Find out the latest indie author news. For FREE.

ADVERTISEMENT

Formats
Kindle Edition eBooks Details
  • 06/2014
  • B007HB8R3C
  • 260 pages
  • $8.99
Ken Atchity
Author, Service Provider
Write Time: Guide to the Creative Process, from Vision through Revision—and Beyond
Reviews
Amazon

More than a "How-To" -- Essential Reading for Writers

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

Near the end of “Write Time,” author Kenneth Atchity includes a list of “rules” to help with creativity. These rules include a mixture of writing tips and basic thoughts on successful living. I found it insightful that he included as his final rule (concerning everything he had written in the book) to “Ignore all rules that don’t prove useful.” He then explains that everything he has offered are suggestions, and that we should take what we find useful and discard the rest, simplify anything that appears too complicated, and to remember that what we have read are merely what has worked for himself and other writers. After reading various books by authors who consider their advice the “be-all-and-end-all,” it was refreshing to be told it’s okay to ingest Mr. Atchity’s book with a grain of salt.

Even though the author shares these parting words, there are more ideas contained within “Write Time” than any person could assimilate within a few weeks, let alone over the course of a year. Serious writers understand that their chosen path is not an instantaneous road to success, and thus should have no qualms about incorporating Mr. Atchity’s suggestions into their routines.

The book begins with some of the normal challenges writers face. Contrary to other authors who offer methods to bull your way through whatever wall has appeared in front of you, Mr. Atchity suggests deliberate and scheduled time away from your project. His concept on how your mind works is entertaining as well as informative, and helps present a writer’s challenges as normal and part of the creative process rather than as demons that must be wrestled in order to be defeated.

One chapter dealt with publishing, including the two paths available today, the traditional route versus self-publication. Other chapters address the mechanics of writing, and explain the basics that would develop into books that grab the attention of readers and leave them wanting more. The author delves into the different markets open to writers, such as television and movies, and if you are a person who has trouble with structure, there is even a section on how to set up your writing area and what tools would be most advantageous to have at hand.

Finally, the book ends with quotes from various authors concerning their thoughts on different aspects of writing. One included quote is from Auguste Rodin: “For an artist, the thing is not dreaming, or talking, but work.” If you seek a path to successful productivity, there is no way you can go wrong by spending a few hours reading and incorporating some of Kenneth Atchity’s suggestions into your writing. Five stars.

Library Journal

From Library Journal

The premise of Atchity's L/A House method is that discipline leads to productivity and that discipline is a matter of mastering time and the necessary writing skills. Conventional wisdom suggests writing every day, but here we have a case for writing being transcribing what has already been formed in the mind. Atchity propounds a left brain/right brain view of the mind, while applying a nomenclature of "islands" and "continents" that gets in the way sometimes. Index cards and periodic vacations are among his suggestions for organizing materials and using time. Suggestions for equipping the writer's office, as well as marketing and contracting, are included. Fran Lewis, Albany
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Exhilarating. After reading this, you're going to have to write. --Carolyn See"

Formats
Kindle Edition eBooks Details
  • 06/2014
  • B007HB8R3C
  • 260 pages
  • $8.99
ADVERTISEMENT

Loading...