with it) "You? A writer?? Who do you think you're kidding??!?!?". This is the book you read when you hear that same vice as you sit down in front of a key board or pick up a pen asking, "What will my family think if they read this?", followed quickly by "What if no one but my family ever reads this?". And lastly, this is the book to read when you think that if what you are writing is "good" it would come to you in a better form, or at least more easily. This book doesn't give you writing exercises to condition your writing muscles, it doesn't teach you the mechanics of plotting and character arcs. What it does is give you antidotes and quotes from and about successful (sometimes financially, sometimes critically, sometimes both) authors and how they got past those awful moments. Some of the stories deal with the physical (when is the best time to write?), sometimes the psychological (this story is my baby, no one can love it like I do!), but they all deal with the blocks, real and imagined, that every writer faces at some point (or at too many points, in most cases).

audrarussellwrites's review against another edition

5.0

This book gets to the heart of fear and how we either use it as fuel to write or as an excuse not to write. Keyes talks about many successful authors and their daily routines and their fears. There are so many golden nuggets in this book, I photo copied them and pasted them on the wall in front of my writing desk.

So many points stuck with me but this one is closest to my heart: "In writing, as in so many pursuits, it's not the most gifted but the most determined who succeed." Keyes points out that many of the most renowned writers that we all know and love were not the most gifted, but they were the most driven.

This book is a great source of inspiration for those of us who are serious about our writing. Well worth the read.

imperfectcj's review

5.0

I thought I'd read this in college, but if I did, I retained none of it. Maybe I just needed to wait for the right time to read it. I read this book right after I read Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, and the combination was just what I needed to get me to start writing again (other than reviews on Goodreads, comments on Facebook, and nightly journal entries). I found it so encouraging to read about the writing habits and motivations of other writers. When I took up my notebook to start writing last night after the baby was asleep, I was able to recognize the jitters for what they were and not let them stop me from putting pen to paper.