Word Work: Surviving and Thriving as a Writer

Writing instructors and conference speakers like to discourage writing wannabes. "You won't get rich, you'll get depressed and lonely, and you need a buddy to talk you off the window ledge." So I was curious to see how Bruce Holland Rogers would address the psychology of writing. As other reviewers observed, this book is not about how to write or how to market your writing. It's about the day-to-day life of being a writer.Get up. Go to word processor. Stare at computer awhile. Rejection. Bad reviews. Writing a novel under deadline pressure. And a whole lot more.Word Work is a collection of Rogers's columns, so each chapter can be read as a stand-alone. That's a plus and a potential downfall. If you open the book, as I did, to a chapter that's doesn't grab you right away, you may be tempted to toss the whole thing aside. I couldn't get excited about "best time to write." The message seems to be, "Whenever you want." On the other hand, you can read a chapter at a time, in any order, and feel satisfied.Which chapters are best? I suspect that will be a personal decison. What made the book work for me were "Death and the day job," "in the affirmative," and "advanced affirmations." That's when I realized Rogers was a thoughtful person who knows how to read self-help without getting suckered. And, like Natalie Goldberg in Thunder and Lightning, Rogers really writes about life, not just the writing life. In particular, Chapter 1 - Hunters and Farmers - blew me away. I had never heard of this metaphor, which apparently comes from an author of a book on ADD. Writers are primarily hunters -- and so are entrepreneurs. The chapters aren't light reading. You don't need to underline and read each sentence three times to get the meaning, but you won't always get hooked on the first sentence. And Rogers makes no effort to sell the reader. A chapter "The Foam White Bull" would be more approachable if titled "The Minotaur in the Basement."I would like to see two major changes if Rogers gets to a second edition. First, Rogers needs an opening chapter, describing his own life, to unify the chapters and give us a context. The author of a daily or weekly column becomes an old friend. We see his name over and over again and sooner or later we read and we get hooked. In a book, however, we need bait. And Word Work is a very personal book, so we need more background about the author..Second, the cover is off-putting. The design shows the back half of a wine-colored iMac and some stacks of paper. That's not the view most writers have of their own computers. I see the front of my computer, rarely the side view. And the cover artist needs to sacrifice esthetics for readability. The front words sprawl over the artwork and the back cover -- yellow on gray? -- presents a real challenge.This is the book to give your writer friend for her birthday or his Christmas. As other reviewers have indicated, it's not for the raw beginner who is still busy asking, "What should I

Many writing books give the reader specific technical instruction followed by batches of writing exercises. Not so with this one. Although Rogers shares ideas for getting around writing problems (procrastination, networking, writer's block, taking rejections, etc.), he concentrates on the entire world of being a writer. He shares what he knows in essay format in such a way that any reflective, working writer can benefit. I was especially taken by the chapter, "Death and the Day Job," in which Rogers discusses the real reasons we should think about and focus upon our writing and why we do it.This is a book for thinkers, doers, achievers, and all those who want to achieve in any realm of writing. It reads like a wise mentor is sharing the information, and the entire book is peppered with humor and information about other writers and their processes.I give this one high marks, right up there with THE COURAGE TO WRITE by Ralph Keyes, and LIVING THE WRITER'S LIFE by Eric Maisel.

In his book, "Word Work: Surviving and Thriving as a Writer," Bruce Holland Rogers penetrates deeply into topics at the core of the writing process and what it means to be a writer: procrastination, ADD and manic depression, writing workshops, fear of death, handling rejection and success, and balancing relationships with loved ones.The result is a book that is unique among all other writing books because it encourages you, the writer, to examine many of your pre-conceived notions about your own writing or the writing process in general. You'll begin asking yourself questions like, "Why do I write?" "How is my opinion of my writing affecting my growth?" "What relationships are important to me as a writer?" Throughout the text, Rogers does a great job of balancing the spiritual aspects of these inquiries with the writer's need for pragmatic solutions."Word Work" also explores some of the more basic aspects of the writing life including where and how to work, methods for jump-starting a project, and ways to get away from it all when you need a break. As a dedicated writer and teacher of college writing who has read dozens of books on the subject, I heartily recommend this book to both professionals and budding amateurs who want to grow--not only as writers, but also as human beings.

Buy this when you buy your updated market guide next year, or, if you're new to writing and thinking about diving in, buy this and get ready to jump. "Word Work" provided some of the clearest, most practical advice I've ever received about the daunting but ultimately joyous work that is writing. The voice of this book is humorous, especially regarding the inevitable rejections that all writers face from time to time, but the major feeling you get from the text is excitement. This book made me sit down and write, and write better. Next time I'm dealing with the dread writer's block or scrubbing tile grout just to avoid facing a blank page, I already know which dog-eared pages of "Word Work" I'll flip to. BLUNT REVIEW FOR TIME-PRESSED SHOPPERS:"WORD WORK" IS A WONDERFUL, HELPFUL BOOK!HOPE, HELP, ENERGY, AND PROFESSIONAL ADVICE FOR THE WHOLE SPECTRUM OF WRITERS!Any negatives? Well, at first I thought the iMac on the cover was the nose of a rocketship, like a plastic rocketship. It's not really a design flaw, though, I'm just pre-disposed to seeing rocketships. So, no, no negatives. Awesome book!

I stopped buying writing books years ago when I had a couple of Xerox boxes filled with Strunk & White, Gardner, Burroway, and just about everyone else. But the back cover blurbs for this book -- by Peter Straub ("The most useful, reliable writer's guide imaginable.") and Jean Auel ("Word Work will likely end up on every writer's desk, or it should.") -- made me look. I opened right to a chapter about what I've always thought would make a pretty interesting book all by itself: things to keep in mind if you're in a relationship with someone who doesn't understand the writing life. (Nora Joyce to James Joyce, "Why don't you write books people can read?")Word Work looks to be targeted at everyone from beginners to successful professionals. I think it will be most valuable to the writer who's made a commitment to the craft but who hasn't yet rocketed to acclaim and success. Do I quit my day job? (Ch. 11: 'Death and the Day Job') Am I getting usuable feedback from my workshop? (Ch. 16: 'The Hazards of Writing Workshops') Am I crazy to believe I'll ever get published? (Ch. 20: 'That's an Affirmative')The impediments to writing, to writing well, to publishing, and to making a living at it, are myriad. Rogers touches on more of them than any book I've seen outside of Plimpton's Writer's Chapbook. He presents multiple practical and novel strategies for dealing with the psychological, logistical, and social roadblocks writers face. Of the three writing books I keep handy to help me through the rough times (the Chapbook, Gardner's Art of Fiction, and this book) 'Word Work' is the most useful for the dealing with the greatest number of demons. Simply put, it helps me get more writing done.