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Natural talent and all the breaks in the world notwithstanding, to become good at anything you've got to do the drills.
"You have to sing every day so you can build up to being, you know, Amazingly Brilliant."
~ Mick Jagger
Until you name yourself Writer, you will never be a writer.
Make a place for your writing, a sacred place...
How to get started writing? Write.
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Reviews of
"A Writer's Book of Days"
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The following review are from Hall Book readers:
" Love this book!"
"As one whose interest (and publication experience) is in literary fiction and not category fiction (such as - and in particular - romance), I found this book incredibly helpful.
There are two possible approaches: you can do the prompts as journal entries that directly reflect your personal experience, or you can take them on as creative writing prompts. I chose the latter and have stockpiled several snippets of fiction (description, dialogue, scenes) that can be built into larger works. My usual approach with them is each morning to try to write fiction for each prompt, but for some, I've tried poetry, lists, and occasionally, journal entries.
As for the rest of the book, I'd strongly recommend first reading Scott Edelstein's "100 Things a Writer Should Know," and in particular the part where he debunks all those "must" rules you find in writing books (including this one) such as "you must write by hand." I do and I don't, depending on what tools are available at the time.
All in all, though, I like the variety of prompts, and the fact there are so MANY. Not just one every day, but at 5 or 6 more per month with a few more sprinkled in-between. If you can't find something to write about in the midst of all that, you may need to check for your pulse."
" One of the Finest Books for Jump-Starting New Writers"
"This book breaks through writing blocks in a friendly, relaxed way. It's sort of like a daily meditation book, but, instead of meditations, it gives tiny daily writing prompts that encourage your imagination to go in any number of directions.
For example, on February 5 you're encouraged to write something after, "When I woke the next morning ...." Then, on February 26, you are given this writing trigger: "The last time." On March 19: "You're in the backseat of a taxi." September 8: "____ is the color I remember." November 14: "The window had other views." November 7: "Secretly, I know my name is:_______." November 26: "This is what was left when he was gone." December 16: "I walked into the Maverick Bar in Farmington, N.M...."
I once used a single four-word prompt seven days in a row and got a huge diversity of stories/essays out of those four words! That's what I like about this book. You learn to how to find your own creative triggers in the process of using Judy Reeves' suggestions.
Judy Reeves gets the creative juices flowing without imposing an open-ended discipline that might intimidate new writers (such as Cameron's insistence on daily morning writing). The only other books that offer equally helpful writing prompts, in my opinion, are Elizabeth Bern's "Escaping Into the Open" or Beth Baruch Joselow's "Writing Without the Muse." But I seem to turn to this book more often.
Prompts aren't the only attraction. Reeves talks about getting past your own internal critic, on locating or creating your own writing community, on writing habits of famous writers, and so forth. Reeves makes you feel as though you are part of a large, wonderful community of writers. You are no longer a fledgling writer, trembling in awe of The Great Ones. Reeves makes you feel as though you are already part of the team merely by participating: "Jump in, the water's fine!"
Overall, a great book, laid out in armchair fashion. If you are too rigid with yourself and need structured prompts that will give you permission to be creative without cowering before your internal critic's towering agendas, then A Writer's Book of Days is really a must. It's the equivalent of a big, comforting hug in a small, cozy kitchen over a pot of tea."
" This book ended writer's block for me!"
"This excellent book was written so well! The past year I've had a writer's block. Except this block was, to paraphrase John Rzeznik," You write a lot but you don't like what you write." I hated a lot of what I wrote. I called myself a writer, but then...um...don't writers write? This excellent book got me right on track. I dare any of you "blocked out writers" to try reading this and not write within the next 24 hours! The prompts were very good, nothing to make you yawn. I found myself excited about the next day and a new prompt. I just got the book, and so far through the aid of prompts I finished 2 short stories, loving them! This book also helped me get a handle on perfectionism. Nothing is perfect, and who cares about making every single detail perfect! You can't, and all it does is make you miserable and stop writing. I also loved the user-friendly book, with a funky, creative design. It was a serious book, but not so bland looking. The quotes on pretty much every page had to make you smile. When the author mentioned that "writers write", I felt guilt. I am a writer, but hey I'm not writing! When I read some more, there'll be no guilt. Yup, I'm writing again, thanks to this book! (Enough with the writer's block, okay?) This book definitely deserved five stars, and high praise too!"
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