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The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear by Ralph Keyes (1-Oct-2003) Paperback
The Courage to Write is an invaluable book and essential reading for anyone who wishes to learn how to write well.Katherine Anne Porter called courage the first essential for a writer. I have to talk myself into bravery with every sentence, agreed Cynthia Ozick, sometimes every syllable. E. B. White said he admired anyone who has the guts to write anything at all.An author who has taught writing for more than thirty years,In The Courage to Write, Ralph Keyes, an author who has taught writing for more than thirty years, assures us that anxiety is felt by writers at every level, especially when they dare to do their best. He describes the sequence of courage points through which all writers must pass, from the challenge of identifying a worthwhile project to the mixture of pride and panic they feel when examining a newly published book or article.Keyes also offers specifics on how to root out dread of public performance and of the judgment of family and friends, make the best use of writers' workshops and conferences, and handle criticism of works in progress. Throughout, he includes the comments of many accomplished writers -- Pat Conroy, Amy Tan, Rita Dove, Isabel Allende, and others -- on how they transcended their own fears to produce great works.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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About the author
Ralph Keyes
22 books43 followersRalph Keyes is an American author. His 16 books include Is There Life After High School?, The Courage to Write, and The Post-Truth Era. That 2004 book illustrated Keyes’s anticipation of social trends in his writing.
Keyes’s books have dealt with topics in popular culture such as risk-taking, time pressure, loneliness, honesty, and human height. More recently he has turned to language: researching quotations, words, and expressions. “Nice Guys Finish Seventh” and The Quote Verifier explore the actual sources of familiar quotations. I Love It When You Talk Retro is about common words and phrases that are based on past events. His most recent book is Euphemania: Our Love Affair with Euphemisms. (The British edition is titled Unmentionables: From Family Jewels to Friendly Fire, What We Say Instead of What We Mean.)
Keyes has also written numerous articles for publications ranging from GQ to Good Housekeeping. An article he co-authored in 2002 won the McKinsey Award for Best Article of the Year in The Harvard Business Review.
Keyes is a frequent guest on NPR shows such as All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, and On the Media; and has appeared on The Tonight Show, 20/20, and The Oprah Winfrey Show on television. He also speaks to professional, corporate and educational groups.
After graduating from Antioch College in 1967, Keyes did graduate work at the London School of Economics and Political Science. From 1968 to 1970 he worked as an assistant to Bill Moyers, then the publisher of Long Island’s Newsday. For the following decade he was a Fellow of the Center for Studies of the Person in La Jolla, California, then did freelance writing and speaking in the Philadelphia area.
Keyes’s books have dealt with topics in popular culture such as risk-taking, time pressure, loneliness, honesty, and human height. More recently he has turned to language: researching quotations, words, and expressions. “Nice Guys Finish Seventh” and The Quote Verifier explore the actual sources of familiar quotations. I Love It When You Talk Retro is about common words and phrases that are based on past events. His most recent book is Euphemania: Our Love Affair with Euphemisms. (The British edition is titled Unmentionables: From Family Jewels to Friendly Fire, What We Say Instead of What We Mean.)
Keyes has also written numerous articles for publications ranging from GQ to Good Housekeeping. An article he co-authored in 2002 won the McKinsey Award for Best Article of the Year in The Harvard Business Review.
Keyes is a frequent guest on NPR shows such as All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, and On the Media; and has appeared on The Tonight Show, 20/20, and The Oprah Winfrey Show on television. He also speaks to professional, corporate and educational groups.
After graduating from Antioch College in 1967, Keyes did graduate work at the London School of Economics and Political Science. From 1968 to 1970 he worked as an assistant to Bill Moyers, then the publisher of Long Island’s Newsday. For the following decade he was a Fellow of the Center for Studies of the Person in La Jolla, California, then did freelance writing and speaking in the Philadelphia area.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
May 23, 2017
"Not writing constitutes the ultimate triumph of fear."
