A Writer's Workbook: Daily Exercises for the Writing Life (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Foreword) "As the text for this workbook was nearing completion, and I was beginning to see the entirety of it, the wholeness of it, it became..." (more)
Key Phrases: wrong brother, Idea Book, Don't Know Much Geography, Los Angeles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

After nine months of not writing--nine months of morning sickness--Caroline Sharp had a new baby and an urge to write again. Trouble was, she was out of practice. So she devised a series of 32, mostly half-hour exercises to get her writing muscle back in shape. Thus was born A Writer's Workbook. In it, Sharp embraces warming up with a journal. She is personable and humorous, often returning to the subject of her addiction to coffee. Although her book is recommended in Elizabeth Gilbert's (Pilgrims) introduction for any reluctant writer in need of a jump-start, it seems best suited to fictioneers. "Write a character description of yourself," an early exercise suggests. "Write down as many food memories as you can recall," urges another. "Take yourself through 24 hours in your character's day," and "See if you can come up with a true list of bad behavior." While the exercises cumulatively don't help you create a greater whole, if they get you writing, they've done their job. And as you write, keep in mind: "You've got to get in the habit of harvesting all the acreage," says Sharp. "The pretty flowers are great, but the bent and twisted and screwy ones are more interesting." --Jane Steinberg --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A Writer's Workbook is the most generous favor to those among us who would write and could write, if only we could get down to work . . . This is a book for students, for professionals, for poets, for playwrights, for journalists and for those of you who don't even dare call yourself writers yet, except the most secret moments of the night."—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Stern Men, from the Foreword

"Opened-hearted, ardent, and encouraging. A must-have book for students and teachers alike."—Elise Paschen, Executive Director, Poetry Society of America, and author of Infidelities

"With this charming, insightful, and indispensable guide, Caroline Sharp may very well have ended writer's block in our time."—Albert J. Zuckerman, author of Writing the Blockbuster Novel

"A supportive and encouraging book every aspiring writer will find particularly useful."—Publishers Weekly
-- Review

"A Writer's Workbook is the most generous favor to those among us who would write and could write, if only we could get down to work . . . This is a book for students, for professionals, for poets, for playwrights, for journalists and for those of you who don't even dare call yourself writers yet, except the most secret moments of the night."—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Stern Men, from the Foreword

"Opened-hearted, ardent, and encouraging. A must-have book for students and teachers alike."—Elise Paschen, Executive Director, Poetry Society of America, and author of Infidelities

"With this charming, insightful, and indispensable guide, Caroline Sharp may very well have ended writer's block in our time."—Albert J. Zuckerman, author of Writing the Blockbuster Novel

"A supportive and encouraging book every aspiring writer will find particularly useful."—Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (June 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031228621X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312286217
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,905 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 111 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A cute but unoriginal book that offers little., February 7, 2005

By	Nicholas Soucy (Lansing, Mi United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First, I know this review looks too long, but it might help you out. So please, read on.

I read a few of the "chapters" (exercise sections) of this book and found it to be a little too conversational. Sure, we all value a charming and witty instruction book to a dry academic one, but I still think she brings nothing new to this genre of book.
It seems like she could easily have gotten all of these ideas from other writing books, seminars and articles, and frankly, most of them are better written than this one. You've probably encountered most of the ideas put forth in this book, beginning with an intro akin to:

"Oh, we all say we're going to write, but we never get around to it. Well never, fear, because [insert generic writing guide book title] is here to kick your rear in gear!"

Something like that.

There are really so many different types of books, kits, articles, memoirs, classes and manifestos on the subject of writing, exercises, inspiration and so forth. (Just do a search on Amazon for Writing Instruction or Writing for Publication.) I really can't recommend this book, though.


Unfortunately, the author also thinks it's cute or somehow necessary to write quite a few words in ALLCAPS to add emphatic notice to the concept. Personally, I think that WRITING like THIS every few PAGES looks unprofessional and can be quite IRRITATING. This stylistic flaw alone makes me wonder whether she's a very credible source. Is font manipulation creative? Sure, to an extent, but "all-caps" serves no purpose, and it's easy to do and banal.

I think that this work misses a point about writing: it requires self-discipline as well as inspiration and talent. It's easy and sometimes fun to get caught up in books like these, but really, if you just read a varity of nonfiction, novels and periodicals for a few hours each week you can begin to understand observational skills, and you won't need these silly little exercises. You'll be inspired by what you read, and how the articles or whatever you read remind you of your own experiences.

So, the point is, if you feel that you need to spend money on a book like this, perhaps you don't have the ability to discipline yourself into a steady routine of journaling and writing. Buying a book like this one will allow you to read some tips and eventually forget about it. After brief excitement and productivity, you'll be back to square one; with no self-discipline, you'll never apply this book to your life week-by-week as you should. It will collect dust next to your yoga books.
I offer this criticism not to sound nasty, but to make you think about what you are buying.

It's simple to buy a Men's Fitness magazine, for instance, but it won't help you unless you actually work out routinely. Same thing.


I guess the bottom line is that this book is okay for a casual read, but look it over in a bookstore first to see if you really want to pay the price of owning it.

I give it about 2.4 stars.

37 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author takes the fear out of writing, September 28, 2000

By	"[e-mail]" (new york, ny USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Writer's Workbook: Daily Exercises for the Writing Life (Hardcover)

Caroline Sharp has written an approachable, easy to understand "hand-up" for aspiring writers.

Breaking down the fear so many face at the thought of approaching a vast blank page, Sharp guides novices and experienced writers alike through a series of steps and exercises to get the writing going.

Kudos to Ms. Sharp for sharing her hard won knowledge and experience with the rest of us.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Real Workout!, June 22, 2004

By	V. Marshall (North Fork, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a perfect solution for those writers in need of something to write about.

Caroline Sharp wrote this book after not writing for a significant period of time. She was searching for inspiration and invented her own. With this book she gives suggestions for various exercises and writing techniques. The book is meant to be done one chapter after another growing as you progress but some of the chapters are tedious and actually stopped me from writing, like the chapter on outlines (you have to write something in order to have something to outline!). I have found that skipping around works better for me only because some days are less patient than others.

For those of you serious writers looking for new techniques and new ideas this is a wonderful book to absorb. Sometimes the best ideas come from out of the blue and this book just gives you the blue a little bit faster.