The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear

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Overview

Katherine Anne Porter called courage "the first essential" for a writer. "I have to talk myself into bravery with every sentence," agreed Cynthia Ozick, "sometimes every syllable." E. B. White said he admired anyone who "has the guts to write anything at all."An author who has taught writing for more than thirty years, Ralph Keyes assures readers that anxiety is felt by writers at every level and can be harnessed to produce honest and disciplined work., Keyes offers specifics on how to make the best use of writers' workshops and conferences and how to handle criticism of works in progress; he also exposes the most common "false fear busters" (needing new equipment, a better setting, a new...

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Overview

Katherine Anne Porter called courage "the first essential" for a writer. "I have to talk myself into bravery with every sentence," agreed Cynthia Ozick, "sometimes every syllable." E. B. White said he admired anyone who "has the guts to write anything at all."An author who has taught writing for more than thirty years, Ralph Keyes assures readers that anxiety is felt by writers at every level and can be harnessed to produce honest and disciplined work., Keyes offers specifics on how to make the best use of writers' workshops and conferences and how to handle criticism of works in progress; he also exposes the most common "false fear busters" (needing new equipment, a better setting, a new agent). Throughout, he includes the comments of many accomplished writers—Pat Conroy, Amy Tan, Rita Dove, Isabel Allende, and others—on how they transcended their own anxieties to produce great works.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Keyes (Nice Guys Finish Seventh) here suggests that writerly anxiety is an inevitable and necessary part of the writing process. Drawing on his own experience and that of others (often from Paris Review or PW interviews), he explores the varieties of anxieties, for example, ``page fright''; the pitfalls of putting family and friends into print; and the tension between fear of self-exposure and thirst for attention. In the book's second half, he explores both harnessing and ``finessing'' fear, arguing that ``inner conviction'' is more important than technique. He surveys authors' tics and tricks to get started and the question of circulating works-in-progress. Many writing problems ``are really courage problems,'' Keyes concludes, after suggesting that too many good writers give up too soon. While this book lacks the scope and the personal voice of, say, Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, its psychological acuity should still help lonely scribblers. (May)
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From The Critics
Keyes, a widely experienced writer and teacher of writing himself, confronts the major component of fear in every writer's life as most writing courses never do. He shows that while the writer's anxieties-of unearthing unsavory truths about oneself, of exposing oneself to ridicule, of hurting trusting friends-cannot be overcome, they can be harnessed and used to develop serious, powerful writing. Neither preachy nor judgmental, but written by one writer speaking to others, Keyes uses a wealth of contemporary writers from Margaret Atwood to E.B. White as examples, first to identify writers' most common fears, then to discuss how writers have successfully grappled with them. Strong on theory and written with rare directness and wit, his small book is above all practical. Highly recommended for anyone who writes, wants to write, or is taking a writing course.-Charles C. Nash, Cottey Coll., Nevada, Mo.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780805074673
  • Publisher: Holt, Henry & Company, Inc.
  • Publication date: 10/1/2003
  • Edition description: REV
  • Pages: 224
  • Sales rank: 258,765
  • Product dimensions: 5.49 (w) x 8.27 (h) x 0.62 (d)

Meet the Author

Ralph Keyes is the co-author of Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins: Managing Innovation in a Changing Economy. His ten other books include The Wit and Wisdom of Oscar Wilde, and The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
I The Elements of Courage
1 Writing as an Act of Courage 3
2 Points of Courage 16
3 Will Everyone See Through Me? 38
4 The Devil in the Inkstand 64
II Coming to Terms with Fear
5 Finessing Fear 93
6 Putting Fear to Work 120
7 Should You Write in the Nude? 141
8 A Little Help from Friends 165
9 The Courageous Writer 187
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Customer Reviews
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  • Posted May 27, 2010

    Top notch guide encourages writers to get past their fear

    The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes may just be the most helpful writing book I've ever read. I started writing my first novel over seven years ago, but about halfway through I stopped writing and put it aside. When anyone asked, I said that I had writer's block, but that wasn't the truth. The truth is that I was terrified to finish it for fear that no one would want to read it, and that fear stopped my writing dead in its tracks. I had no idea that this problem was so common until reading Keyes' book. The author says that most writers suffer from some kind of deep seated fear, but it's those writers who push past the fear and write anyway who succeed. Even writers who have published often, still regularly face the fear of an empty page each time they sit down. Keyes never dismisses or makes light of these fears. The book has very few actual tips for writers wanting to push past their fears, but is instead filled with anecdotes about famous authors who have faced the absolute terror of exposing their soul on paper for the world to read and how they did it anyway. Some of the stories are amusing, some shocking, but all are encouraging, because it means that I am not alone. Keyes also delves deeply into the psyche of the writer. I always thought that I was just shy and socially inept, but Keyes states that most writers are socially withdrawn and solitary. He quotes Erskine Caldwell, "You cannot be both a good socializer and a good writer. You have to choose." By the time I finished reading the book, I realized that I had started rethinking my novel and realized that the loss of my electronic copy is a good thing, because it forces me to completely re-edit while typing it back up. The book gave me hope that my fear is completely normal, and that if I can just use it rather than be defeated by it, I will finish my book.

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