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Wednesday, 17 August 2005 |
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Current Store: UK Store
Books : Becoming a Writerby: Dorothea Brande
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Editorial Review: Amazon.co.uk Review: Refreshingly slim, beautifully written and deliciously elegant, Dorothea Brande's Becoming a Writer remains evergreen decades after it was first written. Brande believed passionately that although people have varying amounts of talent, anyone can write. It's just a question of finding the "writer's magic"--a degree of which is in us all. She also insists that writing can be both taught and learned. So she is enraged by the pessimistic authors of so many writing books who rejoice in trying to put off the aspiring writer by constantly stressing how difficult it all is. With close reference to the great writers of her day--Wolfe, Forster, Wharton and so on--Brande gives practical but inspirational advice about finding the right time of day to write and being very self disciplined about it--"You have decided to write at four o'clock, and at four o'clock you must write." She's strong on confidence building and there's a lot about cheating your unconscious which will constantly try to stop you writing by coming up with excuses. Then there are exercises to help you get into the right frame of mind and to build up writing stamina. This edition comes with an informative foreword by the late Malcolm Bradbury, a man who knew a thing or two about teaching writing, having pioneered the innovative MA course in creative writing at the University of East Anglia which nurtured, among many other writers, Rose Tremain, Ian McEwan and Kazuo Ishiguro. It's a pity, however, that Brande (and Bradbury) define "writing" so narrowly. They refer only to novels and short stories--ignoring biography, travel writing, plays, poems, essays and reportage. In fact, Brande is unreasonably dismissive of journalism as if it were just an uncreative, prostituted form of "real" writing. --Susan Elkin Average Rating:
 Rating:  - All that Writing JazzBooks that teach you how to write fiction are almost a genre unto themselves. Some are literary (A Passion for Narrative) and some are trash (How to Write a Blockbuster), but most usually recommend the same things: create a daily writing routine, study other authors, persist, etc. This slim book is a classic in the genre, published before World War II. The language is very formal, the recommended reading is of authors no longer popular, and the reader is given plenty of suggestions of what to do ... Read More Rating: - One of the best books on writing you'll ever readI don't why you can't add this book other than through the Amazon Marketplace. Is the book out of print? If this is the case, then this is truly sad. Beg, borrow or buy this book second hand. It really is a marvellous read. It cuts through much of the waffle that surrounds writing and is written clearly and engagingly, the mark of a true writer. Not a single word is wasted. Anyone who is serious about "becoming a writer" should not be without this book. Rating: - in two mindsDorothea Brande's 1934 classic best-seller is about how to harness 'flow' as this is the key to great writing. She suggests thinking of yourself in two forms as conscious and unconscious. Both aspects of the self have to be trained and made to work in harmony. She is very hard nosed about the touch feely bits. As a starter she recommends waking half an hour before normal and writing whatever comes into your head. Keep this up for a month and then use rational consciousness to analyse the outputs ... Read More Rating:  - If you want to be a writer, then you need to read "Becoming a Writer"This book will not tell you how to write a great novel. Nor the secrets to plot and character development. What this book will do is help you make the most of those tendencies that impel you to want to write. Written in the 1920's and still popular now, this is a vital tool for those wanting to enhance whatever compulsion to write that they already possess. Buy this book and begin to write. You never know where it will get you. And never, ever, let technical quandries mire your creative spirit. Rating: - The classic first book for wannabe writersThere are so many how-to books for aspiring writers, but this is far and away the best for the beginner at the outset of the writing journey. Her written style is excellent, worth studying for itself. It puts the pedestrian style of many other how-to-write writers to shame. Ms Brande also strikes a refreshingly honest balance between encouragement (anyone can become a writer, with persistence and application) and realism (but it may not be the path for you). It's ... Read More Browse for similar items by category:
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