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A review by richardleis
A Writer's Guide to Persistence: How to Create a Lasting and Productive Writing Practice by Jordan Rosenfeld
5.0
I read the Kindle version of Jordan E. Rosenfeld's wonderful A Writer's Guide to Persistence last year and then purchased it in physical form. This year I carried the book with me for a month, reading passages at work, reading chapters at home, letting it inform the writing process I've recently been in the process of building. I'm happy to report that the book is even better the second time, and especially when you have reached a point where you are writing regularly and are now creating your own writing practice or process.
Part of the reason I think Rosenfeld's book works so well is that the chapters are focused and concise. They include wonderful inspiration, sure, but they also have specific steps you can take right then, immediately, helping you to work on your process successfully. A couple personal examples:
1. There's a section in chapter 8, "Go Where You Are Welcome," about seeking synchronicity (pages 67-68.) Soon after I read this section I experienced synchronicity, a kind of deeper order revealed through the parallels in your writing with the other activities in your life, that helped me right then with a story I was working on. Now in my occasional writing diary, I make sure to highlight these moments of synchronicity.
2. On page 124 in chapter 14, "Relish Revision," Rosenfeld provides a recommended list of "a series of craft elements to focus on in each [revision] pass" (pg. 123). I was about ready to start the latest revision of a short story and had already finished a revision focused on structure, which is number 1 in her list. I was ready for the second in her list: scenes. On page 122, she suggests taking an inventory of the scenes in your story, breaking them down in a spreadsheet or other tool into who, what, where, why, when, and the result of the scene. After I did so, I discovered several issues with my story but also ways to resolve them with almost no effort. Working just on my scenes and their order, I ended up with a much stronger fourth draft of my story. Now I'm ready to tackle the next element on the list: characters.
A Writer's Guide to Persistence is full of these specific and helpful tips and tools, things that might make you pause your reading and implement immediately. I would give the book 5 stars just for her style and approach, but it's utility makes this book for me one of the most useful resources on my bookshelf.
Part of the reason I think Rosenfeld's book works so well is that the chapters are focused and concise. They include wonderful inspiration, sure, but they also have specific steps you can take right then, immediately, helping you to work on your process successfully. A couple personal examples:
1. There's a section in chapter 8, "Go Where You Are Welcome," about seeking synchronicity (pages 67-68.) Soon after I read this section I experienced synchronicity, a kind of deeper order revealed through the parallels in your writing with the other activities in your life, that helped me right then with a story I was working on. Now in my occasional writing diary, I make sure to highlight these moments of synchronicity.
2. On page 124 in chapter 14, "Relish Revision," Rosenfeld provides a recommended list of "a series of craft elements to focus on in each [revision] pass" (pg. 123). I was about ready to start the latest revision of a short story and had already finished a revision focused on structure, which is number 1 in her list. I was ready for the second in her list: scenes. On page 122, she suggests taking an inventory of the scenes in your story, breaking them down in a spreadsheet or other tool into who, what, where, why, when, and the result of the scene. After I did so, I discovered several issues with my story but also ways to resolve them with almost no effort. Working just on my scenes and their order, I ended up with a much stronger fourth draft of my story. Now I'm ready to tackle the next element on the list: characters.
A Writer's Guide to Persistence is full of these specific and helpful tips and tools, things that might make you pause your reading and implement immediately. I would give the book 5 stars just for her style and approach, but it's utility makes this book for me one of the most useful resources on my bookshelf.