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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
funny
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Thoughts: Okay, seriously, EVERY WRITER should read this book. First, I’ll say this, it’s a fast read, though I found myself forcefully slowing down because as much as I was absorbing it at a clip I consciously wanted to soak it in. Second, I think it’s an excellent reminder and reality check on what it means to be a writer. Sure, we all have the dream of hitting it big—multiple full manuscript requests on querying, sign with your dream agent, hit a huge book deal on sub, book sales are an international success and next thing you know your book is being optioned in Hollywood for screen adaptation. Cool. But the reality is, that is rare. Like, seriously needle in a haystack, kind-of-thing.
So why write? Well, because you have the big dream. But really you have to be able to go deeper in answering that question as a writer, which is what this book is about. This book is a gentle reminder to get back to basics as a writer (definitely dream, and dream big!) but remember to keep your North Star. Stay grounded in the present because that’s where you will do your best writing. Ask yourself: Why do you love storytelling? What is it about the story and the characters in your head that needs to find its place in the world? Who are you writing for? Who are you trying to reach? It’s a bit philosophical and existential but essential to have some answers to these questions to progress in your writing journey.
I found myself breathing a deep sigh of relief reading this book. Sometimes it can feel chaotic being a writer. There are so many moving parts, whether you’re traditional or self-pub. But this book encourages focusing on the things you can actually control, stepping out of the fray of all the white noise, and delving deeper into the building blocks of storytelling.
Triggers: Reality check for writers.
So why write? Well, because you have the big dream. But really you have to be able to go deeper in answering that question as a writer, which is what this book is about. This book is a gentle reminder to get back to basics as a writer (definitely dream, and dream big!) but remember to keep your North Star. Stay grounded in the present because that’s where you will do your best writing. Ask yourself: Why do you love storytelling? What is it about the story and the characters in your head that needs to find its place in the world? Who are you writing for? Who are you trying to reach? It’s a bit philosophical and existential but essential to have some answers to these questions to progress in your writing journey.
I found myself breathing a deep sigh of relief reading this book. Sometimes it can feel chaotic being a writer. There are so many moving parts, whether you’re traditional or self-pub. But this book encourages focusing on the things you can actually control, stepping out of the fray of all the white noise, and delving deeper into the building blocks of storytelling.
Triggers: Reality check for writers.
"You have to give from the deepest part of yourself, and you are going to have to go on giving, and the giving is going to have to be its own reward. There is no cosmic importance to your getting something published, but there is in learning to be a giver."
I picked this up at my local bookstore without realizing I had read it in high school since it now has a different cover. At the end of the day, all books on writing say the same thing: just start writing. As someone who wants to write a novel, I keep reading books on writing to put off the writing so then the advice slaps me in the face. Still, I did fully enjoy this and there are several parts I needed to hear such as when Lamott discusses how important not writing is as well. Writers need that break to fill up and want to write again. We can't force creativity no matter how much we make ourselves believe that we can. Overall a great addition to my personal library.
I picked this up at my local bookstore without realizing I had read it in high school since it now has a different cover. At the end of the day, all books on writing say the same thing: just start writing. As someone who wants to write a novel, I keep reading books on writing to put off the writing so then the advice slaps me in the face. Still, I did fully enjoy this and there are several parts I needed to hear such as when Lamott discusses how important not writing is as well. Writers need that break to fill up and want to write again. We can't force creativity no matter how much we make ourselves believe that we can. Overall a great addition to my personal library.
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
This book is exactly as advertised: "some instructions on writing and life". Like everything artistic, the advice here applies not just to one subject but can be interpreted to apply to anything in our lives. The simplicity of the instruction enables this to apply to how we live.
This book does cover a bit of "how" of the writing process but it is more about the "why". This book will probably give you a reason to write- a reason to live as a writer. Or this book will clarify the reason you think you want to be a writer. In any case, pick this book up and read it. Read it even if you have no interest in writing.
This book does cover a bit of "how" of the writing process but it is more about the "why". This book will probably give you a reason to write- a reason to live as a writer. Or this book will clarify the reason you think you want to be a writer. In any case, pick this book up and read it. Read it even if you have no interest in writing.
Loved. Timely rescue for writer's block and life.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This book is a love letter to writers and storytellers the world over and I cannot speak highly enough of it. It’s one of those books that I will pick up and read once a year to remind myself of why I write and measure my growth up against it.
