Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction and Other Dilemmas in the Writer's Life [Paperback]

Bonnie Friedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 8, 1994

The first book for writers that explores the emotional side of writing--dealing with everything from envy to guilt to the dreaded writer's block.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Inspirational essays on writing--by a novelist aborning whose piece ``Envy, the Writer's Disease'' made the cover of The New York Times Book Review and led to this book. Friedman sets out to uplift the writing reader and fellow novelist-to-be by opening her veins about the hardships of writing. More often, however, she opens her mind and gives the reader interesting snippets of Freud, Krishnamurti, Jung, and other wizards of the id. Most of her references are to women writers, with Mary Shelley getting the longest play in one of the best and most original passages here, in which the main problem of Dr. Frankenstein, the monster's ``author,'' is that he must ignore his family to get his work done. Friedman finds this problem common to authors who think they must write about their families but who must ignore the family's sensibilities in order to do so. She had that problem herself, she tells us, with her neurotically overweight sister. Friedman also talks about beginner's envy of famous writers, pointing out even Shakespeare's envy (``Desiring this man's scope, and that man's art'') and cries, ``Shakespeare desired another's art? Dear Lord, whose?'' Even so, this piece, the book's opening, is its most tedious stretch. The author is far livelier on schools for writers, writer's block, her first nonfiction sale (at age 34), and the landing of the contract for this book--at which moments the agony and the ecstasy are personal indeed and less abstract than Friedman's perfectly worked out similes and deep thoughts about the writer's mind. Not exciting as literary flower-picking, and only middling on the psychology of authors. Friedman's first novel should bring a brighter bloom. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Friedman's elegant prose style makes Writing Past Dark a delicious experience for lovers of language." -- Copley News Service, July 7, 1993

"The caliber of Friedman's craft itself is instructive and invigorating - better than even Annie Dillard's in The Writing Life." -- The Columbus Dispatch, September 8, 1993

"[A] slim, excellent book on the emotional aspects of the writer's vocation . . .intimate, honest, liberating." -- The Forward (March 1, 2002)

If you think writing is a lonely task and you can afford one book, buy this one. -- Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (Addison Wesley)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 146 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (April 8, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060922001
• ISBN-13: 978-0060922009
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a treasure this book is!, October 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction and Other Dilemmas in the Writer's Life (Paperback)

Writing Past Dark is so much more than a self-help book or a how-to-do-it guide. This is a book that dares to broach -- beautifully, boldly -- subjects that all writers grapple with and none talk about. Writer's envy! Writer's block! And to broach them in language that is lush and sharp. Friedman writes with soaring, exquisite precision. Her vision is original and her heart is large. Just listen to this: "A writer's concentation is ... mercy toward oneself. It is allowing imperfection. It is allowing mess. ... The mutter, the cracked voice, the false start, the false start again, all precede the song." I first read this book five years ago and when I picked it up again a month ago, it had the startling freshness of a dream.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars such a generous book!, April 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction and Other Dilemmas in the Writer's Life (Paperback)

What an act of generosity it was for Bonnie Friedman to write this book! There was no earthly reason for her to share her thoughts on envy and writer's block, other than her own desire to pool her insight with other human beings who suffer the same perils and joys. A cause for celebration!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Be Courageous and Keep Writing!, January 24, 2002

By 

A. Wolverton (Crofton, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction and Other Dilemmas in the Writer's Life (Paperback)

That's the advice that Friedman gives in her introduction:
"Successful writers are not the ones who write the best sentences. They are the ones who keep writing...believing in the value of their work, despite the difficulties." Friedman presents many of those difficulties in her own life in a very honest and revealing way, starting with "Envy, the Writer's Disease." The only cure for envy? "Returning to my work," the author says. Friedman covers many other problems in writing, among them: Distraction, writing about those still living, writing schools, getting the meaning into your stories, writer's block, and what happens when you finally are published. (You mean life doesn't instantly become a bed of roses? Uh...no...)

'Writing Past Dark' is an honest, moving, and sometimes funny look at the life of a writer. Writers at every level will be able to identify with many if not all of the essays here, which make for excellent reading. If you are a beginning writer, this is a great book for giving you a glimpse of what may be in store for you. For seasoned veterans, the book will be a work you can identify and sympathize with.