This book is remarkable & indispensable! Indeed, much courage (or, the "capacity to move in spite of despair") is needed to even begin to commit words to a page--and to send it out, and to handle criticism, and for the writer to be away from life by outright ignoring it when "in the zone." Virginia Woolf puts it beautifully: everyone in the know covets "th[at] exalted sense of being above time and death which comes from the writing mood"!!!! And because fear is always present, it is when it is milked for all its worth that a fine catalyst is put in place. Yeah, it is an exhibitionist (!!!!), lonely, sociopathic activity, and done for attention-craving, immortality and recognition purposes. Keyes undoubtedly punctuates stuff we all had known before--this is the best type of "how-to" book. He puts in so many different writers, writer's styles and mannerisms, that you know instinctively you are in the right track if you also have a problem getting stuff down. I LOVE the guy's insights, his sturdy anecdotes, everything dexterously put. It's A MUST FOR ALL WRITERS!
P.S. I wanna thank my good gr pal Rajeev Singh for this recommendation. Thanks, man!
This book is remarkable & indispensable! Indeed, much courage (or, the "capacity to move in spite of despair") is needed to even begin to commit words to a page--and to send it out, and to handle criticism, and for the writer to be away from life by outright ignoring it when "in the zone." Virginia Woolf puts it beautifully: everyone in the know covets "th[at] exalted sense of being above time and death which comes from the writing mood"!!!! And because fear is always present, it is when it is milked for all its worth that a fine catalyst is put in place. Yeah, it is an exhibitionist (!!!!), lonely, sociopathic activity, and done for attention-craving, immortality and recognition purposes. Keyes undoubtedly punctuates stuff we all had known before--this is the best type of "how-to" book. He puts in so many different writers, writer's styles and mannerisms, that you know instinctively you are in the right track if you also have a problem getting stuff down. I LOVE the guy's insights, his sturdy anecdotes, everything dexterously put. It's A MUST FOR ALL WRITERS!
P.S. I wanna thank my good gr pal Rajeev Singh for this recommendation. Thanks, man!
March 3, 2011
This started as an easy read, with me nodding along, and going "huh, that's /exactly/ it", then it started to poke into my head and began to dig deep whispering hard questions that I'm still trying to come to grips with, and before I knew it, I'd finished the book-- the second "writing" book I've ever managed to finish so far, and I have shelves full of 'em.
Anyone who has struggled to write, wondered why they subject themselves to the madness, and yet kept coming back as if unable to stop needs to read this book.
This is not so much of a how-to or a commentary, but a sort of chat with a fellow writer. A chat that reassures the solitary writer (the internet has helped in that regards, but when we're writing, it's really just the writer and that blank page) that they're not alone... and that courage (or the "chops") to write isn't a matter of fixing things so you're no longer afraid/struggling... it's to write through it. To sometimes embrace it. Or trick it. Maybe minimize it for a time. But really, to acknowledge that it's there...and that perhaps, it's /supposed/ to be there.
Anyone who has struggled to write, wondered why they subject themselves to the madness, and yet kept coming back as if unable to stop needs to read this book.
This is not so much of a how-to or a commentary, but a sort of chat with a fellow writer. A chat that reassures the solitary writer (the internet has helped in that regards, but when we're writing, it's really just the writer and that blank page) that they're not alone... and that courage (or the "chops") to write isn't a matter of fixing things so you're no longer afraid/struggling... it's to write through it. To sometimes embrace it. Or trick it. Maybe minimize it for a time. But really, to acknowledge that it's there...and that perhaps, it's /supposed/ to be there.
September 29, 2018
originally read April 2, 2014. So forgettable I completely forgot I'd read it, bought it on kindle, re-read in Oct 2015, and would still only give it 2 stars.
*30 Sept 2018* found a reference to it in a book, thought I should check it out, and was surprised to find I owned it on kindle. for once I checked GR before I read it again. Still zero recollection of what's inside.
