Never Say You Can't Survive

I'm not a writer so rarely read books on how to write, but if they're like this one, maybe I should. Lots of insight into virtually every aspect of the process, from developing ideas, fleshing out characters, laying out the plot, choosing a POV and tone, using plot devices, etc. Even as just a reader, understanding the choices that go into the process can lead to a better appreciation of the craft, and help articulate what I do/don't like about a particular good, besides just the sensation that it's "good" or "bad" writing.

And for anyone contemplating trying their hand at creative writing, an absolute must read, and an excellent reference resource to turn to when stuck or while editing a draft.

I listened to this twice because I wanted to really take it all in. I loved how supportive the author is and how she relates writing to also taking care of yourself. This got me thinking about writing again and gave me wonderful ideas; it’s focused mainly on speculative fiction as that’s what the author writes, but she encourages reading everything which I always love. This is going on my top list of writing books, and I’m so grateful it got my creativity flowing again.

(This review made possible by an Advance Reading Copy through NetGalley. NetGalley: Read Tomorrow's Books Today!)

A collection of essays on writing and life from the delightful Charlie Jane Anders. Excellent advice for both when the Real World is going poorly, and contains amusing snark. To wit:

Lately people keep asking me one question: how can we avoid writing burnout, when everything is one big trash-volcano? Okay, two questions. People also want to know the best way to make tiny pro-wrestler costumes for their thumbs—because thumb-wrestling is getting seriously artisanal lately.

So yes. Two thumbs up, would but that I had more thumbs.

This is a how-to-write-sf book, with a particular focus on doing it in times of societal crisis. It's fine for what it is, but I found it undermined by its vagueness: the book works really well when it uses concrete examples from Anders's own work (especially as I've read three of her novels), but most of the time it uses goofy hypothetical ones. It's easy to give general writing advice; it's harder to say what need to be done in a specific project.

Novelist Charlie Jane Anders encourages would-be writers to take up storytelling as a vaguely defined political act. She provides tips on everything from generating story ideas to conquering narrative pacing and tone; the majority of examples she uses are derived from her own works of speculative fiction. Unlike most writing gurus, Anders does not assume that her readers plan to monetize their work.

Although Anders tends to treat her literary preferences as universal truths, this book is a useful staring point for the hesitant or newbie storyteller.

I have actually not read any of the author’s books before, maybe just a few short stories. But I love her podcast with Annalee called Our Opinions are Correct and when I saw the idea of this book, I was very intrigued.

I don’t even know if I’m the right audience, because other than writing reviews, I have no other writing background or aspirations. I’m also not much of a creative or imaginative person - so I feel no way eligible to judge this book for it’s content, specifically all the wonderful craft related ideas and messages the author gives. But I loved the theme of how writing a story that one really wants to tell, channeling our fears and concerns and rage into characters and stories, can really help us deal with our show more issues or maybe just feel a bit better for a while. I found so many quotes and lines in this book that would apply for many troubling situations, not just for a writer but for any person, and I think that’s the beauty of this book - how universal it is in its messaging while also catering to the specific needs of writers trying to put forth their work in times when the world around us is going to hell. And I thought even though the book is for writers and other creative people, it was quite helpful for me as a reader and reviewer as well, and I feel it will definitely have a positive impact in the way I consume and analyze stories from now on.

I think this will be a book I will look towards many times in the future, especially when I’m feeling a bit down. Hopefully I’ll buy the paperback when it releases and highlight it a lot. show less

This is a good book with tips for writing when the world is falling apart. It is also has just good writing advice in general, as well as several writing exercises that I did not do yet (I don’t want to mix up the exercises here with the ones I’m doing for the 2YN course) but that I bookmarked to do later. I got a lot out of this one, and I think I’ll be returning to it multiple times.