100 Simple Ways to Become a More Inspired, Successful and Fearless Writer: (Paperback)

by Jennifer Lawler (Author) "In the martial arts, we have a saying: "When the student is ready, the master appears..." (more)
Key Phrases: broken rhythm training, martial artists train, martial artist learns, Dojo Wisdom, Linda Formichelli, Miryam Williamson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
When black belt Jennifer Lawler started training in the martial arts, she discovered that the skills she was honing in the dojo (training hall)—how to focus, stay disciplined, and persevere—could be used in her professional life as a writer and writing instructor. In Dojo Wisdom for Writers, Lawler shares 100 essential lessons from the martial arts that she used to build her own career and that will help aspiring writers everywhere. With practical advice, exercises, and many stories from established writers, Dojo Wisdom for Writers shows readers:

• Why a warrior (and a writer) must master many techniques
• How to stop fearing the blow—of rejection
• The Way of the writer is not always straight—it can be the path to success

Inspiring, wise, and always down-to-earth, Dojo Wisdom for Writers is a valuable addition to any writer’s library.

About the Author
Jennifer Lawler is the author of more than twenty books and many magazine articles. She is the former co-chair of the National Writers Union Book Division and has taught literature and writing at the University of Kansas. She lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with her daughter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (July 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142196312
• ISBN-13: 978-0142196311
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #508,397 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars She Got Her Dojo Working, October 3, 2005

By	Matthew McHugh "mattmchugh.com" (NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a Christmas gift, I received the book *Dojo Wisdom for Writers* by Jennifer Lawler, a Tae Kwon Do practitioner who makes a living as a freelance writer--largely writing about martial arts (viz, this book, a similar one for mothers, a couple "Dummies" books, etc.). Being as this was given to me, a wannabe writer, by a relative who's taken up a martial art, there's no doubt Ms. Lawler nailed a market niche. Kudos to her on that.

The book itself is a pretty vapid collection of fortune-cookie wisdom stretched awfully thin to connect maxims from contemporary martial arts training to the pursuit of paying writing gigs. I've always found attempts to extrapolate general life lessons--or even worse, business strategies (shudder)--from Asian martial philosophies pretty tedious. An investment banker who quotes Sun-Tzu (and I've met a few) just seems like a yutz to me. Simply because you know what someone said, or what some translator said they said, doesn't mean you understand what was meant well enough to shoehorn it into any context you like. The value of a piece of advice lies not in who said it or why, but in what it inspires you to do (I think I got that from a SpongeBob cartoon).

As for this book, there are tidbits of practical wisdom ostensibly gleaned from martial arts practice that basically boil down to the importance of perseverence, but there's really nothing of concrete value to a would-be professional writer. No technical advice on diction or syntax. No samples of successful query letters. No recommendations for constructing character-defining dialog, or avoiding hackneyed descriptions, or arranging plot points. Acutal disscussion of craft is beyond the scope of this book. Interestingly, Ms. Lawler 'fesses up that she originally wanted to write fiction but gave it up for more saleable magazine articles. She's a writer in the same way that a guy who makes a good living narrating fire saftey videos is an actor. In a nutshell, she's someone who figured out a way to retool her interests into a career pumping out disposable little volumes filled with personal anecdotes and shallow observations--even elevating herself to "brand" status (the Holy Grail of trade publishing) in the process. That's certainly an impressive professional achievement; don't mean her books are all that great.

You could say I'm just envious. Durn right, I am.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, September 8, 2004

By	M. Bhide "BookLover" (Northern Virginia, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"When the student is ready, the master appears" - is the first lesson of this magical little book.. and how true it is. I was looking for a writing coach and this book is it. Each lesson is important and clearly laid out. Read it once,read it again and then make sure you READ IT AGAIN - first time read it casually, second time do the exercise indicated with each lesson and the third time read it to make sure you are still applying the important lessons being taught to your writing. I hope that Ms. Lawyer writes many more such books and that I am lucky enough to read them

Excellent piece of work and very useful not only for new writers but also experienced ones

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bonus - learned about martial arts AND writing, August 8, 2004

By	Debbie (CA United States) - See all my reviews

When I first saw the title of this book I thought, "huh?" I didn't know what a dojo was or how it related to writers. Okay, now I know. I was intrigued throughout the book about how the author weaved martial arts lessons with writing advice. It's a philosophy book, not a "how to" book, and I learned about the writing craft and business from examples that were not just writing related.

The lessons apply to life, as well as to writing, so the book need not be for writers only. The author illustrated the book with examples relating to her own martial arts experience as well as her writing experience (and of course, the experience of others).

It's an easy book to read - each chapter is only a few pages. You can read straight through or skip around.

Some of my favorite lessons were `Be open to what happens next' and `The way is not always straight.' The advice was sensible and presented in a `can do' way.