*30 Sept 2018* found a reference to it in a book, thought I should check it out, and was surprised to find I owned it on kindle. for once I checked GR before I read it again. Still zero recollection of what's inside.
March 15, 2018
A book filled with anecdotal stories of famous authors that suffered from anxiety and fear, yet went on to write some well-known classics. I found it entertaining and interesting to read, but not in the least bit inspiring to me. It actually had the opposite effect: now I'm overthinking this whole writing thing. I was looking for inspiration and a "you can do it!" book. Knowing I'm in good company with many other fearful wannabe writers doesn't make me feel better.
July 25, 2015
I avoided it for a very long time because the title and cover put me in mind of a seriously embarrassing self-help book, but I actually really liked it, and found it self-helpful in a non-embarrassing way.
February 27, 2009
This is the book to turn to when that little voice inside your head begins to whisper (and then shout if you let it get away with it) "You? A writer?? Who do you think you're kidding??!?!?". This is the book you read when you hear that same vice as you sit down in front of a key board or pick up a pen asking, "What will my family think if they read this?", followed quickly by "What if no one but my family ever reads this?". And lastly, this is the book to read when you think that if what you are writing is "good" it would come to you in a better form, or at least more easily. This book doesn't give you writing exercises to condition your writing muscles, it doesn't teach you the mechanics of plotting and character arcs. What it does is give you antidotes and quotes from and about successful (sometimes financially, sometimes critically, sometimes both) authors and how they got past those awful moments. Some of the stories deal with the physical (when is the best time to write?), sometimes the psychological (this story is my baby, no one can love it like I do!), but they all deal with the blocks, real and imagined, that every writer faces at some point (or at too many points, in most cases).
June 7, 2017
Although a bit out of date, this book is still highly relevant. And it focuses less on the particulars of writing than on the courage to write at all--this writer's greatest bane. Chapter 9 is especially inspiring. Recommended for all writers and writers in training.
June 1, 2016
4.5
real col book if your an asspiriting writer liek me
real col book if your an asspiriting writer liek me
April 16, 2012
According to Ralph Keyes, if you aren’t scared to write, if you aren’t facing demons when you face the blank page (and some call this writer’s block), then you may be:
* kidding yourself
* writing banal, inane, trivial stuff
* not writing at all
E.B. White worried over every word. Margaret Atwood said that you need a kind of physical nerve to write, “the kind you need to walk a log across a river.” Donald Murray talked about his writing students who had nothing to say on the page, because they felt silence, anxiety, panic and terror. “Good,” he says, “You are at the place from which writing comes.”
The Courage to Write can help you ground yourself and continue writing in the midst of a vortex of fear. Keyes offers strategies for facing fears and putting them to work. We feel naked when we put our true thoughts on paper. We feel exposed; surely the entire world will find out what fakes we are, what liars, what wimps. Then there are those dark, dark places where we lose ourselves, with honest writing. Erica Jong claims that everyone has the talent, “What is rare is the courage to follow that talent to the dark place where it leads.”
* kidding yourself
* writing banal, inane, trivial stuff
* not writing at all
E.B. White worried over every word. Margaret Atwood said that you need a kind of physical nerve to write, “the kind you need to walk a log across a river.” Donald Murray talked about his writing students who had nothing to say on the page, because they felt silence, anxiety, panic and terror. “Good,” he says, “You are at the place from which writing comes.”
The Courage to Write can help you ground yourself and continue writing in the midst of a vortex of fear. Keyes offers strategies for facing fears and putting them to work. We feel naked when we put our true thoughts on paper. We feel exposed; surely the entire world will find out what fakes we are, what liars, what wimps. Then there are those dark, dark places where we lose ourselves, with honest writing. Erica Jong claims that everyone has the talent, “What is rare is the courage to follow that talent to the dark place where it leads.”
