Becoming a Writer by Mariner Books - Essential Guide for Aspiring Authors & Creative Writing Enthusiasts | Perfect for Beginners, Writing Workshops & Self-Publishing

I have to write quite a bit as part of my work. Every so often I encounter a brick wall and quickly come to believe that an illiterate would do a better job than I. From what I've read, virtually everyone who needs or simply wants to write has encountered this problem.So, like many others, I turn to what are essentially self-help books on writing. I came across "Becoming A Writer" in browsing Amazon, read some of the reviews, looked at the price and figured it was worth the chance.What a gem this 75 year old volume is. As the author herself specifies, it is not a book about teaching one how to write, but rather a guide to becoming a writer.That the book was written in 1934 shows in a number of amusing ways. There are numerous references to Freud. The 1930s were, after all, the heyday of reverence for psychotherapy and Sigmund Freud. Another bit of advice is "[a]s soon as you can,learn to typewrite". Dorothea Brande, the author, goes on to suggest that "if possible, learn to compose on the typewriter". One final antiquarian tip: have two typewriters, one a desk model, the other a portable. Proof that the more things change, the more they stay the same. One computer for home, another for the road.Essentially Brande discusses, quite accurately in my opinion, the different psyches of writers and then goes on to describe a regimen of exercises to unlock the writer's potential.While much of this regimen is to be found in many other books about becoming a writer, there's a certain charm in Brande's approach. Some also say Brande was the first to formulate this approach to training writers.Brandes's advice was intended for fiction writers, but there is no reason to suspect it doesn't apply to any writer.It's a fun trip into the past with Ms. Brande, though the exercises she prescribes are as timely as those you'll find in any contemporary how-to tome. It is her language, really, that makes the difference. It is polite, civil, polished; qualities you don't find today.While "Becoming A Writer" hasn't knocked me out of my slump yet, I'm going to follow the practices suggested in hopes that they will help. I think any writer would benefit by spending a few dollars and reading this book. It is good stuff.Jerry