How to Be a Writer
Barbara Baig
Writer's Digest Books
Nonfiction, Writing
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Description
Many of us learn writing in school... exactly the wrong place to develop a skill that relies as much on imagination as intellect. It becomes a lesson, something to be judged, instead of an expression of individuality. Writing instructor Barbara Baig offers advice and exercises to relearn the skill - and the joy - that is writing.
Review
With a focus on developing skills rather than crafting a marketable story, this book is a little different from others I've read. The beginning interested me, offering many ideas and practice plans. Unfortunately, round about the halfway point, it started to bog down as Baig begins repeating herself. When she gets to the section on mandatory writing - for work or school - she repeats herself even more, even in the space of a single paragraph. By the end, I was skimming. While not a bad book, I was just too bored by the repetition to get as much out of it as I probably should have.