June 6, 2012
This book is more inspiration than instruction. It doesn't really tell you how to face your fears and get the courage to write. It's more of a validation of the feelings that almost all writers have when faced with the prospect of writing. It took me a while to read it because I kept getting sidetracked by other books I wanted to read more. In the end I was glad I read it because it helped me to understand where my fears come from and that I am not alone.
February 29, 2024
“What Paul Valéry said of poems is true of all writing: it is never completed, only abandoned. Once writers realize this, they’re faced with a cruel choice: shall they leave their premature baby in a basket on some publisher’s doorstep, or shall they hide that poor child in the basement and turn away from writing as an impossible dream?”
-
“One way to preserve a fantasy of becoming a great writer is by never testing that fantasy; by being a writer of great promise whose best work is always yet to come. This is why so many manuscripts are never seen by anyone but trusted friends and relatives.”
Įkvepiantis ir paguodžiantis skaitinys visiems rašantiems. Labiausiai tiktų pradedantiesiems (ar tiems amžinai žadantiems pradėti), bet visai patiko rasti minčių, atliepiančių ir asmeninę patirtį, ir draugų rašytojų pasidalinimus. Supratimas, kad net Atwood patiria su rašymu susijusį nerimą, tikrai paguodė.
Knyga kalba apie visokias rašymo baimes: ir tuščio lapo fobiją, ir “o ką tėvai pasakys”, ir baimę neįtikti, ir kritikos baimę, ir nerimą, kylantį atėjus metui paleisti kūrybą į platųjį pasaulį. Žodžiu, viską, kas stabdo rašymo procesą, kelia blokus ir užgesina kibirkštį. Vietomis knyga jau pasenusi, vietomis įgyja ne visiems patiksiantį savigalbos toną, bet apskritai, manau, vertinga. Toks neblogas terapinis seansas. Mane ypač paveikė skyrius apie priežastis, dėl kurių rašoma, padėjo atviriau ir skeptiškiau pažvelgti į save.
-
“One way to preserve a fantasy of becoming a great writer is by never testing that fantasy; by being a writer of great promise whose best work is always yet to come. This is why so many manuscripts are never seen by anyone but trusted friends and relatives.”
Įkvepiantis ir paguodžiantis skaitinys visiems rašantiems. Labiausiai tiktų pradedantiesiems (ar tiems amžinai žadantiems pradėti), bet visai patiko rasti minčių, atliepiančių ir asmeninę patirtį, ir draugų rašytojų pasidalinimus. Supratimas, kad net Atwood patiria su rašymu susijusį nerimą, tikrai paguodė.
Knyga kalba apie visokias rašymo baimes: ir tuščio lapo fobiją, ir “o ką tėvai pasakys”, ir baimę neįtikti, ir kritikos baimę, ir nerimą, kylantį atėjus metui paleisti kūrybą į platųjį pasaulį. Žodžiu, viską, kas stabdo rašymo procesą, kelia blokus ir užgesina kibirkštį. Vietomis knyga jau pasenusi, vietomis įgyja ne visiems patiksiantį savigalbos toną, bet apskritai, manau, vertinga. Toks neblogas terapinis seansas. Mane ypač paveikė skyrius apie priežastis, dėl kurių rašoma, padėjo atviriau ir skeptiškiau pažvelgti į save.
December 8, 2018
"On the one hand, anxiety is inevitable among those who put words on paper for others to read. On the other hand, fear can be transcended, can even be made part of the writing process itself."
Reading a good book on writing is all about nodding your head saying, "Yes, yes, that's exactly it." And I did that so often with this book. It's like a pep talk for writers. It may not teach you how to write or how to market or how to even get your butt in the chair...but it will teach you how to recognize the fear, realize all writers (even the most successful of them) feel the fear, and how to face it so that you can get on to writing.
This book is all about writing despite the fear and finding the courage to use the fear as motivation itself.
