The Playful Way to Serious Writing

THE PLAYFUL WAY TO SERIOUS WRITING

By Roberta Allen

Publisher Houghton Mifflin

ISBN 0-618-19729-X

Are you a writer that says all writing related books are the same? Yes, then you haven't read or used Roberta Allen's THE PLAYFUL WAY TO SERIOUS WRITING. Allen's book speaks to the writer in all of us, the one that hates the blank page and blinking cursor. From page one until the end, this book inspires creativity with the cleverly written and visual exercises.

This is not your ordinary how-to writing book, it's your private creative writing workshop to help you past a block, rejuvenate your enthusiasm for a new or old project. However, you decide to use the book it invites you to read and write as you go to be free and creative. There are no genre boundaries with Allen's book. Use it for creative non-fiction, personal essays, memoir, and even journaling.

Allen uses the word Energy throughout the book and it fits with what writers are looking for in their writing. When a writer taps into the energy deep inside it's a feeling that most writers would like to have daily. Her book helps you find that energy and the freedom to let your mind and pen flow freely.

Review written by Linda S. Dupie, Editor. To learn more about Linda visit http://www.lindasdupie.com.

As a writer and aspiring essayist, I've looked endlessly for a book to help me bring my attempts at writing essays alive. Last month that book arrived on my doorstep. The Playful Way to Knowing Yourself by Roberta Allen, immediately had me tapping into parts of myself I didn't or perhaps didn't want to know existed.

Allen's book is similar to her previous book The Playful Way to Serious writing. The typeset is relaxed and as easy going as her writing style. I was immediately relaxed and ready to start my exploration into my surroundings and myself. I started out with what Allen calls "Loosening Up Exercises"; these helped me to let go of my inhibitions to get down to core of what is inside of me. Looking back over the exercises I've completed two stand out. The very first Loosening Up Exercise set me on a course of "charged" writing. My essays started to pop with emotion. The exercise itself was just a list of seven words I would use to describe myself, but those seven words were the foundation of new essays. My list went from one end of the spectrum to the other. Here's my list-

Exercise: Choose seven words you would use to describe yourself

1. Bright

2. Friendly

3. Driven

4. Perfectionist

5. Moody

6.  Stubborn

7. Reflective

Another exercise question I couldn't let go of was "What Makes You Shine?" Again, my answers took the form of a list that built upon my seven words. My list-

1. Writing makes me shine.

2. Spending the day with my children.

3. Quiet time with my husband

4. Spending time alone to nurture myself.

A week after completing this exercise I had a rough draft completed using the word "Reflective" from the first list and "Spending time alone" from the second. Suddenly my writing was coming alive with strength and emotion. The entire purpose of Allen's book is to help you uncover who or what your inspiration or fear is. Knowing Yourself is designed to help you catch the spontaneity of what you see and feel at that moment. The fantastic part of this book is you are able to redo the exercises at any given time, and Allen encourages you to skip an exercise if you feel nothing. Each time I've completed an exercise I've come away with something new.

The Playful Way to Knowing Yourself is a book I will use often. Just as there are no right or wrong essay topics, Allen sums up the how-to of her book by writing, "There are no right answers to the exercises in this book. There are only your answers. Your answers are unique to you. No one else sees life exactly the way you see it."

This powerful tool helped me take my essays to the next level. Grab your pen and this book and exercise your writing mind.

Review written by Linda S. Dupie, Editor. To learn more about Linda visit http://www.lindasdupie.com.

Making Good Choices Series, By Karen Wiesner
Publisher- http://www.ebooks.writers-exchange.com 

When I sat down at my computer to read the e-book Making Good Choices, I started reading and taking notes on what I would write for this review. I was impressed with the simplicity and clarity of the book, but that’s an adults point of view and everything I wrote seemed lacking. Then my six-year-old walked into the room. A light bulb moment happened, I asked her to help me with my work. Of course she hesitated until I told her it involved reading a book and then the hesitation turned into a resounding “Yes!” 

We started out by learning about the cute and cuddly guide for the book Reb, who also happens to be a raccoon. Reb guides the child through the story with Seeds of Understanding. These seeds represent words that are hot linked with short definitions to help re-enforce their understanding of the story.

My daughter enjoyed the stories and identified with them. She made her choices at the end of each story with confidence. She gave it two thumbs up!

The stories opened the way for my daughter and I to discuss her choices. Making Good Choices, by Karen Wiesner is both fun and educational. It’s a wonderful interactive way to enjoy an e-book whether it’s your first or one hundredth. 

