221 reviews for:

Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories

Charlie Jane Anders

4.24 AVERAGE

lottie1803's review against another edition

4.5

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

zumbador's review against another edition

4.0

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Solid writing advice for both beginner and experienced writers. Deals with the emotional side of writing like dealing with imposter syndrome, how to stay motivated, how to find your joy in writing, as well as practical tips on character creation, outlining, story structure and plotting.  Common sense and kind advice. 

professor_penwing's review against another edition

5.0

funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

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Required reading for every storyteller, every creative, living in the 21st Century. 

kalagrace's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 10%

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Specifically for writers, I thought it would be directed more broadly toward all creative work. 

jwells's review against another edition

funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective

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This book touches on some topics that are not typically covered in writing advice manuals. For example, the discussion around tone would have saved me a lot of time as a beginning writer. Yes, it may take a couple of drafts to get the tone of a novel down, and then you have to get it consistent. 

It makes me want to put the book down and go write, which is the best feature a writing advice book can have. 💗

thomas_edmund's review against another edition

5.0

funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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I’m probably going to butcher the history of this book – but my understanding is that it evolved out of an idea for a series of essays on the topic of writing during tough times and what it evolved into was Charlie Jane Ander’s ‘on-writing’ book with a central theme of getting through those tough times with stories. 

Technically its all “inspired” (provoked) by 2020’s Covid-19 global pandemic but I feel like even 5 years later this book is only more relevant. I like Ander’s perspective which is essentially to provide permission to create anything, in particularly confronting that pressure we give ourselves to create relevant art for stressful times. In fact she argues that irrelevant art is almost more important during such times. 

The rest of the on-writing advice is all fire as well. One key point that stuck in my head was pointing out that part of the benefit of rewriting a story draft is you now know (assuming you don’t change it all lol) the significance of things like the last time that two characters interact in the story, or key scenes before a death. 

The other strength of this book is examining themes and politics. As mentioned before Ander’s is of the opinion that you don’t need to write directly on the bad times you live through, but she has great points (perhaps I say this because I align with them) about how in some respects all writing is political, by depicting relationships and events and showing your takes on case and effect you say something political. 

All in all, a very recommended on-writing book really glad I stumbled across this one. 

the_chronic_librarian's review against another edition

4.0

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While I didn't personally connect with much of the nuts and bolts of writing a novel, the core meditations on the rebellion and self discovery of writing were interesting and well put.

adesinabrown's review against another edition

4.5

funny informative inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

jskuiken's review against another edition

4.0

funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

bfar13's review against another edition

4.5

funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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Anders is super geeky and generous. I enjoyed reading her reflections on writing and storytelling, why that's important especially in challenging times, and writing tips. One I'd get for my library to refer to. I found myself going to read a bit from the book and feeling encouraged and inspired to write more often than not. Nothing more you can ask for from a writing instruction book!