Writing Alone and with Others

Most of my writing is done with a thick and stubby pencil on a piece of 2 x4 lumber -- I'm a carpenter and for years, once or twice a day, when I measured or cut a piece of wood that was about to disappear into the framing of a house, I'd write a little something on it. Sometimes just words that I like: "crystal," "ampitheater," "roar." Other times a line or two about the day, or the place. My wife bought this book in Middlebury three weeks ago, I've read it every night (I'm a slow reader) and I'm grateful to the woman who wrote it. She understands and loves words. I think she wrote this book for people who want to write and publish on paper, but, take it from me, her ideas work just as well on lumber.

So many writing books are "dumbed down," so that an experienced writer winds up feeling they cannot get much from them. This book is the opposite. It is smart, sometimes funny, well illustrated with excerpts from well-known writers as well as from participants in Schneiders workshops.Writing Alone and With Others is filled with wise advice from a writer who has literally "been there." Schneider is honest with her readers, describing her childhood and early beginnings, using them to illustrate how writing can transform a life.Her techniques are gentle, yet incredibly inspiring, leaving the reader longing to write, but almost unwilling to put her book down in order to pick up a pen and paper!There is also a chapter about writing workshops for underserved populations that details the amazing impact this technique can have on those who are often "voiceless" in our society.The book is organized so that writers working alone and those writing as part of a group can find exactly what they are looking for. It also offers sage advice for those who want to start writing workshops based on Schneider's Amherst Writers and Artists method. And, in the back, are a variety of exercises to help jump start individuals and groups in the writing process.This is not a simple book, nor is it easy in the sense that you can read through it in an evening. It is full of information that takes some time to process--that is a welcome change for writers who have been "at it" awhile, and are tired of entry-level how-to books.Writing Alone and With Others is a must for those who are serious about their craft and about sharing their passion for writing with those around them. I would--and often do--recommend it to absolutely anyone I know with an interest in the written word. It is a beautiful, charismatic, and emotionally magnetic work.

Ever read an interview with a famous author where the author says something to the effect of, "I couldn't have made it without my friend/my reader/my significant other," and wondered how you could get yourself one of those? Well now you can.Pat Schneider is the writing buddy to beat all writing buddies. She's warm, funny and incredibly helpful. With years of experience both as a writer and mentor for other writers, she knows exactly how to help you untie the knots of doubt and fear and take your writing to the next level.In addition, this book provides loads of writing exercises and wise encouragment for helping you to start your own writing group. And if you do follow her advice for starting your own writers' support group, you may just find yourself that special writing buddy(s) in the flesh, I did, though you still won't ever want to turn loose of this book.Highly recommended.

I bought this book last month and have been working through the exercises on my own and with my writer's circle. I try to write for a few hours every evening, and until I found Schneider's book those hours could often feel like a penance. Now, I look forward to my time alone with my computer, and I can't believe how much more limber, open and creative I feel.Schneider's exercises for and advice about working with a group have re-inspired my friends and me. We've been writing together now for a couple of years, but with the help of Schneider's book we've already brought ourselves to new levels in our own writing and in our abilities to encourage each other. Schneider knows exactly what it's like to be a writer -- the joys and the hard parts. This is THE book.