Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction and Other Dilemmas in the Writer's Life

This book touched so many wounds but helped me heal them little by little.

What an act of generosity it was for Bonnie Friedman to write this book! There was no earthly reason for her to share her thoughts on envy and writer's block, other than her own desire to pool her insight with other human beings who suffer the same perils and joys. A cause for celebration!

i don't usually use the word "gorgeous" but it certainly applies to this work. there is such a generous spirit behind this book. it's a love offering to all writers and anyone connected to writers ...

Writing Past Dark is so much more than a self-help book or a how-to-do-it guide. This is a book that dares to broach -- beautifully, boldly -- subjects that all writers grapple with and none talk about. Writer's envy! Writer's block! And to broach them in language that is lush and sharp. Friedman writes with soaring, exquisite precision. Her vision is original and her heart is large. Just listen to this: "A writer's concentation is ... mercy toward oneself. It is allowing imperfection. It is allowing mess. ... The mutter, the cracked voice, the false start, the false start again, all precede the song." I first read this book five years ago and when I picked it up again a month ago, it had the startling freshness of a dream.

Did the word distraction get you? Me too. This book really helped me to focus on why I write and why I sometimes sabotage my writing efforts. From writer's block to finding the time to write, the author will be your companion as she gently brings you back to the page.

I was at the end of my belief in myself as a writer; almost threw in the pencil. And then I read "Writing Past Dark", which gave me permission to admit that yes, it's hard, that yes, occasionally I was silenced and pinced by envy -- and best of all, the book helped me find my way back to my voice. I published a bestseller last year, thanks to B. Friedman's beneficent words.