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raquel_reading_stuff's review
2.0
This book seemed like it was going to be a really interesting collection of writings by different authors ABOUT WRITING. Most of the. Just ended up being semi-reflective narratives about short periods in their lives or completely random little essays about their own interests. I wanted to read ABOUT WRITING. Not the writer's life, not the writer's hobbies, and not random writers' back stories. The problem was that a lot of the time, the different authors weren't even talking about the same subject matter. A third thought they were to be writing about how certain things in their lives influenced their writing, a third were reflecting on how writing and their lives are intertwined, and a third thought it was some sort of interview about their lives/habits. If I wanted to read a magazine article talking about what a writer does in her or his pastime, then I will buy myself a book called WRITERS ON THE WRITER'S LIFE. But it don't want to read about them; I want their insight and creativity talking about writing or the creative process. In a book called WRITERS ON WRITING, Is that too much to ask? This book end up doing the thing that some writers are totally okay with: muddling readers about how to view their lives as writers and keeping the trade of WRITING seemingly a mystery that one can't really figure out unless they too write a book. I expected better.
eve81's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
A few of the authors have used the essays to write about issues that aren’t directly about their writing process, which I found frustrating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, and Cancer
kelseyorzel's review
3.0
2.5/5 stars. It is a little difficult for me to review this as it is an anthology of essays. In general, I dislike anthologies such as this one - they're just not my cup of tea. However, compared to other similar anthologies I have read, this one is better than many. There were several authors in here whose work I really enjoy, which sparked my interest in specific essays. I found numerous essays in here really interesting or entertaining, however there were also plenty that I did not particularly like. I cannot fault this particular book however, because that is to be expected with a collection of any works. Overall, I think I benefitted from several of the essays, but was left unimpressed/uninterested in (probably) close to the same number.
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