Review of Releasing the Words: Writers on Writing by Rhonda Kronyk and Friends

Description (from Story Cartel)

Cover links to amazon

Have you ever stared at a blank screen at a loss for words? Tapping your fingers, scratching your head, staring into space.

Maybe you never deal with a blank screen, but experience times when the words won’t come easily.

When the words flow, writing is one of the most enjoyable activities a person can do. It’s simple, elegant, and requires few tools. But what do you do when the words won’t come, or you simply can’t convince yourself to write?

The simplest answer? Strategies. This book of essays lets you in on the approaches used by twelve writers who all manage to get words onto paper. The idea behind the book is to remind you that you aren’t alone in your struggles and are being cheered in your triumphs. We hope to show you how you can take control of your writing and set up the best possible conditions to reach your goals.

My Review

A great motivational read that can be read in an hour or two. Whether you believe in writer's block or not (and the contributing author's differ in opinion on that very matter), you will get something out of this book. There is no 'one size fits all' approach to deal with those difficult times and here we learn how 12 different writers all deal with this in their own way.

I did pick up a couple of tips, but to be honest it was all advice I had heard given before. The true value of this book is that it gave me the motivation to get back to the keyboard and put to use the strategies I already knew. The conversational style makes it feel like you are listening to a friend's advice, rather than reading a craft book and I think that was the perfect tone to set.

If you need a little pick me up and motivation before facing that blank page, I highly recommend this short book.

I give Releasing the Words 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating System:

1 star: I will never post a 1 star review because this means it was so bad I couldn't finish it, and I don't won't publicly rate a book I haven't read all the way through.

2 stars: I may have liked the story but it was badly written or it may have been a boring story well written. Something about it kept me reading but I didn't enjoy it.

3 stars: A good, enjoyable read. If the description appeals to you I'd recommend reading it.

4 stars: A really good book that I thoroughly enjoyed and may even read again. I will want to read other books by the same author. Highly recommend.

5 stars: Reserved for books that blew me away and whose characters I can't get out of my head. These are books that I will definitely read again, possibly several times. If I read an e-book version I may even have to go buy a hard copy for my shelves. Why are you still here? Go read this book right now.