For more information on the book or author Karen Wiesner visit http://www.rainydaycorner.com/scribble_articles11.htm#wiesner

Review by Linda S. Dupie, Editor, http://www.lindasdupie.com

Hanne's Farewell to Juarez

Written by Sara V. Olds

Published by Wings ePress Books

http://www.wings-press.com

ISBN 1-59088-969-X

Use this link for purchasing Hanne's Farewell to Juarez

I have to admit the last young adult book I read was Book four of Harry Potter. When I picked up Hanne's Farewell to Juarez I wondered if it could hold my attention as an adult. Two hours later I had my answer! This lovely little book held my attention from the beginning.

Hanne is a delightful fully developed character that tells the reader a story of her life as an American living in Colonial Juarez right before the Mexican Revolution. Sara V. Olds based the story on her family oral history. Olds has created a story young and old will enjoy. The story is written simply and eloquently from third grade Hanne's point-of-view. You can't help but continue to read and follow Hanne on her journey.

After I finished the book my ten-year-old Harry Potter addicted daughter picked it up and to my surprise disappeared into her room and by bedtime had handed me the book and said that she loved Hanne and her courage. So between my daughter and me we're giving this one four thumbs up!

Review by Linda S. Dupie, Editor, http://www.lindasdupie.com

Blood Money
By Azam Gill
372 pages
BeWrite Publishers
Price: £9.80 ( paperback), £1.00 ( e-book),  £7.50 (CD -ROM)

Use this link for purchasing Blood Money

Reviewed by Deepa Kandaswamy

Will the 'War on Terror' really succeed? Why do the Western governments
ignore terrorism in Kashmir and Chechnya?  Are there really any good guys
and bad guys? Finally, Azam Gill, a former mercenary himself, answers these
questions, and others, in his fascinating book, Blood Money.

Johnny Kilvington Beresford , an ex-SAS and ex-Legionnaire and the
beautiful, intelligent Nathalie Le Viallon, a high school teacher are pawns
in a chess game played by terrorist masterminds and Western agencies, whose
lives are 'collateral damage' if either side lose. Will they live to love?

Sweeping from the seedy, mercenary bars in Marseilles to the beautiful
island of Guadeloupe, from the invisible monitoring stations of the American
National Security Agency to the environmental summits and universities in
France, Gill weaves a web of  intrigue, mystery and suspense which surprises
with its honesty, insider knowledge of mercenary mechanisms, and the
astonishing simplicity of operations that will leave you spellbound and
shaken.

Azam Gill is a former intelligence officer of Pakistan and an ex-Legionnaire. The French Foreign Legion was originally founded by King Louis Philippe to serve in the French colonies. Headquartered at Aubagne, near Marseille, now about 60% of its members are foreign volunteers who, upon joining, swear an oath of allegiance to the legion but not to France.Because of its reticence about the backgrounds of its enlistees, the French foreign legion has acquired a reputation for attracting fugitives from justice.

Blood Money is a page turner, and Gill manages to combine action, humor and love without making it sound like a Jackie Chan or James Bond script. The
reader will identify events that were termed "unfortunate disasters" or "accidents" by the media. Gill explains the behind-the-scenes that caused these "disasters". It is difficult to distinguish fact from fiction which is the primary strength of this book. After reading Blood Money, one will never view an environmental summit or a university professor in quite the same way again.

Move over John Grisham, we now have a real spy who also happens to be a
master storyteller.

Copyright 2003 by Deepa Kandaswamy

Deepa Kandaswamy is a journalist -writer based in India. Her articles have been published in various publications in India and abroad. She is featured in the "The Writing Group Book" forthcoming from Chicago Review Press, Fall 2003. She writes a weekly column for Backwash.com under her pseudonym "View From the Third World." - http://www.backwash.com/content.php?id=279. Her contact id is daknews@yahoo.com
 

Paperback: 240 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.61 x 8.94 x 5.14
Publisher: Owl Books; (May 1, 2002)
ISBN: 0805063897
Author: Barbara Ehrenreich

I believe one of the books our political leaders should be required to read, when getting in public office, or while in office, is Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich.

One of the main reasons I feel our political leaders should read this book, is so that they can get a true account of what goes on in our society, aside from the impersonal “statistics” that make many Americans seem more like a number and less like a human being.

It is easy to keep a distance and not fully understand the pains, turmoils, and conditions of the lower working class when one is sitting in an air conditioned office, driving luxury cars, and spending their days reading documents and implementing laws based on those documents.

Nickel and Dimed is the true account of what many Americans face on a daily basis… hard working, under-educated, under-paid, under-insured, low income families working anywhere from one to three jobs, just to keep a roof over their families’ heads and food on the table.

Nickel and Dimed takes a realistic look at what goes on when a person doesn’t have the skills to maintain a decent living wage. It showcases the truth behind the reality that while our country is one of the best places to live and raise a family, our minimum wage standard does not meet standard living expenses.