As I am not an aspiring novelist or creative writer of any kind it seems only fair to admit upfront that I might not exactly be Lamott's ideal audience, though I am interested in other forms of writing and hey, the title itself claims that this is as much about "life" as "writing," right?
And there were sections and even whole chapters that I will continue to carry with me, that inspired me or made me pause for a moment in consideration or even made me guffaw out loud (no easy feat). I took this up in the first place after a conversation with a cousin of mine, a creative writing teacher and accomplished writer in her own right, and confided some of the problems I faced while writing my thesis. She told me Lamott's anecdote that gives this text its name, and recommended I give it a look when I have a chance. And she was absolutely right—it was exactly the advice I could have used to maintain some kind of perspective during the thesis-writing process.
So it definitely wasn't the content that was the problem here—I quickly skimmed the chapters that seemed less applicable for me and gave my full attention to sections that were relevant to my own situation. So I'll just put it bluntly: I just don't like Lamott's writing style. AT ALL. In fact, it's the type of writing style that I generally despise and avoid as much as possible—kind of banter-y and hyper self-aware, peppered with lots of pop culture references that are instantly dated, and relentlessly (and I mean relentlessly) self-deprecating. Not that I can't see the massive appeal of this approach—it creates an almost instantaneous sense of intimacy, as if the author has been your best friend for years and years and years and all of this is personal advice being told to you during a lengthy conversation on the phone.
In other words, it's exactly the style a bazillion creative writing students strive to replicate in their own work, which is why I now understand why Lamott's name was always mentioned in hushed, almost reverential tones in the creative writing department back when I was an undergrad. I have mentioned elsewhere my distaste for this type of writing, and to be fair, Lamott is certainly the best—and most readable—writer of this style I have ever come across. It's just that reading this took me back almost instantly to all of the mundane pieces that were dutifully workshopped in every creative writing classes I have ever taken (of which my own contributions were just as mundane, I'll be the first to admit) and which has been seeping with increasing frequency into more official venues (Salon.com, Huffington Post, etc), much to my dismay. So my apologies to Ms. Lamott—in many ways I'm faulting her writing not on its own merits but on the pale imitations that she helped inspire, but in the end it was just something I could never quite manage to get around.
And there were sections and even whole chapters that I will continue to carry with me, that inspired me or made me pause for a moment in consideration or even made me guffaw out loud (no easy feat). I took this up in the first place after a conversation with a cousin of mine, a creative writing teacher and accomplished writer in her own right, and confided some of the problems I faced while writing my thesis. She told me Lamott's anecdote that gives this text its name, and recommended I give it a look when I have a chance. And she was absolutely right—it was exactly the advice I could have used to maintain some kind of perspective during the thesis-writing process.
So it definitely wasn't the content that was the problem here—I quickly skimmed the chapters that seemed less applicable for me and gave my full attention to sections that were relevant to my own situation. So I'll just put it bluntly: I just don't like Lamott's writing style. AT ALL. In fact, it's the type of writing style that I generally despise and avoid as much as possible—kind of banter-y and hyper self-aware, peppered with lots of pop culture references that are instantly dated, and relentlessly (and I mean relentlessly) self-deprecating. Not that I can't see the massive appeal of this approach—it creates an almost instantaneous sense of intimacy, as if the author has been your best friend for years and years and years and all of this is personal advice being told to you during a lengthy conversation on the phone.
In other words, it's exactly the style a bazillion creative writing students strive to replicate in their own work, which is why I now understand why Lamott's name was always mentioned in hushed, almost reverential tones in the creative writing department back when I was an undergrad. I have mentioned elsewhere my distaste for this type of writing, and to be fair, Lamott is certainly the best—and most readable—writer of this style I have ever come across. It's just that reading this took me back almost instantly to all of the mundane pieces that were dutifully workshopped in every creative writing classes I have ever taken (of which my own contributions were just as mundane, I'll be the first to admit) and which has been seeping with increasing frequency into more official venues (Salon.com, Huffington Post, etc), much to my dismay. So my apologies to Ms. Lamott—in many ways I'm faulting her writing not on its own merits but on the pale imitations that she helped inspire, but in the end it was just something I could never quite manage to get around.
Okay, this was delightful. Lots of helpful writerly info nestled in a fun and interesting narrative.