A Writer's Book of Days: A Spirited Companion and Lively Muse for the Writing Life (Paperback)

~ Judy Reeves (Author) "Tools for the writer are simple: pen and paper..." (more)
Key Phrases: auditioning words, writing practitioners, writing practice, Book of Days, Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Musicians practice. Athletes practice. And so, too, argues Judy Reeves, should writers practice. Her Writer's Book of Days provides a "writing prompt" for each day of the year, and then some: "Write about a time someone said yes"; "Write about leaving"; "Something seemed different." The more you practice, says Reeves, the more you write. And writing from a prompt, she adds, is like having "someone provid[e] the music when you want to dance." The prompts are the backbone of this book, but its pages are fleshed out with advice, inspiration, quotations from writers, encouragement, and a profusion of literary tidbits. Write from the sense, Reeves recommends. Audition words. Take risks. And when all else fails, amuse yourself with these astonishing tidbits from literary lives: T.S. Eliot, we learn, preferred writing with a head cold; Flaubert kept his lover's slippers and mittens in his desk drawer; and Friedrich von Schiller liked to invoke his muse by sniffing rotten apples. --Jane Steinberg

Product Description

Practice makes perfect, and this book makes practice easy by providing writers and would-be writers with stimulating topics, helpful instruction, monthly guidelines, dozens of inspiring quotes, writerly lore, and tips for special writing sessions such as marathons, caf writing, and other ways to make the work of writing more creative and fun.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577311000
• ISBN-13: 978-1577311003
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,652 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars get that pen moving, November 23, 1999

By	Gwendolen Gross "author of THE OTHER MOTHER" (NJ) - See all my reviews

If anything will get you writing, this book will. Enough prompts to get even the most reluctant practicer going--much more fun that playing scales. This book provides companionship and direction, not to mention diversion in the form of lives of the writers information for when you need a word snack before you start your own work. As a writing teacher, I have all my students buy Judy's book.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Couldn't Keep From Writing..., December 8, 1999

By	Karen Hertzberg (Oconomowoc, WI United States) - See all my reviews

Judy Reeves has written a gem of a book--one that actually got me writing in a matter of minutes.

I've been so busy with my writing web community that I told myself I wasn't going to look at my review copy of A Writer's Book of Days until after the first of the year. But once the book was in hand, I couldn't help but thumb through the pages. The stunning design and functional format hooked me immediately. Pretty soon I was reading--and the next thing you know, I was writing on one of the daily writing prompts the book offers. Imagine that--WRITING! I haven't had time for writing--just for the pleasure of it--in months. I've been writing three or more "practice pages" a day ever since, and loving every minute of it.

A Writer's Book of Days is a wonderful motivational tool, but it's also a delicious book full of advice that will, quite simply, make you feel like writing. Reeves encourages practice writing, and includes a year's worth of "writing prompts" designed to jump-start the creative process. But don't dismiss this book as another new-agey volume on freewriting. It's as practical as it is motivational. Reeves' writing is personable and honest. Her book makes you feel as though you're sipping coffee with your favorite writing buddy, talking shop.

I'll be offering my highest recommendation on the Coffeehouse for Writers website!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mentor in a Book, November 22, 1999

By	Amy E. Wallen (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

The inspiration for daily writing practice is non-stop in this book. The author provides endless sources for getting the creative juices flowing. This book makes a person feel the passion that writing is all about, and it's done with humour and thoughtful quotes. The advice is gentle and encouraging. No one can pick up this book and not put it down without feeling the strongest urge to write. We will survive this thing called "writing," and Ms. Reeves shows us how.