Customer Reviews

A Writer's Time: Making the Time to Write

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The title of this book is confusing! It's not *about* time, though time does figure into it, in the sense that Atchity will teach you how to get time on your side through mastering some very basic skills. The secret here is getting to know your brain and familiarize yourself with all the tricks it gets up to in order to undermine you writing instinct.

This book is part inspiration, part how-to, part common sense and part unique insight from Atchity's experience writing, teaching and producing. I found the section on "breaking into show business" least useful, while his concise exposition of the elements of fiction and drama will be useful even for writers of non-fiction who want to spice up their writing.

I must admit that A Writer's Time is a real mixed bag, but I won't hesitate to recommend it. Atchity will micro-manage your writing career if you let him, from how you organize your desk to how many index cards you use to compose your first novel. But all of those are only suggestions, and, as he says, if his suggestions don't work for you, toss them out.

But even if you disregard his suggestions, hang onto this book, if only for its enthusiasm -- it's hard to come by from veterans in this business. As Atchity says, "Writing is a craft. A craft not only can be learned, it MUST be learned."

In every paragraph, his confidence shines through that not only can you do it, but that you will. Atchity is no ra-ra cheerleader -- he knows what he's talking about. He's created many successful writers before, and he wants to help the magic work for you. Get him in your corner if you can.

"A Writer's Time"(Revised and Expanded Edition) is a gold mine of ideas and suggestions for the writer at any level. This is one book that will stay on my book shelf, along with all the other reference books I could not do without. You'll feel as if you have hit the mother-lode with the invaluable information and strategies for organization. It is written by a writer with complete understanding of the writer's mind. I also found it to be extremely motivating. I often found myself shaking my head up and down as I was reading, as if the Author Kenneth Atchity, could read my mind, or knew exactly what I needed to hear.

Atchity delves into several subjects relating to writing, that would probably take several courses, or years of experience on your own to learn. He teaches you to Manage and make the most out of your time. He also advises little "vacations" away from your project as well.You'll also take away with you from the read, cause to celebrate each and every step you take towards your goals(as opposed to kicking yourself for not getting enough accomplished).

Here are just some of the nuggets to devour from your read. Finding the Time..Step by step management techniques... Organizing a system(he lays out a fabulous card system that is easy and makes great sense)...Researching...Agendas for both Non-fiction and fiction writers, with excellent examples... Your work time related to getting published(some great tidbits here that everyone should read), Putting Your Dreams into a storyline(this is especially interesting for the fiction writer), An informative and educational look at breaking into Show Business for the screenplay or TV writer,(this chapter had some fabulous illustrations that brought everything into perspective)...And last but not least, Recapturing the Creativity from a slump. He tops it off with words of inspiration from some great literary figures(and other great minds). Words that you can turn to at any time, for a little pick-me-up. Here is one of my favorites: "I cannot hold my tongue, nor my pen. As long as I live, I must write"...George Bernard Shaw, at 91. I even found the bibliography helpful for future projects.

There are many creative, motivational and inspirational suggestions to be found here. Written by one with vast experience on the subject. Atchity points the way.Extract what you like and see which ideas work best for you. For myself, I tried the card system on a smaller scale. Not for a book, but for an article, and I can tell you, that I was amazed at how well I managed my writing time, and what I accomplished with it. By the end(actually way before), you will feel the need to write, write, write.

It's a Writer's Gold Mine. Strike it rich with this read, and try to restrain yourself from doing the Walter Huston "we found the gold" dance(Treasure of the Sierra Madre")!....Laurie

also recommended:
On Writing

Senior Citizens Writing: A Workshop and Anthology, with an Introduction and Guide for Workshop Leaders

Pulp Writer: Twenty Years in the American Grub Street

I read this YEARS ago and still recommend it to everyone I know who likes to write or who has to write.

The author's description of what our minds are doing while we write and fight writers' block will give you the biggest creative "AHA!"

You can almost hear your mind saying, "Drat, my secrets are REVEALED! Now I'll have to WORK."

This book is the reason I was able to finally finish my first book (see "How to Make Money While You Look for a Job"), and I even use the methods for freelance articles.

Can't wait to read his article on finding time...I need a time-raise!

I'm gonna make this short and sweet. This book convinced me that it was possible for me to write a play, a book--any longer work--by giving me the tools to break the process down into comprehensible, do-able pieces.

(Besides, who could not relate to a process where the all-important first step is "Take a vacation," I ask you.)

Now, three produced plays later, I still refer to it before beginning a new project. It wears well over time.

Give it a read, and good luck on YOUR new projects!

"A Writer's Time: Making the Time to Write" was just what I was looking for as I begin a second career as writer. This book explains how I can best organize my time to combat writer's block and eliminate wasted time. It also helped me get over the 'how do I publish it now that I've finished it?' problem.

For years, I worked 12-hour days and my average roundtrip commute was 3 hours, which left only evenings and weekends for my writing. It was very difficult to write even during those off-hours because I always felt burnt out and not very creative.

However, two years ago I relocated from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles and now I work from home which affords me much more time to write. I was amazed, though, to find, that even with all the free time I have that I still found it difficult to write. So, I decided to pick up this book. Now, I know that I'm not alone--a lot of what I've gone through is shared by other writers.

In this book, Atchity explains how to get the most out of your time and become more productive. Among the most valuable sections for me (& there were MANY) were the ones that dealt with attention span, procrastination, checklists, index cards and using a stopwatch.

I've now reorganized my writing time, space, and find myself to be MUCH more productive. I'm also carrying a stopwatch around the house all day--not that he advocates getting so carried away with it--but I find it very useful in managing my time. I know. . . sounds odd, but hey, whatever works.

Other notable sections are those on recapturing creativity and understanding fear and anxiety. The author helps the reader to understand both and use them to our advantage. It was so helpful to learn that anxiety is a NORMAL part of the process and a writer's life. I was beginning to think it was a mental disorder. NOW, I know better. ;)

I also posted, above my computer, some of the many inspirational quotations which are sprinkled throughout (oh, and the last chapter is chock full of them). Priceless, priceless words of wisdom that never fail to get me going. ;)

I also recommend "How to Publish Your Novel" by this author. IMMENSELY helpful for aspiring novelists. . . and published novelists who realize that there's always more waiting to be learned.

I found this book to be an excellent resource for organizing ideas and approaching a project. I've started several writing projects in the past and became discouraged when I would hit that inevitable "brick wall". Atchity sheds tremendous light on writer's block, tapping into your creative writing voice, and says it in a way that is easy to understand. A very helpful addition to the personal library for a writer of any genre.

I have been searching for years for a book that clearly identifies and explains a straight-forward and understandable format/process for putting together a novel; I found it in "A Writer's Time". From the first page forward, I found that I continually marked in the book things like "FINALLY!" and "So THAT's how I do it!" If you only read one book about how to put together a novel, this one is it!

Overall, the book provides some useful tips for time management for the professional writer. However, I found the reading of it fairly dry and not terribly inspiring, and I am not so sure many of the time management techniques given are applicable only to writers, many are found elsewhere, and others are just plain common sense.

This book is a step by step tool to learn from. Kenneth Atchity in his work says: " You learn how to program your consciousness to give you what you need: something to write on the blank page ". You get to learn how to make it happen.