One Continuous Mistake : Four Noble Truths for Writers (Paperback)

by Gail Sher (Author) "Write on the same subject every day for two weeks..." (more)
Key Phrases: daily writing periods, writing parents, Virginia Woolf, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Gary Snyder (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In One Continuous Mistake, Gail Sher applies the teachings of Zen Buddhism to the creative-writing process. Though there are a few writing exercises here, this is less a workbook than a series of meditations on how to be a writer. "When you read Zen literature," says Sher, "you must read each sentence with a fresh mind." And so should you write. "The real work of writing is, day after day, to discover how to maintain freshness." To do so, Sher advises (among other things) a single-minded focus, a daily writing period, sitting with a straight spine, and "letting words fall freely, without editing or censuring." By doing so, says Sher, your body "gives birth ... to what you never expected, predicted, could have thought up." Only then, adds Sher, should you revise. And when you do, revise boldly. "As Suzuki-roshi used to say about getting up when the alarm rings," she says, "'Never make the same decision twice.'" --Jane Steinberg

Product Description
Based on the Zen philosophy that we learn more from our failures than from our successes, One Continuous Mistake teaches a refreshing new method for writing as spiritual practice. In this unique guide for writers of all levels, Gail Sher-a poet who is also a widely respected teacher of creative writing-combines the inspirational value of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way with the spiritual focus of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Here she introduces a method of discipline that applies specific Zen practices to enhance and clarify creative work. She also discusses bodily postures that support writing, how to set up the appropriate writing regimen, and how to discover one's own "learning personality."

In the tradition of such classics as Writing Down the Bones and If You Want to Write, One Continuous Mistake will help beginning writers gain access to their creative capabilities while serving as a perennial reference that working writers can turn to again and again for inspiration and direction.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); First Edition edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140195874
• ISBN-13: 978-0140195873
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #176,779 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration rising!, January 31, 2001

By	R. Griffiths "bookchoice" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gail Sher is a master baker, author of the inspirational 'From A Baker's Kitchen', which like the better known 'Tassajara Bread Book' describes less a set of recipes than a way of life.

The same can be said of 'One Continuous Mistake'. With writing as with baking, what is offered is not a set of prescriptive guidelines, for this is not a simplistic 'how-to' manual. Rather this is a highly accessible and attractive collection of insights into what it is to be a writer.

Sher is a member of the San Francisco Zen Center, and her approach is guided by an interpretation of Zen principles. For her, writing, like meditation, is a 'practice'. The path is itself the destination.

I would take issue with the Amazon review posted here, which says, 'Though there are a few writing exercises here, this is less a workbook than a series of meditations on how to be a writer.' Actually there are plenty of 'exercises' if you want them. For instance, the book is particularly helpful in guiding the reader through the writing of haiku (short poems)as a way into writing. Sher's approach is intensely practical. She proposes 'four noble truths' of writing, of which the first is 'writers write'! However, rather than haranguing readers into despair over the paucity of our own written words, she invites us to see how exactly the writing life can become for us immesurably enriching.

Actually, there is another book on a similar theme - writing as interpreted by a Zen perspective - and it's called 'Writing Down The Bones' by Natalie Goldberg. Don't ask me to choose between them. Read them both. After all, writers need all the friends they can get.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars thought-provoking, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This book is concise and insightful. The truths it illustrates are applicable to, not only writing, but almost any other creative endeavor imaginable. Simply replace the word "writing" with "painting" or "design" or whatever interest captivates you. While I read, I found I had to keep my journal beside me to record passages that I didn't want to forget - there were many.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring and delicious read..., March 20, 2002

By A Customer

I opened this book intending to browse the first few pages. Instead, I finished the book and went right to work writing. I've never thought of myself as a an actual "writer," but now I do! She blows away the concept of "writer's block," inspiring the reader with clear and simple suggestions for writing as a daily process. Even if you are NOT interested in writing, chances are that you will be after reading this book. Her prose resonates like poetry.