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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.
ericabasnicki's review
5.0
Absolutely loved this book. I’ve been writing professionally for years (journalism/technical copywriting), and the act of writing always fills me with anxiety. And yet, I keep going back to it. For the first time, this feeling has been normalised. I wish I had read this book years ago because I probably would’ve made the leap to fiction sooner. I’m just glad I’ve read it at a point where I’ve realised neither journalism or copywriting is giving me enough of a “writer’s high” anymore. The long-contemplated jump into fiction will, and I’m just going to have to accept that the anxiety comes with the territory.
jamiereadthis's review
1.0
This was a gift, and a well-meaning one, but I’m just so allergic to any kind of pandering self-help. I skimmed through it pretty quickly, and feel free to dismiss my review based on that, but there wasn’t much here that seemed valuable, like it couldn’t be tagged with a slick-talking “for the low, low price of $29.95, you too can achieve everything you ever dreamed!”
I think if you’re scared of writing, you’re still writing. I think if you’re scared of writing and you’re reading this book, you’re more interested in evasion. But maybe that’s just me.
I think if you’re scared of writing, you’re still writing. I think if you’re scared of writing and you’re reading this book, you’re more interested in evasion. But maybe that’s just me.
blueeyedshook's review
4.0
"On the one hand, anxiety is inevitable among those who put words on paper for others to read. On the other hand, fear can be transcended, can even be made part of the writing process itself."
Reading a good book on writing is all about nodding your head saying, "Yes, yes, that's exactly it." And I did that so often with this book. It's like a pep talk for writers. It may not teach you how to write or how to market or how to even get your butt in the chair...but it will teach you how to recognize the fear, realize all writers (even the most successful of them) feel the fear, and how to face it so that you can get on to writing.
This book is all about writing despite the fear and finding the courage to use the fear as motivation itself.
Also, there a slew of hilarious (or at least eccentric) anecdotes about the writers we've all read or at least heard of to make us feel not alone.
It may have not been my favorite book on writing, and it certainly took me a long time to finish for such a thin book, but it was most definitely worth reading. Whether you are writing your first book, your 10th or you write blogs and articles, I believe you'll get a lot out of this one.
Reading a good book on writing is all about nodding your head saying, "Yes, yes, that's exactly it." And I did that so often with this book. It's like a pep talk for writers. It may not teach you how to write or how to market or how to even get your butt in the chair...but it will teach you how to recognize the fear, realize all writers (even the most successful of them) feel the fear, and how to face it so that you can get on to writing.
This book is all about writing despite the fear and finding the courage to use the fear as motivation itself.
Also, there a slew of hilarious (or at least eccentric) anecdotes about the writers we've all read or at least heard of to make us feel not alone.
It may have not been my favorite book on writing, and it certainly took me a long time to finish for such a thin book, but it was most definitely worth reading. Whether you are writing your first book, your 10th or you write blogs and articles, I believe you'll get a lot out of this one.
anndouglas's review
5.0
In this practical and insightful guide, Ralph Keyes explains why writers have every right to be fearful and how successful writers manage to use that fear to their advantage.
See my related blog post, "Fear Factor".
See my related blog post, "Fear Factor".
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