The Writer Behind the Words: Steps to Success in the Writing Life [Paperback]

Dara Girard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0977019152 | ISBN-13: 978-0977019151

DON'T LET DOUBT KEEP YOU FROM YOUR DREAMS! Have you ever stared at a blank page and wondered what to do next? Have you ever received a rejection and wanted to call it quits? Have you ever watched your first book sink like a stone? If you have, this book is for you! At some point in their career, all writers-published or unpublished-experience either the pain of rejection, discouragement, disappointment, and/or other hazards of the writing life. The key is to identify the obstacles ahead and know how to overcome them. * Learn the truth about failure * Discover the ultimate dream killer * Find out how to get rid of a Wet Blanket * Discover the one secret every full-time writer knows * And much more... Making a living as a writer is not a matter of luck; it is a matter of strategy. This book gives tips on how to survive and succeed in the writing life. Your destiny is at hand

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Ilori Press (October 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977019152
• ISBN-13: 978-0977019151
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,537,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dara Girard is an award-winning author of novels that feature strong heroines, family dramas and romance. Her writing has been praised for its deft plot twists, witty dialogue and humor. Dara was born in the American Midwest to immigrant parents who moved around the country, before settling in Maryland. Dara's love of writing was evident at a very early age ' and supported by her close-knit family. After earning her undergraduate degree in communications, Dara held a variety of jobs and did some freelance writing. She was forced out of the corporate world when her last job was made redundant and that's when she decided to write full-time. Luckily this risk paid off and she received a two-book contract that same year. In July 2008, Power Play, was released. This is the first in her miniseries The Black Stockings Society about four women, one club and a secret that will make their fantasies come true. Dara is also the author of an award-winning non-fiction book for writers, The Writer Behind the Words (Ilori Press, 2007).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly motivational resource for developing a writer's work ethic., November 3, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Writer Behind the Words: Steps to Success in the Writing Life (Paperback)

Award-winning author Dara Girard presents The Writer Behind the Words: Steps to Success in the Writing Life, a handy guide for aspiring and professional writers alike to achieving success and an honest living in the field. Chapters cover the seven traits of successful writers; how to make one's writing output more prolific; dealing with doubt, depression, and writer's block; forming a sensible strategy for success; and much more. A highly motivational resource for developing a writer's work ethic.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The inspiration to keep you writing..., December 27, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Writer Behind the Words: Steps to Success in the Writing Life (Paperback)

Anyone who has considered writing for a living, as opposed to simply writing as a hobby or pastime, will benefit from Dara Girard's new book. An award-winning romance author and novelist, Girard fills several dozen chapters of this book with short, readable excerpts about life as a professional writer.

From overcoming rejection to recovering from bad reviews, readers learn that many successful authors have faced significant obstacles along their pathway to publishing. Such obstacles, Girard argues, are entirely normal and to be expected by all, including the so-called rich and famous. Beginning writers should definitely expect rejection and should not be surprised or overwhelmed when their writing receives a negative review.

Write - whether inspired or not - says Girard. Don't sit around moodily, waiting for a muse that may be delayed or may never arrive. Sit down and get to writing. Creative or not, the words will come. Get them on screen or on paper: keep writing.

Unpublished writers will learn a lot from this book, despite its relatively few pages. Published writers will find the encouragement they need to keep moving forward. All working writers will relate to the stories, ideas, and concepts that Girard shares.

In less than 120 pages of actual text, the author covers a wide range of topics that merit consideration by anyone considering a career in words. Lending credibility to her personal perspective, the author cites experiences of major contemporary authors such as Stephen King, showing the reader how even the famous have survived setbacks en route to publication, financial success, and a wide readership.

NOTE: Together with her husband, this reviewer has written numerous articles and eight books.

Armchair Interviews says: Every author was once a first-time author--so keep writing!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, un-cluttered, controlled, August 23, 2009

By 

Jeffrey A. Deitchman "Educator" (Silver Spring, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Writer Behind the Words: Steps to Success in the Writing Life (Paperback)

I often gauge writing by the quality of relaxation it inspires in me. I respect writers who respect me: those who allow me to use my energy to reflect on their message. I merely bear with those who force me to make it through needlessly complex language or twisty, dark alleys to get at their meaning. Yes, I learn from these writers too, but I wish all the while they'd learn that good writers are, above all, courteous. Good writers consider a reader's time as important as their own. They don't say, in effect, "I'm too brilliant, and too busy, to untangle my thinking so that you don't have to." I want my reading to challenge my intellect, not to tax my patience in de-coding what needn't be in code.

Girard is a courteous writer, and in this little labor of love, she freely shares advice on how you may honor your reader as she does.

It's not easy to write simply. Absorb Girard's lessons, relax with her exemplary prose, and you'll be well on your way to her meeting foremost criterion, which is the gold standard in any pursuit: making it look easy. She assures us it's not easy, but she assures us we can.