Also, there a slew of hilarious (or at least eccentric) anecdotes about the writers we've all read or at least heard of to make us feel not alone.
It may have not been my favorite book on writing, and it certainly took me a long time to finish for such a thin book, but it was most definitely worth reading. Whether you are writing your first book, your 10th or you write blogs and articles, I believe you'll get a lot out of this one.
Reading a good book on writing is all about nodding your head saying, "Yes, yes, that's exactly it." And I did that so often with this book. It's like a pep talk for writers. It may not teach you how to write or how to market or how to even get your butt in the chair...but it will teach you how to recognize the fear, realize all writers (even the most successful of them) feel the fear, and how to face it so that you can get on to writing.
This book is all about writing despite the fear and finding the courage to use the fear as motivation itself.
Also, there a slew of hilarious (or at least eccentric) anecdotes about the writers we've all read or at least heard of to make us feel not alone.
It may have not been my favorite book on writing, and it certainly took me a long time to finish for such a thin book, but it was most definitely worth reading. Whether you are writing your first book, your 10th or you write blogs and articles, I believe you'll get a lot out of this one.
December 4, 2022
(for my playwriting class) very insightful and motivating for writers at any part of their journey
March 14, 2021
I appreciate it for what it is, but now that I've just finished it, I worry even more now and doubt more of I've really got what it takes. I feel I'm even less courageous now.
May 30, 2017
Some reviewers have referred to The Courage to Write as a self-help book, it isn't, at least not in the usual sense of the phrase: no x week plan, no steps to follow, no formulae. If you're looking for that type of book, this will disappoint: "Since fears are so singular among writers, it's hard to suggest specific antidotes suited to them all."
If you're a writer, you'll no doubt find yourself reflected in its honestly written pages as it holds "as 'twere the mirror up to nature" (Hamlet, Act3 Scene 2) and exposes you - alongside many professional writers with their warts and all revelatory quotes.
"Part of a writer's challenge is to identify inhibiting anxieties and devise ways to keep them from turning into blocks."
Ralph Keyes gives you a glimpse of yourself as the surgeon holding the scalpel and, lifting the sheet, you see you're also the patient on the operating table: help yourself to this book. It may encourage you to help yourself.
My advice would be to hand a copy to writers' partners too!
If you're a writer, you'll no doubt find yourself reflected in its honestly written pages as it holds "as 'twere the mirror up to nature" (Hamlet, Act3 Scene 2) and exposes you - alongside many professional writers with their warts and all revelatory quotes.
"Part of a writer's challenge is to identify inhibiting anxieties and devise ways to keep them from turning into blocks."
Ralph Keyes gives you a glimpse of yourself as the surgeon holding the scalpel and, lifting the sheet, you see you're also the patient on the operating table: help yourself to this book. It may encourage you to help yourself.
My advice would be to hand a copy to writers' partners too!
January 21, 2015
Immensely helpful, not about writing but how to BE a writer. Deals with every kind of fear a writer may have, and then some more. Helped me more than most books which deal with techniques, plot development and character building. This one deals with the heart of a writer.
It shows you where fear comes from, what to do to overcome it and why some fears are useful. It does not teach you how to write, but to write in spite of fear. To put your heart on the page requires courage. The more heart, the more courage - so don't feel silly if you are afraid. Just keep writing and conquer your fears.
It shows you where fear comes from, what to do to overcome it and why some fears are useful. It does not teach you how to write, but to write in spite of fear. To put your heart on the page requires courage. The more heart, the more courage - so don't feel silly if you are afraid. Just keep writing and conquer your fears.
April 26, 2012
Keyes writes on how writers can successfully face their fears just like every writer faces. The book is divided into two sections: 1) elements of courage and 2) coming to terms with fear. It is comforting to know that many well known writers struggle with the same issues, and overcame the challenge. Great little book packed with wisdom.
September 6, 2007
This is a great touchstone book for me...reminding me that no, I'm not as crazy as I sometimes think...
