Writing Alone and With Others

Rating:
Summary: Finally: An Intelligent Writing Book for All Writers
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Finally: An Intelligent Writing Book for All Writers
Review: 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.