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A review by owenwilsonbaby
Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
‘[…] but the disclaimer that genius cannot be taught, which most teachers and authors seem to be feel must be stated as early and as abruptly as possible, is the real death knell of hope. He had longed to hear that there was some real magic about writing, and to be initiated into the brotherhood of authors.’
Generally I have a mixed relationship with craft books. I was supposed to read this back in October for my course as preparatory reading. I only just finished it! The language is a little dense and this takes you out of the flow sometimes but I think that can be chalked up to this being an older text compared to other craft books I have read in recent years. I really like the focus on personal blocks and improvements, as it felt like a more holistic approach to caring for both the writer and their writing - it reminded me of Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones in that way. Ultimately I’m glad I read this. It felt encouraging but also grounded in the struggle of wanting to do something creative and yet feeling cut off from that process.
Generally I have a mixed relationship with craft books. I was supposed to read this back in October for my course as preparatory reading. I only just finished it! The language is a little dense and this takes you out of the flow sometimes but I think that can be chalked up to this being an older text compared to other craft books I have read in recent years. I really like the focus on personal blocks and improvements, as it felt like a more holistic approach to caring for both the writer and their writing - it reminded me of Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones in that way. Ultimately I’m glad I read this. It felt encouraging but also grounded in the struggle of wanting to do something creative and yet feeling cut off from that process.