In reading Nickel and Dimed, the reader is transformed from their cushy-lifestyle, and taken into a time and place that just doesn’t seem to fit our ideals of “Living the American Dream.” The reader will get a first-hand feel of what it means to not have enough money to feed your family, but make too much to get the proper assistance one needs. The reader will see what it is like to work hard and have enough to pay for a small apartment, but instead have to live in a motel because there isn’t enough money to come up with the required deposit and first month’s rent. And the reader will get a feel for how low income persons are treated and viewed by the upper (richer) class.

Nickel and Dimed is a book that should be read by every political leader, as well as every political person on the rise to the top. While the Declaration of Independence gives each American the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that road is often paved by many hard-working people who need to be reminded, every once in a while, that just because one is poor, doesn’t mean one is less! And it most definitely doesn’t mean that one is seeking the easy way out, or asking for a “hand-out.” It is time our political leaders take a stand in this country and offer more in the way of better working conditions, wages, and health benefits for those working their way from the bottom up!

Alyice Edrich resides in Merrill, WI with her two children and husband of 12 years. Edrich is the Editor-in-Chief of The Dabbling Mum.com - - An Online Magazine for BUSY Parents. She is also a web designer and freelance writer. She can be reached http://thedabblingmum.com, where you can enter to win a free monthly contest full of goodies!

Feminine Writes
Compiled by Sheri McConnell
Edited by Angel Brown and Julie Ann Halick
National Association of Women Writers, 2002
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 0971477514
Adult/For Writers
Inspiration/Self-help (Writers)
Excerpt/More Info Link: http://www.NAWW.org

Women, Wisdom and Writing

Women Writers Bare Souls, Share Knowledge for Other Writers

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of "This is the Place" and "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered"

Women, Wisdom and Writing are three very big Ws. This is an apt subtitle for "Feminine Writes," a kind of writing genre all its own.

Compiled by Sheri' McConnell, president and founder of the National Association of Women Writers, this book is a little of many things. This could be the kiss of death for a book--the very path to self destruction; in this case it works very well.

The first five chapters are composed of inspirational works culled from essays by members of NAWW--a huge organization that is growing every day. Covering subjects like "The Identity of a Woman" and "Passion and Creativity" they appear in this book by invitation and Sheri' has been careful to include only the best. These are lovely pieces that should be read by any writer, whether she journals only for her own needs, is a hardworking reporter or writes creatively. These pieces may be read one by one and savored or devoured nonstop. Intended for women, many would be of value to men.

The second section is designed to give a writer experience but also to "Ignite the Woman Writer's Soul." Section three is all (or almost all) about the practical. It answers 25 commonly asked questions about the writing life. A woman writer may find something here that she had thought to ask but never had, or a new slant on an answer that she long
thought she had the answer to.

At the end is a "Directory of Wisdom." There is a surprise here that I shall not reveal. It may be sufficient to say that wisdom does not always spring from expected sources.

"Feminine Writes," edited by Angel Brown and Julie Ann Halick, is available at no cost to a writer who chooses to become a member of NAWW; it is one of many perks. Or it may be ordered on Amazon with the rest of this spring's reading.

I highly recommend this book. It is, in part, a mass memoir.Women share their innermost selves with other writers. It is a workbook extraordinaire. All in all, it is a book full of camaraderie. If I used a star system for rating, I would wave a flag full of them for "Feminine Writes." A pretty pink flag, for women writers everywhere.

(Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel, "This is the Place," has won eight awards. Her newly released "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered" has won two. She has contributed to another book of wisdom from writers called "Musings: Authors Do It Write." It is available FREE at: http://carolynhowardjohnson.com.)


The Online Copywriter's Handbook: Everything You Need to
Know to Write Online Copy That Sells, By Robert Bly

Hardcover: 288 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.75 x 9.00 x 6.25
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Trade; 2nd edition (February 20, 2002)
ISBN: 0658021141

The Online Copywriter's Handbook is an invaluable source of information for anyone looking to make a more profitable living as a writer. With so many companies looking to increase profits by expanding to the online arena, it's important to understand how a
freelance copywriter can improve a website's appearance, marketing strategy, and sales with perfect content. In Bly's book, the beginning copywriter learns how to write persuasive copy, how to take existing print copy to the web, how to produce a winning website, and finally, how to promote one's business on the web!

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Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $85,000 a Year, By Robert Bly

Secrets of a Freelance Writer is a great primary for anyone looking to start his or her own freelance writing career Bly goes into great detail to help beginners gain a competitive edge, including how to close a sale, keep clients satisfied, finding markets, and setting your fees One of the things I admire about Bly's writing style is that he is straight-forward. He doesn't sugar-coat things, and he doesn't hide "trade secrets."

Alyice Edrich lives in Wisconsin with her two children and husband of 12 years. She is a freelance writer, web designer, and Editor-in-Chief for The Dabbling Mum.com - - An Online Magazine
for BUSY Parents. http://thedabblingmum.com