August 7, 2019
This book accomplished what it intended, at least for me. I am inspired to move past long embraced fears regarding my own writing. Keyes says, “Regrets are usually greater for risks avoided than for those taken - even ones taken and lost. Daring to write is more satisfying than ducking that risk, regardless of whether we get the hoped-for results.”
I’m grateful for the understanding and sensitivity the author shows, as well as the numerous examples from brilliant writers who have struggled in one way or another with the dream to write.
For those reviewers who weren’t as inspired, perhaps there isn’t fear to be dealt with. For my part, I’m scared shitless, but a little less so now, thanks to this helpful little book.
Thank you, Mr. Keyes, for understanding this terrible anxiety. I wish I could sit with you over tea and talk shop. Maybe someday... with a book in my hand... and no regrets.
One last note to the reviewers who say that people who need to read books to help them, inspire them, motivate them, etc. to continue on a journey, are pathetic or needy, or unable to get life done without help like scared weaklings: you have missed out on the encouragement and mentoring of those who have experience and insights that can be found in books. I wouldn’t be alive today or have accomplished as much as I have in life without authors like Keyes, Dillard, C.S. Lewis, even Stephen King. Kudos to you for having arrived.
I’m grateful for the understanding and sensitivity the author shows, as well as the numerous examples from brilliant writers who have struggled in one way or another with the dream to write.
For those reviewers who weren’t as inspired, perhaps there isn’t fear to be dealt with. For my part, I’m scared shitless, but a little less so now, thanks to this helpful little book.
Thank you, Mr. Keyes, for understanding this terrible anxiety. I wish I could sit with you over tea and talk shop. Maybe someday... with a book in my hand... and no regrets.
One last note to the reviewers who say that people who need to read books to help them, inspire them, motivate them, etc. to continue on a journey, are pathetic or needy, or unable to get life done without help like scared weaklings: you have missed out on the encouragement and mentoring of those who have experience and insights that can be found in books. I wouldn’t be alive today or have accomplished as much as I have in life without authors like Keyes, Dillard, C.S. Lewis, even Stephen King. Kudos to you for having arrived.
February 10, 2017
Guilty as Charged...
This book was Horrifyingly accurate. The fear that stalks me all the time looks over my shoulder as I write this pitifully short review, twisting my stomach into a very tiring knot.
I must get to my revision, but I think I find it far easier and a little bit more interesting, or at least less stressful, to get back to my comparison of Victor Hugo's Notre dame de Paris in the French next to Nesrin Altınova's Turkish translation (at least I feel less guilty doing that than simply pacing the floor to avoid my 3rd draft...).
In Guilt,
Shira
10 February, 12017 HE
This book was Horrifyingly accurate. The fear that stalks me all the time looks over my shoulder as I write this pitifully short review, twisting my stomach into a very tiring knot.
I must get to my revision, but I think I find it far easier and a little bit more interesting, or at least less stressful, to get back to my comparison of Victor Hugo's Notre dame de Paris in the French next to Nesrin Altınova's Turkish translation (at least I feel less guilty doing that than simply pacing the floor to avoid my 3rd draft...).
In Guilt,
Shira
10 February, 12017 HE
January 17, 2018
This book gets to the heart of fear and how we either use it as fuel to write or as an excuse not to write. Keyes talks about many successful authors and their daily routines and their fears. There are so many golden nuggets in this book, I photo copied them and pasted them on the wall in front of my writing desk.
So many points stuck with me but this one is closest to my heart: "In writing, as in so many pursuits, it's not the most gifted but the most determined who succeed." Keyes points out that many of the most renowned writers that we all know and love were not the most gifted, but they were the most driven.
This book is a great source of inspiration for those of us who are serious about our writing. Well worth the read.
So many points stuck with me but this one is closest to my heart: "In writing, as in so many pursuits, it's not the most gifted but the most determined who succeed." Keyes points out that many of the most renowned writers that we all know and love were not the most gifted, but they were the most driven.
