4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book about the working writer's life, July 19 2007
By Eclectic Reader - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Rejection, Romance and Royalties: The Wacky World of a Working Writer (Paperback)
There are a lot of books about how to write, but I've not run into any other book that so clearly describes the highs and lows of a working writer's life. Laura Resnick is not only a long-term career writer--with the scars to prove it--but she's also very, very funny. (Her essay on the horrors of spam e-mail had me laughing out loud.) She also deals with rejections and reviews, and the craziness and the satisfactions that make a writer keep doing what she does. Required reading for all writers, both published and aspiring.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Advice Within, Jan 16 2008
By colinwoodward - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Rejection, Romance and Royalties: The Wacky World of a Working Writer (Paperback)
Resnick's book is like a good pep-talk by an experienced and wise football coach. It's written in a very breezy style--more like a conversation between the author and her reader than other writing books. It isn't, and isn't meant to be, a work of art. Resnick makes clear what's the most important thing: Don't give up. She's faced the rejections, survived sleazy editors, read the vicious reviews (including those on amazon), withstood writer's block as well as an equally dangerous case of logorrhea, and lived through it. She says the worst writer is the one who quits. Also, she says it's important to write at your own pace. Don't worry about how others work, because everyone has a particular style and habits. Most of all, she urges us to keep writing. Don't think or talk about it more than doing it. Resnick never says it's paradise doing what she does, but she is doing what she most enjoys. Her book is well worth reading for the aspiring writer.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Designer's Take on this Book, Sep 4 2008
By Ahmad Jordan "Ahmad Jordan" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Rejection, Romance and Royalties: The Wacky World of a Working Writer (Paperback)
In the graphic design world we have an old saying, "A camel is a horse designed by a committee." Nothing against camels, but they're pretty ugly. Functional. But ugly. That should give you some kind of indication of what designers go through. I thought we had it bad. Now I don't feel so bad. Writers, apparently, have it much worse. Thankfully, Laura Resnick has a sense of humor and so, while cringing at some of the stories she's shared, her refreshing wit got me to the very last page.
This is not a How-To Book for Writers and thank God for that. This book is more like a much needed mentor, who talks you through the inevitable peeks and valleys of publishers, editors, critics and readers. I was surprised at how fearless Laura was about such topics as criticism. Because I share her feelings about the reckless power that critics have, I finally felt like I had some company on the topic. Criticism is, by its own nature, one directional. And so writers and artists usually have to take thier beatings in silence. Laura's anecdote on the topic breaks the silence.
There's also a soft wisdom that comes through on most of her essays. Her words can be therapuetic for any creative person of any field. This book has a longer reach than it knows. I'm just thrilled that, by dumb luck, it reached out and found me.