GENTLE WRITING ADVICE - Chuck Wendig

If you walk into a bookstore you can hardly turn around without seeing a "How to Write" type of book.  For a time, I enjoyed reading a lot of them and noting what they had in common (the advice that was always there) and what was unique to that particular author.  But that was decades ago and the only real reason I was interested in reading through this book was because of the author.  I have really enjoyed the fiction I've read from Chuck Wendig, as well as his tweeting ('X-ing'?), and I wanted to see what he had to say about the art and craft of writing.  Of course I was immediately struck by the absurdity of the title.  Anyone who's read Wendig knows that he is never gentle. An of course he knows this: "One does not kick asses gently. Asses must be kicked aggressively, or they are not being kicked..." he writes.

In many ways, this book can boil down - as all books about 'how to write' boil down - to the idea of: Write! ("BUTT IN CHAIR. FINGERS ON KEYBOARD. WRITE, MONEKY, WRITE.") but rather than being a lecture on how to do it, Wendig, who admits "ultimately this book is about me more than it's about you", notes that the general attitude of the day wasn't working so much for him. 

I'd say that thought is pretty common among would-be and wannabe and low-production writers, which is why people keep buying the 'how to write' books. If "write, monkey, write" was all it took, wouldn't a lot more people consider themselves writers?

Here is where Wendig is gentle. "(This book is) here to tell you that's it's okay to take the time you need.  (...)  It's here to help you find your way through the work ... Because I think we need your voice, should you care to share it. Because your voice has value. Your art, your words, have worth."

Damn.  Me? My voice? Who else is saying this in the 'how to' world?  (Maybe everyone? As I noted, I haven't read a book like this in decades.)

I could quote from this book all day but it would be easier if you just went out and bought a copy for yourself. Wendig's voice, which I enjoy reading, is on full display here (if you like what he says and how he says it, you really should read some of his fiction) and as I would expect, he bucks some traditional thinking along the way.

"Write.  Write every day. Build a habit of writing." says just about every English teacher and every author offering up advice.  Except Wendig.

Writing every day is a meaningless metric. A day is a day is a day, and an individual unit of twenty-four hours is not significant in the grand scheme. Maybe you can only write on weekends. Maybe you can only afford one week a month to write. Maybe you do write every day, but only for fifteen minutes here, fifteen minutes there, just a few hundred words.  (...) It's all okay. The point is, it's not about the schedule. It's not about the frequency. It's all about whether or not you're writing. Even a little bit. Progress is progress. (...) Don't worry about what other people tell you to do. They don't know your life. You don't owe them anything, and your process doesn't validate theirs any more than their process validates yours. 

The irony is not lost on me that the advice to 'not worry about what other people tell you to do' is really freeing advice.

I also really appreciated one other comment Wendig makes, almost in passing. "I also made sure to surround myself with others who also took (writing) seriously and who respected my time and my writing and the work that goes into it." This is great life advice, not just writing advice.

You should buy this book.  Did I mention that?

Regular readers of my blog and reviews may recall my mentioning, more than once, a quote I've shared which I attribute to Theodore Sturgeon who, when asked what the difference was between writing a novel and writing a short story replied, "A novel is about people who do things and a short story is about things people do."  Wendig boils this thought down even more. "Remember: Plot is Soylent Green.  It is made out of people."

Wendig addresses common 'how to write' themes, such as "write what you know" and the use of adverbs and adjectives and metaphors ("No metaphor is perfect, which is why it's a metaphor. If it were perfect it'd be something like, "The ocean was like an ocean." Which wouldn't be a metaphor.")

This book is available right now.  You could order it or better yet, go into your nearest physical bookstore and buy a copy.  Just sayin'.

While this gentle bit of advice comes relatively early in the book, I think it really sums up what Wendig is saying:

A real writer is one who writes. There is no other test. 
Others will want to test you. They will make it about how much you write, how often, what you get paid. But if you want to be a writer, then you write, and you are a writer. 
That is the way.

Looking for a good book? Gentle Writing Advice is Chuck Wendig's contribution to the "How To Write" bookshelf and if what you're seeking is the motivation to write, this could well be the last book you need to buy.  But you should buy this one.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

* * * * * *

Gentle Writing Advice

author: Chuck Wendig

publisher: Writer's Digest Books

ISBN: 9781440301209

paperback, 256 pages