This book is a great source of inspiration for those of us who are serious about our writing. Well worth the read.
September 3, 2022
This was a particularly excellent book because it discusses the fear of writing - all aspects of it - rather than any nonsense about *how* to deal with any of these things. It’s given me exactly two useful ideas I hadn’t ever considered and that I want to continue to think about.
November 9, 2020
I liked all the writerly quotes, but felt fear was hit on more than the love (or courage) of writing.
December 29, 2021
The 2nd half of this book is better than the first half. As I finished it recently, Keyes’ assessment of and praise for Joan Didion now seems like an homage. My late father adored the now late Joan Didion’s writing, too. Keyes’s depictions of how Didion writes “to identify her fears to come to terms with them” (p 116) was for me, the part of the book that finally connected.
The first part of this book distanced me in two ways: 1) the publishing industry has changed so much since this book came out in 1995 that it makes me roll my eyes to read Keyes’ dated advice on mailing out drafts. 2) Keyes dismisses the bravery of non-fiction writers which I rather aspire to be. (p 68) - especially the emerging mix of memoir and non-fiction we’re starting to see pop up.
Reading, in the 2nd half of the book, about Didion and EB White and others as well as Keyes’ experience coaxing timid writers raises my 3-star rating to 4
The first part of this book distanced me in two ways: 1) the publishing industry has changed so much since this book came out in 1995 that it makes me roll my eyes to read Keyes’ dated advice on mailing out drafts. 2) Keyes dismisses the bravery of non-fiction writers which I rather aspire to be. (p 68) - especially the emerging mix of memoir and non-fiction we’re starting to see pop up.
Reading, in the 2nd half of the book, about Didion and EB White and others as well as Keyes’ experience coaxing timid writers raises my 3-star rating to 4
June 15, 2011
Keyes separates this highly approachable and entertaining book into two sections. The first, "The Elements of Courage," examines the many sources of fear for writers and ways fear can manifest itself in the writing process. Causes range from the well-known fears of revealing family secrets, receiving terrible reviews or accidentally publishing mistakes. Some of these fears and their expressions are more surprising, though. For instance, the constant procrastination so many writers experience might not result from a lack of discipline, but a hesitance to confront the raw emotions and self-examination that writing demands. Even that dreaded beast, writer’s block, has some of its roots in fear. These examinations are infinitely helpful in identifying the ways fear causes a writer to avoid writing or writing honestly, so she can recognize the cause of her counterproductive patterns and change them. In the second section, "Coming to Terms with Fear," Keyes details methods for writing that go beyond the common (and useless) assurances like “Just start writing and you’ll feel better” or “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Instead, Keyes acknowledges the actual importance of fear to the writing process, stating that fear and courage travel in tandem. He offers helpful suggestions, such as designing a writing schedule around your most productive, least defensive time of day, or sharing work at variously public levels. Most encouraging, Keyes includes myriad anecdotes and quotes from well-known writers regarding their own negotiations with the fear to write. Without pep talks or gimmicks, Keyes acknowledges the many ways fear presents itself in different stages of writing, and ultimately recognizes it as a tool and an essential element of writing.
August 19, 2014
To be honest, I'm not into self-help books as they often preach and preach badly. However, in all fairness, this was a very well written self-help book that dares writers to ask themselves why they want to write and how to surmount the fear of actually putting pen to paper.
The problem is often writers--and people in other professions as well--tend to overanalyze things, leading to a paralysis by analysis scenario which can often lead to failure. Whatever happened to just sitting down, butt in chair, and actually DOING it? No one said it would be easy. If life were that easy, we'd all be rich and famous and loved. You have to find the willpower within yourself and no one can do it for you, even a self-help book. If it ain't innate, you ain't gonna be great.
