If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit
Author:
Genre: Reference
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Reference
Book Type: Paperback
Kayote B. (kayote) reviewed on + 254 more book reviews
On first starting this book, it seems to ramble. Wander, ramble, not be well focused. Even by the end, I would not hold this up as an example of excellent word craft/choice or sentence design.
On the other hand, it WORKS. I realized at some point that I had been pulled in, that she was speaking to ME and I was hearing. It has yet to be seen if I can put her ideas into practice, but they rang very true. The words just rang true, so the book seemed perfectly written. Stepping back and looking at pieces it didn't, but taking it as a whole, it just is.
Her main push is you have to be true when writing. Write what you felt, and this will infect the reader with the same feeling. In fiction SEE the characters--and editing just means seeing them clearly. If you can see them, then describe what they are doing, it will work. In non-fiction (which seemed to be more what she was talking about, though she did quote someone who said a lie in fiction is more glaring than in non-fiction) you need to write what you feel. Often the first inclination is the best. When editing, if you have written from within, it will be very obvious which sentences aren't and you can then fix those.
I also liked her idea for editing a story--if you don't think a story works, set it aside. Write two more. Then go back and read the first. It will be clear what didn't work and needs fixing!
Excellent quotes through the book as well. Sometimes I felt it was proof-by-famous-person (as we used to describe in grad school), but she well contained them within the writing and seemed so excited by them it was hard not to be. Not all of them spoke to me, but usually the thrill she had had when finding a discussion that clarified something for her was infectious.
Everyone is talented, original, and has something important to say. Everyone needs to exercise imagination/creativity and a great way to do that is writing. So sit down, and write for yourself, true, and worry not about anything but writing what you feel and see, be it seen outside or in your mind.
On the other hand, it WORKS. I realized at some point that I had been pulled in, that she was speaking to ME and I was hearing. It has yet to be seen if I can put her ideas into practice, but they rang very true. The words just rang true, so the book seemed perfectly written. Stepping back and looking at pieces it didn't, but taking it as a whole, it just is.
Her main push is you have to be true when writing. Write what you felt, and this will infect the reader with the same feeling. In fiction SEE the characters--and editing just means seeing them clearly. If you can see them, then describe what they are doing, it will work. In non-fiction (which seemed to be more what she was talking about, though she did quote someone who said a lie in fiction is more glaring than in non-fiction) you need to write what you feel. Often the first inclination is the best. When editing, if you have written from within, it will be very obvious which sentences aren't and you can then fix those.
I also liked her idea for editing a story--if you don't think a story works, set it aside. Write two more. Then go back and read the first. It will be clear what didn't work and needs fixing!
Excellent quotes through the book as well. Sometimes I felt it was proof-by-famous-person (as we used to describe in grad school), but she well contained them within the writing and seemed so excited by them it was hard not to be. Not all of them spoke to me, but usually the thrill she had had when finding a discussion that clarified something for her was infectious.
Everyone is talented, original, and has something important to say. Everyone needs to exercise imagination/creativity and a great way to do that is writing. So sit down, and write for yourself, true, and worry not about anything but writing what you feel and see, be it seen outside or in your mind.
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