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donasbooks's review
4.0
Instagram Review - http://www.instagram.com/p/CFL1fJZA9jd/
Eric Maisel, the man who wrote Deep Writing and a slew of other books, is a mental health professional, and a really, really nice man. I open the review with this because I read Deep Writing during one of my many writers blocks, back when I struggled with that. One part of his book broke me wide open. When I look at that passage from one angle, it becomes obvious that it's a power psychological exercise and it adapts perfectly into a creative exercise.
Also, the nice man part -- I emailed Dr. Maisel to say thanks for the plumb job, and he emailed back to say, "You're welcome." I thought that was pretty swell.
This book has value, I'm sure of it. But also, I have to tell you about the six writers. Throughout this book, Maisel tells you about six writers. I think they're meant to be examples of his theories at work in differing situations and their content takes up a huge portion of the book. In the form it was all presented, I found the stories difficult to follow, and I really found the whole concept irrelevant to the book.
In general, for writers who are struggling with a particular project, with discovering their voice, or who are struggling with block as I was, this book is useful. You may find yourself skipping over sections or around the text, so if that kind of reading bothers you, this may not be a good selection for you.
Be safe out there, fellow writers. Remember your masks and your hands! Stay bookish, stay resilient!
Eric Maisel, the man who wrote Deep Writing and a slew of other books, is a mental health professional, and a really, really nice man. I open the review with this because I read Deep Writing during one of my many writers blocks, back when I struggled with that. One part of his book broke me wide open. When I look at that passage from one angle, it becomes obvious that it's a power psychological exercise and it adapts perfectly into a creative exercise.
Also, the nice man part -- I emailed Dr. Maisel to say thanks for the plumb job, and he emailed back to say, "You're welcome." I thought that was pretty swell.
This book has value, I'm sure of it. But also, I have to tell you about the six writers. Throughout this book, Maisel tells you about six writers. I think they're meant to be examples of his theories at work in differing situations and their content takes up a huge portion of the book. In the form it was all presented, I found the stories difficult to follow, and I really found the whole concept irrelevant to the book.
In general, for writers who are struggling with a particular project, with discovering their voice, or who are struggling with block as I was, this book is useful. You may find yourself skipping over sections or around the text, so if that kind of reading bothers you, this may not be a good selection for you.
Be safe out there, fellow writers. Remember your masks and your hands! Stay bookish, stay resilient!
amycrea's review
3.0
Just OK. Longer than it needed to be, and if any writer tried to do everything Maisel says you should do, you'll spend all your time doing exercises and talking to yourself rather than actually writing. A few helpful things, but for me, The War of Art is a better choice.
bookshelfsos's review
3.0
This book was a fine set of introspective techniques for beating writers block, but it wasn't what I was looking for. I originally picked this book up because of a quote from the summary on the back:
I was hoping that this book might have more technical advice for improving the quality of writing and especially for writing prose that is emotionally charged and resonant. Unfortunately there is no technical discussion of writing at all. The author seems to be addressing an audience that is trying to overcome writers block or other fears that prevent one from writing in the first place. The principles laid out here are all about preparing your mind to write openly and accessing your own emotions. It doesn't say a whole lot about how that translates to the page.
We can all write serviceably, but truly good writing - deep writing - comes from accessing that place of powerful emotions where we are most vulnerable to feelings of fear and anxiety.
I was hoping that this book might have more technical advice for improving the quality of writing and especially for writing prose that is emotionally charged and resonant. Unfortunately there is no technical discussion of writing at all. The author seems to be addressing an audience that is trying to overcome writers block or other fears that prevent one from writing in the first place. The principles laid out here are all about preparing your mind to write openly and accessing your own emotions. It doesn't say a whole lot about how that translates to the page.
xterminal's review
4.0
Eric Maisel, Deep Writing: 7 Principles that Bring Ideas to Life (Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1999)
There's not a great deal of the new to be found in Deep Writing, Eric Maisel's little how-to-get-off-your-ass-and-finally-write-your-book guide. But Maisel, who combines the actual “get off your ass and write” advice with pop psychology, a touch of New Age mysticism, and some fictional (one wonders just how fictional they are) case studies of five writers with basic, common blocking problems, writes his book in an accessible, engaging enough fashion that the average reader of how-to-write tomes should have no problems reading it again. Maisel has a passion for his subject, which is always a help when writing a how-to guide, and he comes at some of his topics so as to really get that point across; it's most easily seen in the case-study bits (though I did find myself snorting at some of the more improbable one-eighties made by at least one of those characters).
Those with a distaste for new-age spiritualism might want to avoid this, but the rest of you will at least find it enjoyable, if not overly instructive. *** ½
There's not a great deal of the new to be found in Deep Writing, Eric Maisel's little how-to-get-off-your-ass-and-finally-write-your-book guide. But Maisel, who combines the actual “get off your ass and write” advice with pop psychology, a touch of New Age mysticism, and some fictional (one wonders just how fictional they are) case studies of five writers with basic, common blocking problems, writes his book in an accessible, engaging enough fashion that the average reader of how-to-write tomes should have no problems reading it again. Maisel has a passion for his subject, which is always a help when writing a how-to guide, and he comes at some of his topics so as to really get that point across; it's most easily seen in the case-study bits (though I did find myself snorting at some of the more improbable one-eighties made by at least one of those characters).
Those with a distaste for new-age spiritualism might want to avoid this, but the rest of you will at least find it enjoyable, if not overly instructive. *** ½
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