If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit: Amazon.ca: Brenda Ueland: Books

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This book so speaks to the contemporary writer that it is nearly impossible to believe that it was originally published in 1938. In If You Want to Write, Brenda Ueland sets forth not just a philosophy about how to write or how to create, but also about how to live. Beginning writers will certainly be encouraged by Ueland's words, but even the most experienced have much to glean from Ueland's simple wisdom. "Everybody," writes Ueland in the opening chapter, "is talented, original, and has something important to say." Finding that something important involves embracing creative idleness ("the imagination needs moodling--long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering"), freeing "what we really think, from what we think we ought to think," and "thumb[ing] your nose at all know-it-alls, jeerers, critics, doubters." One must think, she says, "of telling a story, not of writing it." And when revising one's writing, she advises, "do not try to think of better words, more gripping words.... It is not yet deeply enough imagined." Finally, "whenever you find yourself writing a single word or phrase or page dutifully and with boredom, then leave it out.... If what you write bores you, it will bore other people." And just because If You Want to Write is passionate, sincere, and even spiritual, do not think it is not also witty. One footnote bluntly declaims, "No doubt my terms would horrify a psychologist but I do not care at all." Elsewhere Ueland titles a chapter "Why Women Who Do Too Much Housework Should Neglect It for Their Writing." Amen, sister!

From Publishers Weekly

Ueland argues that anyone can write well once the imagination is freed from self-consciousness, anxiety and fear of failure. This is a fresh and vivid approach to creative endeavors.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

45 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (45 customer reviews)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Writing Book of the Century, Jan 24 2003

By

rizabiz "rizabiz" (Westhampton Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit (Paperback)

A friend gave me this book for Christmas because he knew I liked to write and told me it was the best book for writing. I was skeptical, but started the book anyhow so I could at least tell him I looked at it. I found it immediately engaging and savored every page, limiting myself to a few pages a night so I wouldn't finish it quickly. The best part is that it is an "idea" writing book rather than an exercise book. There is no stopping to jot down notes or pages with writing exercises. Ueland gets into ideas and the psychology of why we do and don't write certain things. It got my brain churning, and I found myself become less inhibited with a project I was trying to get to the next level on. Excellent book for the experience writer who is feeling a need to break through to some fresh material. Ueland is amazingly insightful and even though it is written in 1938, it does not feel dated.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, Nov 7 2009

By

S (Ontario) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: If You Want To Write (Paperback)

If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland is an inspirational book about people writing without the fear of not being as good as Shakespeare or any other famous writer. The beginning I found was the most interesting, and the latter half of the book was less. Her thoughts are encouraging and will make you want to write. The most important topic in this book seems to be writing from your true self.

Some of what was discussed in the book includes the following:

Ueland says that everyone is original and has something to write about. If a person writes from their true self - which is quite difficult to do, because people often censor their writing or write what they think that they should be writing - they shall attain the best results.

If you write a bad story, you should write three more stories, and then come back to the first one to see what went wrong. Do not let critics discourage you, because they are people who have never practiced the art of writing themselves.

Do not be afraid of writing and do not become a perfectionist when writing your first draft. When you write whatever is on your mind without changing it and without trying to use complicated words to better your writing, you shall finally be able to write from your true self and be able to write beautifully. Of course you must edit afterwards.

Anyone that has told a story to a child can write a story. Tolstoi said that everything should be expressed in such a way that a seven-year-old boy should be able to understand it.

If you cannot think of what to write, try not to think of it at all. Go for a walk, do other things alone and in silence, and your creativity will flow into you. Write for yourself, not for the purpose of getting published. But do write with an audience in mind, otherwise your story will be boring. If you read your story and any parts drag on, then cut them out.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE most well written and interesting book about writing!, Jun 11 2004

By

Trekkintheplains "Take a sad song and make it... (South Dakota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit (Paperback)

This book is just fantastic! I was looking for a book to give me inspiration on my writing and this is it! I wasn't so sure at first, I was afraid of yet another fusty, musty textbook-twin that would give helpful hints but bore me to tears. But from the first page I was hooked! "...most people must break through a shell of timidity and strain." What encouragement! This book proved to me that there are other downtrodden creative people out there, people who have had "contructive criticism" shoved down their throats until it nearly killed them. Plus, the strain of being pressured to "make a living" from your writing. Instead, Brenda Ueland encourages in the most enlivening way to write because you love to! And in her mind this applies to anyone, this is not just a book about writing. It is inspiration for ANYONE who is afraid to follow their true creative spirit.

She says that Van Gogh painted not because it was expected of him or because he wanted to make a profit from it, rather he painted the stars in the sky because he loved them and wanted to show other people how beautiful they are, he wanted them to be seen from his perspective so that others might share in his wonder! How can that fail to inspire all downtrodden sensitive creators?

In this book, Ueland shows how to bypass all negative feedback from others, how to search inside ourselves to find our true motives for creating literature, artwork, whatever we love the most! She is able to bring out the unique creative nature in everyone (for if everyone is different, then everyone IS original!) and in the process make us happy with what we find inside.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Literary Cheerleading
Go writer go. Chocolate fudge brownies for the writer's soul.
Not what I was hoping for, but if you didn't get enough pushing to believe in yourself, this may help.

Published 8 months ago by W. B. Mutton

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book on creativity.
My friend Rachel recommended this fantastic book and now, thanks Brenda Ueland, creativity feels possible again. No time for a longer review - I am inspired to go write!

Published 18 months ago by Berenice Freedome