Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life

Upon finishing the Elfstones of Shannara I was reduced to tears. Who would have guessed that the same would happen with this career-autobiography of Terry Brooks. The man loves what he does and it shows in everything he writes. If there is a story in you, and you read this book, you will find yourself racing to the computer afterwards to bring it to life.

Shame on me, I know...I've never read a Brooks novel. As a writer, though, I was interested to read his insights on the writing life. The book looked readable. Helpful. Witty.I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I read the entire thing in one evening. From peeks into the labor of the editing process to the debacle of writing the novelization of a movie, Brooks is honest and informative. He gives glimpses into his own beginnings and inspiration without seeming self-absorbed. He points future writers in the direction of hard work and quality craft. He offers a wonderful look into the joys of fiction.Stephen King and Anne Lamott have written sublime books on the world of an author, and now Terry Brooks adds to the list a book worthy of his predecessors. If I had any doubts about his writing, I've now put those aside.Time for me to grab one of his novels!

Like Stephen King's book `On Writing,' `Sometimes the Magic Works' is part autobiography and part writing advice. Brooks addresses the general and the specific, teaching writers how to avoid some of the biggest blunders while growing and developing into a writer of more depth. Brooks had a very interesting beginning. He was a lawyer for several years, yet when he decided to write, he wasn't interested in becoming a legal thriller writer like Grisham or Turow. He settled on fantasy. (By the way, Brooks advises that you write in as many genres as possible until you determine which genre is for you.) His first book, `The Sword of Shannara,' made publishing history by becoming the first trade paperback to make the New York Times Bestseller list. So it was a bed of roses for Brooks from that point on, right? Hardly. `Sometimes the Magic Works' is valuable for the writing advice, but also for a glimpse into the writer's life and the journey that Brooks has taken. Readers will see Brooks as a passionate writer and a dedicated family man. (Yes, you CAN be both!) This is a book that all writers, regardless of their genre, will want to read. 197 pages

SOMETIMES THE MAGIC WORKS is Terry Brooks's personal tribute to the writing life. I have had no prior interest in the fantasy genre, but I am now a Brooks fan and will comb the stacks for his bestselling titles. His love for the writing craft glimmers like a diamond throughout the book.In the early chapters, he pictures the writer as observer, at times detached from the reality of mundane experience. He surmises that an author gathers smoke when appearing to "not be all there" and that smoke contains the meat of his creative imaginings, out of which comes perspective and a viewpoint. He contends that all writers must step outside the real world to be successful.Each chapter in SOMETIMES THE MAGIC WORKS is prefaced by a quotation from Brooks that summarizes its content. Early in the book, he reveals his experience with first publication. "Luck with a capital "I" plays a large part in his success story and confirms his belief that "sometimes the magic really works." It is here where he talks about the couple who first believed in his work, editors Lester and Judy-Lynn del Rey. References are made to them throughout the remainder of his story."It's Not About You" is a section devoted to Brooks's first experience at a book signing. It is humorous and witty, a philosophical statement about the author's role in the event. He emphasizes that the reading public has the option to buy or not to buy. The writer's ego need not interfere when would-be buyers chat, then walk away without a purchase. Publicity tours are, in his opinion, necessary and the opportunity to thank the reading public.Several chapters deal with Brooks's first experience with screenwriting, a bitter pill in the memory bank. Relegated to the post of distant observer, he was denied active participation in the filming process. For many years he refused to entertain a repeat.The meat of SOMETIMES THE MAGIC WORKS lies in the pages offering the writer real ideas, an aid in finding his own magic. Brooks states that, for him, outlining is a must. He spends considerable time in justifying the method. He confirmed my preconceived notion that the outline is a worthwhile tool. The simple formula he gives for success is "Read, Read, Read. Outline, Outline, Outline. Write, Write, Write. Repeat." The formula allows him to do one draft and one rewrite before the work is done.The outline point made, he continues advice with his ten rules for writing in subsequent pages. Each idea, from "Write What You Know" to "Don't Bore The Reader," is fully developed, with examples from Brooks's own writing. He uses an impromptu writing exercise to illustrate each point, a glimpse into his vast imagination.Following the rules section, the author explains that a day with his small grandson, Hunter, taught him volumes about the writing life, or rather what it should be as an observer of real life. For him, the writer must live outside the moment to make progress on his journey to success. To write fiction, one must hav

Terry Brooks is the author of the Shannara fantasy series. The series began in 1977 when The Sword of Shannara was published, the early books have been compared often with Tolkien. Sometimes the comparison was favorable, sometimes not. Brooks himself said that he wanted to tell an adventure story like Tolkien, but he had no intention of going into the linguistic detail that Tolkien is known for. The Shannara series has been on top of the bestsellers lists with each new volume in the series. Sometimes the Magic Works is part memoir, part writing guide as written by Terry Brooks. He writes about how his first book was published, some of the difficulties in writing the book that would become The Elfstones of Shannara , and about the book adaptions of Hook (horrible experience) and The Phantom Menace (wonderful experience). The other half of the book focuses on tips and thoughts for aspiring writers. Brooks writes about things that a writer should do, what they should not do, and what works for Brooks himself. There is an interesting chapter about outlining (yes, an author talking about outlining is actually interesting). Brooks talks about how he has to outline the major plot and characters and while he believes it is an invaluable tool (and the reason he does fewer drafts of the book than many writers), he was at a conference and as he was extolling the virtues of outlining, fantasy author Anne McCaffrey (The Dragonriders of Pern, and author of dozens of books) leaned over and told him that she has never outlined anything in her life. Sometimes the Magic Works is written with a very easy writing style, and feels almost conversational, as if an old friend is telling us some personal stories. This was a very interesting book to read and it was nice to get into the personal thoughts of one of my favorite fantasy authors.