Review: Understand this: Penmonkeys are Closers
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 16, 2011
Chuck Wendig's back with more profanity-drenched, abusive and possibly defamatory writing advice for gun fetishists, bourbon addicts and...well, anyone else that wants a glimpse of the insanity lurking at the foetid heart of the freelance writer. As with his previous collections of essays "Confessions of a Freelance Penmonkey" and "250 Things You Should Know about Writing", Wendig holds nothing back in describing the instability, banality and rare moments of triumph in the life of a professional writer, albeit often by telling outrageous lies and indulging in unnerving jokes of a biological nature.Some of the essays are more or less straight advice - Wendig's ideas are often just the author `thinking out loud', but they are informed by a clear-sighted sense of pragmatism and a firm grasp on the reality of modern publishing. At other times (such as the essays "Where Writers Get Their Ideas" and "Turning Writers into Mother******g Rock Stars") he sprays out the good stuff, pure frothing-mouthed invective-choked satirical nonsense, a steady stream of mockery and contempt directed at self-important blowhards, the myths authors convince themselves are true and unproductive writing habits. "Revenge" is an excellent addition to any writer's tool box.