Review: Useful Information on overcoming Writer's Block, from writers like you and me . . .
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 30, 2013
There are tons of books on the market about writing; about all aspects of the craft. Some of them are useful, and some of them are . . . well, less so. I should know, I own scores of them in both categories.When I received a free copy of Releasing the Words: Writers on Writing by Rhonda Kronyk and 11 other writers; a book of short essays on how to get beyond writer's block and get words onto paper, I was a bit concerned that I'd bitten off a morsel that I would be hesitant to chew. Most of the books I have on writing are written either by well-known authors, or by individuals who have worked for some time as editors. Believe it or not, several of the not-so-useful books on writing that I've read, were written by authors of note.Could, therefore, a group of relatively unknown writers have penned a book that would impress me? Well, surprise, surprise; they did. The fact that these essays that show how writers just like you and me have overcome that thing writers fear most - writer's block - make it all the more valuable for journeymen scribes. It's not a perfect book. There are a few formatting errors that need fixing, like chapters running into each other, and the quotes from famous authors, done in bold face text that is larger than the book's body text, tend to overshadow the essays.Minor things that a little judicious editing could fix. It's still a book worth reading. I give it two and half stars for the editing problems, but then I'll add that other half-star for the useful information it contains.