Customer Reviews

Write Your Heart Out : Advice from the Moon Winx Motel

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a two-fer. A novel and writing guide in one. A very clever concept by the author. Better than any "how to" writing guide, this novel shows, rather than only tells, how a writer can craft a good story. But hey, just read it for the story! Energetic and hilarious writing throughout the book. Smart and troubled characters. The ending isn't formulaic, but poignant and intelligently ambiguous. What I mean is that this book is smart enough that you will want to read it with a friend or a book group. I had some good conversations about it. Just the kind of book I like.

Schmidt's WYHO operates on many levels - a satire of writing manuals, a love story. Both tender and laugh out loud funny, this is the most entertaining book I've read in quite some time.

Not just about writing, this is what writing is about. It was pure joy to read and still plays in my mind. A previous reviewer is exactly right: learn from the narrative, although the instructions are so off-beat that they made me think about writing from an altogether new direction. The narrative takes the form of an autobiography of a washed up writer and is entertaining in its own right with poignant characters and clever wording. The "authors" obviously had fun writing this book. In the process, they made the world a better place and made some money. What could be better.

Geoff Schmidt wrote an amazingly funny and sad and good and everything else I can't think to say novel. And the parody of a how-to book never became mean-spirited. I heard him read recently, and he cracked me up. And then he made me very, very sad. Read this one folks. Get your hands on it as quickly as you can.

This excellent novel is also a how-to book that manages to be funny and heart-wrenching, sarcastic and sweet and playful but not offensive all in one. A clever parody that never belabors readers like other, ordinary how-to write books, this is a gem that meets your entertainment and your craft needs.

I just stumbled on this book. It is a marvel. It reminds me of Coover's Universal Baseball Association with its internal complexities, but it has more heart and wit. And the thing is, the book makes fun of the How-To form without ever really writing it off, or taking shots at other witers, it does offer lessons on writing, and on the heart. I don't know. I think it's the best book I've ever read without having heard about before. The best book I've read this year certainly. If this guy is anything like his character, then he's a guy I'd want to know and hear for year to come. This one is a real find.

I had Geoff Schmidt as a teacher and sort of a mentor, and have waited for this book from him for quite awhile. Now that it is here, I don't really know what to say about it other than to recommend it to others.

This book makes you laugh out loud, and feel strongly for and with the characters. A great book to take with you to the park and enjoy on a blanket in the grass.

Gus Jones, the once successful author and writing instructor of Geoff Schmidt's WRITE YOUR HEART OUT, attempts to reestablish himself through his last manuscript. In developing this writing manual, however, he examines the decline of his life as he offers his own experiences to illustrate how one should write well. We see his yearning for understanding from those who would read his manual (his "dear readers" should feel compassion for him) and his near-tragic stature as well; he never fully understands all the contributing factors of his failure, although he unwittingly leads us readers to see them.

Schmidt has written an admirable book with accessible complexity. The novel appears to be a manuscript of a writing manual. Yet, Gus Jones habitually breaks his own rules in the manuscript. Further, we learn from the "Foreword" that a prominent, award-winning author, Andrew Shay, has decided to bring about the manuscript's publication. Shay, Jones' former student, has not only played prominent roles in Jones' life, but he also admits to some manipulation of the manuscript in preparing it for publication. It is difficult to resist offering spoilers in this review in order to demonstrate the intricacies of the relationships among characters; I'll just say that reading the novel again offers new rewards.

Of course, it's good the first time through. It's a spot-on parody of writing manuals. It offers rich character development, undercutting Jones' assertion that the "writing of the future" will rely almost solely on plot. It also conveys the challenge of facing a blank page as honestly as it depicts the desire to revise not only our work but our mistakes. I recommend this book highly, but I think writers and aspiring writers will get special pleasure from it.

And if you wonder whether the book is convincing, just notice that Amazon.com has attributed the afterword to a fictional character.

Don't know what the others have read, but this book is infantile drivel. Attempts to be cool with no understanding of style nor insight nor pretty much anything interesting. If this is the guide to your writing you are clearly on the bottom rung of a competitive and demanding creative field. Good luck. Please ignore this book. There's nothing here. Oh! I forgot to use the word; stupid. Stupid.