Customer Reviews

Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman's Guide to Igniting the Writer Within

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Writing guides are tricky: They can be pompous, they can be technical, they can too basic or too specific. But in Pen on Fire, author Barbara DeMarco-Barrett has combined inspiration and practicality, creating one of the best how-to writing books I've ever read.

The subtitle of the book is "A Busy Woman's Guide to Igniting the Writer Within," and some of the text definitely has a feminine slant. Women who work, who raise children, who have trouble taking time for themselves, are encouraged to write in any and all available chunks of time. Waiting for red lights, for the water to boil, in the dentist's waiting room, all can be opportunities to get words on paper, or in laptop.

But make no mistake - any aspiring writer, male or female, at almost any level, will benefit from spending time with Pen on Fire. DeMarco-Barrett begins on a gentle note, cajoling and urging and promising to guide us into a writer's life, even if it's in 15-minute chunks. She offers suggestions for mining your own life for ideas, for developing your knack for dialog by eavesdropping.

She even tackles the touchy issues of whether you should write about friends and family. How much should you make up? How much should you show them in advance? What if they read a journal and take offense? DeMarco-Barrett covers it all.

One of the greatest features in this book are the extensive use of interviews of well-known authors, whom DeMarco-Barrett meets while producing a Southern California radio show called Writers on Writing. There may be no absolutes when it comes to, say, discussing a work in progress, or how much plotting needs to be done in advance, or how much research is too much. But it's fascinating to hear from successful writers about how they manage their craft.

Each chapter includes a writing exercise, a manageable 15-minute task designed to tackle a specific writing issue. Some focus on possible first lines for a book, on descriptions, and on being more supportive of our efforts. After reading a chapter, some of the exercises are so tempting that it would be nice if this book were produced in journal form, so you could just start scrawling right then and there, without worrying about making notes in the margins or having to find a notebook.

Anyone who is interested in stoking their creativity, or finding a muse, or even in how "real" writers work on their craft will enjoy Pen on Fire. Those who give in and fall under DeMarco-Barrett's spell might even find themselves living a writer's life.

For this reader, this how-to book on writing is sufficient for anyone (particularly a woman) who aspires to Chic-Lit or magazine articles in women's publications, but this author's approach belies the serious nature of a woman who truly desires the discipline to write professionally. Starting with the obligatory 15 minutes a day suggested by most teachers, the groundwork for any writing is universally understood to be that critical designated amount of time.

The author puts her finger directly on the pulse of the problem in the chapter on obstacles to writing. For example, she says that she had her cable TV removed from her home, because to have "a writing life", you must "spend all spare moments writing to get momentum going". This in itself is a major obstacle when for anyone with an active family.

My guess is that few families would be willing to give up access to television for their writer-in-residence. That discipline may be up to the writer; certainly it is possible to write in a location that is far removed from the family entertainment center.

DeMarco-Barrett also discusses the problem of housework vs. writing, but this, too is a specious argument. Add to this list the author's confessed addiction to email and whatever other incidentals interfere with the scheduled writing. It isn't helpful, once I am this far into the book, to address such issues so simplistically. The chatty format is user-friendly, but hasn't the weight of serious discussion, although I am aware that the author is appealing to her reader in this fashion by design.

DeMarco-Barrett mentions such details as the importance of rituals, workspace, and the chapter-by-chapter reminder to "set your timer". Unfortunately, chapter after chapter is written anecdotally, with an abundance of personal information, what comes very close to a patronizing approach. The criteria for me: does this author inspire me to start writing, to make that daily commitment to the daily ritual that will yield the success I desire. If not, this isn't the book for me. This then is the key, for the reader: if this book inspires you, you are on target and will find the impetus to begin actively practicing the writing life.

These are considerations each reader must decide. If writing is a new and tantalizing concept, this book can stimulate the reader to take the appropriate steps. For others, there are many other books to offer similar advice, albeit in a different format. In any case, writing is an intensely personal journey. We all need help, but at some point will have to fly alone. My one caveat: anyone can learn to write well, but not all of us are meant to be published writers. There is a real difference between good writing skills and the passion of the true writer. The point is not to be afraid, given the basic skills, to take the risk and find out. Again a very personal decision. Luan Gaines/2004.

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett's book is stuffed with tools for generating ideas, getting going, and staying with it. She not only gives excellent `big issue' advice-how to find time, physically sit down and write, persist when you can't see the road-but also shows how to live life with the awareness of a writer. Chapter after chapter contain information and tips on how to keep track of ideas, collect words you want to use, read with a writer's perspective, and other daily habits to help a new writer "be" a writer every day.

The 15-minute exercises at the end of each chapter are particularly wonderful, akin to practical meditations.

