Becoming a Writer (original 1934; edition 1981)

I first read this book about a year and a half ago when I began my MFA journey at Wilkes University. It was required reading for the fiction foundations course. I thought, at the time, "Really? A book written in the 30's about being a writer? What can this teach me?" The answer is: More than I was ready to handle. Rereading it now after having written 2 drafts of my first novel and beginning the task of a third major revision, I am blown away about how much of the book I subconsciously took to heart. I journal everyday--have since I was accepted in the Wilkes program and what it has done for is allowed me to be ready to write whenever and wherever I might have time and space to do so.

Brande's assertions that writing was no longer for true craftsmen in the 30's because just about anybody "can afford a portable typewriter" had me cracking up because she would probably have an aneurism if she saw how just about anyone today could sit down and type up a few words via text or Ipad and call themselves a poet/writer.

Very insightful book. New writers read it even though you probably won't pay attention to its brilliance until at least a year or more later when you pick it back up and are struck across the brow at apt Brande's understanding of the writerly life truly was and is. ( )

The first time I read this book several years ago I wasn't ready for what it offers, so I put it back on the shelf and forgot about it. Then recently, during a spate of frustration with my process I pulled it off the shelf again and began to read it more carefully.

This book is mentioned in so many other writing craft books I thought it was worth a second try. I still have difficulty with some of Brande's suggestions because I'm not always sure what she's talking about. I also have difficulty with her starched and persistent use of the masculine pronoun and the word "man" as representative of every writer.

However, I've committed myself to forming the early morning writing habit that she prescribes, to reach for the notebook as soon as I wake and get at my dreams and other subconscious material before I do anything else. For that is where originality lies, she assures me. Writers write. A lot. Every day. Regardless whether or not they have an audience. This is the ONLY way to become a writer.

I've taken many workshops and it's true, none of them get at the basis of my inability to write with ease. I either can't get started at all or I can't finish what I've managed to start. Classes and workshops only teach technique. None of them have ever showed me how to generate ideas from within my own life and how to develop them with confidence in myself as a person and as a writer.

Brande's Becoming a Writer and Brenda Ueland's If You Want to Write are companion books that I can return to again and again whenever my writing and confidence have grown stale. ( )

If you think all books about writing are the same, you need to read this book.

Ms. Brande focuses on the basics of writing (Get your butt in the chair at a certain time and WRITE, darn it!)

But she also focuses on ways to release your subconscious mind, because, she says, that's where your genius is. She also addresses the discouragement that many writers face, and gives helpful advice to overcome it.

She's witty, she's helpful, and she says things you won't hear in other 'how to write' guides. ( )

Inspirational, and so easy to follow. By the end of reading this book, you will probably have realised whether you are really suited to becoming a writer or not. Dorothea Brande's style is plain-speaking and insightful. The tasks set throughout the book encourage the reader to challenge themselves in the art of putting pen to paper. Enjoyable and practical, without being overly technical. Recommended. ( )

This is a wonderfully lucid book. I would not hesitate to take writing advice from Dorothea Brande, for the simple reason that her own writing is so elegant and clear. As I was reading, I was reminded of George Orwell’s dictum that good writing should be like a window pane. Brande’s book, written in 1934, is a perfect exemplar. It does not draw attention to itself, but simply communicates the author’s ideas in a clear, pleasing manner.

Brande states from the outset that she will not deal with issues of technique. Even in 1934, there were plenty of books and writing courses to give advice on plot, pacing, etc. In any case, her belief is that in most aspiring writers, the problems holding them back are not technical, but psychological. The reason people turn up to workshops and classes and buy endless books is not to learn the craft, but to discover the secret of being a great writer.

"In almost every case he will be disappointed. In the opening lecture, within the first few pages of his book, within a sentence or two of his authors’ symposium, he will be told rather shortly that genius cannot be taught; and there goes his hope glimmering."

The aspiring writer may not believe that he/she is looking to acquire the secret of a writer’s genius, but that’s really what it is, even if only unconsciously held – an idea that there is some kind of magic about writing. And Brande agrees: “I think there is such a magic, and that it is teachable. This book is all about the writer’s magic.”

The rest of the book contains a lot of practical advice on setting schedules, etc., all of which is good. But the part that really stood out for me was her discussion of genius. For her it is not a rare gift owned only by the likes of Shakespeare; rather it’s something that anyone can access, but most people don’t know how to. She says that writers should think of themselves as split personalities: a hard-working, sensible artisan, and a free-spirited, spontaneous, sensitive artist. Both sides must be in balance: too much spontaneity and the writing never gets done; too much sense and the writing gets done but is no good.

Having recognised this need for a split personality, it is then important to cultivate the sensitive “unconscious” side even as your workaday self gets you to your desk on time. One idea I loved was not talking about your writing until it is done. This is something I have always done without really knowing why – it just seemed to work better for me that way. Brande’s view is telling a story to friends before writing it down is very dangerous:

"Your unconscious self (which is your wishful part) will not care whether the words you use are written down or talked to the world at large... Afterward you will find yourself disinclined to go with the laborious process of writing that story at full length; unconsciously you will consider it as already done, a twice-told tale."

In addition, the unconscious is very sensitive to criticism, and the damage done by talking too freely can be severe:

"Send your practical self out into the world to receive suggestions, criticisms or rejections; by all means see to it that it is your prosaic self which reads rejection slips! Criticism and rejection are not personal insults, but your artistic component will not know that. It will quiver and wince and run to cover, and you will have trouble in luring it out again to observe and weave tales and find words for all the thousand shades of feeling which go to make up a story."

There’s so much other valuable advice in this book that I can’t summarise all of it. In fact, I feel as if I should read this book on a regular basis. So many of the ideas resonated with me, but they’re the sort of thing that are easy to forget when you’re mired in the routine of writing. So this is definitely one to keep on the shelf, and pull out at regular intervals, especially when things are getting tough and inspiration is hard to find. ( )