Keyes focuses on the basics which every writer should do, but he tends to pick writers who were/are almost neurotic in their approach to the craft and maybe to life itself. To me, I didn't find reading about screwed up writers very inspiring at all. And the part about 'everyone feeling insecure/you're brave for doing this, etc.' sounded so rah-rah it made me laugh...and it wasn't a ha-ha laugh, but an eyes-rolling-at-the-dumbness laugh.
Keyes is genuinely concerned for his fellow potential writers and I laud him for it. I just found the way his message was imparted to be a bit much. If you want to write, then sit your keister down in the chair and do it. At the end of the day, no amount of cheerleading will make you any better or more productive.
The problem is often writers--and people in other professions as well--tend to overanalyze things, leading to a paralysis by analysis scenario which can often lead to failure. Whatever happened to just sitting down, butt in chair, and actually DOING it? No one said it would be easy. If life were that easy, we'd all be rich and famous and loved. You have to find the willpower within yourself and no one can do it for you, even a self-help book. If it ain't innate, you ain't gonna be great.
Keyes focuses on the basics which every writer should do, but he tends to pick writers who were/are almost neurotic in their approach to the craft and maybe to life itself. To me, I didn't find reading about screwed up writers very inspiring at all. And the part about 'everyone feeling insecure/you're brave for doing this, etc.' sounded so rah-rah it made me laugh...and it wasn't a ha-ha laugh, but an eyes-rolling-at-the-dumbness laugh.
Keyes is genuinely concerned for his fellow potential writers and I laud him for it. I just found the way his message was imparted to be a bit much. If you want to write, then sit your keister down in the chair and do it. At the end of the day, no amount of cheerleading will make you any better or more productive.
March 26, 2011
Writers will read any number of books about the craft, whether part of a college program or on their own. There are so many books about writing (from nuts and bolts of language and structure to the emotional connections that we all struggle to make/maintain) that it is often difficult to find the right book for you and what you need.
I pay little attention to reviews of books about writing because we all get something different from them. I have read poor reviews about "The Courage to Write" and found them to be bit off base. These reviewers simply didn't hear the message they wanted or expected from the book.
I found "Courage" to be a terrific source of inspiration. I would recommend this book to any aspiring writer. What value they get from it is up to them
I pay little attention to reviews of books about writing because we all get something different from them. I have read poor reviews about "The Courage to Write" and found them to be bit off base. These reviewers simply didn't hear the message they wanted or expected from the book.
I found "Courage" to be a terrific source of inspiration. I would recommend this book to any aspiring writer. What value they get from it is up to them
September 19, 2012
This is the second time I've read "The Courage to Write" and each time it has proven to be a balm to my torn writer's soul. Keyes provides plenty of examples of well-known writers who have experienced the same paralyzing fear of writing that I have -- a fear that, due to writings' solitary nature, is too easily personalized and not discussed. Knowing I am not alone with that fear is comforting.
The only catch with Keyes' book is there isn't a lot of advice about overcoming that fear. Keyes does discuss the different reasons behind the various fears a writer might feel, but it's short on strategies for working your way though the fear.
The only catch with Keyes' book is there isn't a lot of advice about overcoming that fear. Keyes does discuss the different reasons behind the various fears a writer might feel, but it's short on strategies for working your way though the fear.
December 28, 2010
I found this book absolutely amazing. As a novice writer with a huge amount of fear of writing and yet an undeniable call to write, this book was serendity for me. I marked each page I found especially helpful and the book has stickers an at least half the book!
The author, Ralph Keyes, wrote in a straight forward way bringing in examples of famous writers who had experienced the same feelings and obstacles that I am facing. I will definitely keep this book next to my computer as I write and refer to when I start to slide down the slippery slope of fear.
The author, Ralph Keyes, wrote in a straight forward way bringing in examples of famous writers who had experienced the same feelings and obstacles that I am facing. I will definitely keep this book next to my computer as I write and refer to when I start to slide down the slippery slope of fear.
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