This book is aimed at busy women who want to start writing, but I think busy men and anyone who already writes can benefit as well. It is a great book, one that should live on the desk rather than the bookshelf.

Have you read stories in O, The Oprah Magazine and thought, I could write that.

Do you have ideas that would make a good essay, novel, memoir, or magazine article?

Have you always wanted to get started on these projects but never had the time or just plain didn't know where to start?

If so, this is the book for you.

Forget complex writing theory...this book teaches you how to translate your ideas into writing AND shows you how to work writing into your busy life. (Not just for women by the way!)

This book taught me how to:

1. Get my ideas onto paper.
2. Accept that my first draft might be crappy - but that's OK.
3. Revise my drafts until I had a finished product that I would be proud to show to the world.

It's actually pretty easy if you just follow the author's advice. There's no magic here. You don't need to wait for your 'inspiration'. Like the subtitle says, you just need to ignite the writer within.

Enjoy the book. Let me know what you think.

I kept putting this book down to go and write - which was the objective of course! A very readable, entertaining and inspiring guide which demystifies the writing process and makes it accessible to anyone who wants to try. It also contains some very practical tips for writing style and technique.

Being an aspiring writer, I have searched high and low for a book that is not only practical, but fun; Barbara DeMarco-Barrett absolutely delivered both in Pen on Fire. For so long, I have been through book after book of the same thing wondering if I was even a real writer and in fact had "written off" books on writing; that is until I found DeMarco-Barrett's book! Her tips are fresh, realistic, encouraging and are in line with the times (see her chapter on the perils of e-mail!). This is a must have for any writer, but especially for those like me who have just been waiting patiently for a book that heard what we busy women have been asking for. Pen on Fire responds loud and clear.

The short chapter format (which includes exercises) is a fun read. It's easy to find time for a chapter almost every day, and it's great for pushing your buns down into the chair and fingers onto the keyboard. While I enjoyed the author's sense of humor and insights I didn't feel my muse burst into flame, which was the hoped for result from the great title. It is well worth purchasing and I will share it with my writers group.

This book was a God send for me. I tripped over its availability by accident and bought it in trust -- something I usually don't do. And I'm delighted to say that it has been one of the best books I've read on writing in the past few years. The chapters were short, something I had never seen in a book before. Barbara, the author, said what she needed to say, short and crisp, she shut up and then allowed, and I use the word allow very carefully, me read the "set your timer" exercise at the end and spend my time writing. Or I should say playing. Playing with new ways to improve my own writing.

I must say since I am solely a nonfiction writer that some of the chapters that were devoted to fiction weren't of interest to me. Then again, some of the fiction-focused ones were. Some of them did help me improve me expand on my own style of nonfiction. So much so that I rewrote nine articles I had previous submitted to magazines that were rejected. As quickly as I was able to rewrite them and submit them I received acceptance notices from three. The others are still in limbo. Then again, its only been a few weeks. It's nice to see that even though magazine publishers say that you will get a yes or no from them in 3 months that when you submit something that is really, really, really, good they will jump on it in days. It made a new believer in me.

The bottom line...if you want to be inspired, open your mind, shift in your writing enough that will make you smile bigger, then this is the book you have got to read.

There are very few books I ever recommend but I do this one. And as an avid reader on at least one book a month on writing techniques this one gets hit out of the ball park.

Catherine Franz

Anyone who reads knows that books can change your life, but I've yet to come across a writing book accessible enough to accomplish what it promises. Pen on Fire is that book. It not only encourages the reader to write in small increments of time, it can be read in short doses as well, and the exercises at the end of each section allow the reader to implement what has just been covered. It is apparent that her valuable insights and inspiration come from years of experience writing and teaching. With understanding and humor, Pen on Fire addresses every obstacle and excuse known to writers. I particularly liked the Late Bloomers chapter, which gives hope to those of us who have too long listened to the negative voices in our heads.

One of the many things I've learned from being a member of Barbara's workshops is that writing can only be accomplished in pieces, but one day, as she assures us, they will all come together. This is a book that writers will pick up again and again to reread for its encouragement and wisdom.

Many writers and would-be writers wrestle with a lack of time to write. The demands of our fast-paced lives and over-committed schedules create challenges for today's writers. Barbara DeMarco-Barrett's Pen on Fire provides encouragement for the reader to reclaim small patches of time and use them efficiently. Using 15-minute blocks of time, she ignites productivity in the writer through a variety of creative exercises. These exercises build upon each other and together form a strong foundation for a writer to build upon. Barbara's approach is practical yet encouraging. With a mixture of wit and wisdom Barbara teaches her readers how to use small patches of time rather than wait until life slows down and we have more time available to write. She effectively extinguishes the "I just don't have time to write" excuse.