A writing craft book that had me nodding vigorously

Gentle Writing Advice by Chuck Wendig

As part of my Summer of Love of Writing, I mentioned that, in addition to “reading like a writer” with fiction, I would be reading some new craft books. Several of you asked if I would share those as I made my way through them. So here we are!

I could give you a long review of Chuck Wendig’s new craft book Gentle Writing Advice¹, but I think what may be even more effective is to share a few quotes so that you can get an idea of what the vibe of the book is.

First, here’s the official back cover copy:

Finally--a book of writing advice that accounts for all of the messy, perverse, practical, and inexplicable parts of being a human who writes

The truth is that all of the "writing rules" you've learned are bullshit. Sure, they work for some people, but the likelihood that they'll work for you--unique butterfly of a person that you are--is slim. 
 
That doesn't mean you're out of luck! There is meaningful advice to be had in the writing world, and Chuck Wendig is here to deliver it. In this hilarious guide, Wendig will help you discover more about yourself as a writer, parse through your quirks and foibles, and help you figure out the best way for you to get words on the page--without destroying yourself along the way.
 
With behind-the-scenes stories of Wendig's own writing struggles, sections on debunking popular advice, self-care tips, and more footnotes than are strictly necessary (or legally recommended by scientists), Gentle Writing Advice will give the unvarnished truth about the writing process and remind you of what's actually important--taking care of the writer. (That's you, by the way.) 

Now, here are a couple of quotes from the epilogue that made me get out my page flags.

This first quote resonated with me because it speaks to exactly what we’ve been talking about here, about wanting to be better, to do more with our writing.

“This is not a thing I can confirm with data but it feels like for a long time we’ve all just been trying to write whatever we can write to get that book deal, to get book sales, to please an audience… But now I think everything that’s going on has parted the fog that gathered around the original purpose and clarified for us that we do want meaning in the work again. Maybe we don’t want to write just to be published, but rather, we want to find something that matters —if not to The Whole World, then certainly to our Own Damn Selves.” — Gentle Writing Advice by Chuck Wendig

I wouldn’t say I’ve previously been just doing whatever to be published. If I don’t find meaning in something, I can’t write it at all. However, I do feel like this speaks to that feeling I’ve been having about wanting to deepen my craft and grow as a writer. I’m not as comfortable staying in the same lane as I once was.

And then this quote I think will resonate with most of us because the last few years have been…a lot.

“It’s okay if these moments in history have shaken you up….It’s a chance to remake your vision for yourself and your writing. We’re beaten up, beaten down, a little bit broken, a little bit lost. That’s okay. We’ll find our way up and out.” — Gentle Writing Advice by Chuck Wendig

I think we could all use a little writing hope, yeah? So this book hit the spot for that.

There’s also practical writing advice, but I think I most appreciated it for Chuck’s candor about how challenging this all can be. I also deeply appreciated that he walked back some advice he’s given in earlier books as “the right way”, heavy quotes on that.

I think it’s a natural part of a writer’s evolution to think that the things that work for you early on will a) always work for you and b) mean it’s the best way for all writers. I know I’ve been guilty of that too. (I mean, I had a pretty successful writing blog back in the day called Fiction Groupie where I was teaching people how to write before I was published. Such nerve! Such blind confidence! Who was that girl? ;)

But as you go on in this career, you learn that processes change and evolve, there’s no “one true way” about any writing technique, and that what works for one person may be the absolute worst method for another writer (or may turn into the worst thing for you later on!)

Writing will screw with your head, man. Always moving the finish lines, changing the rules, tricking you into thinking you’ve found your method and then…surprise! That doesn’t work anymore! So, I appreciated that Chuck acknowledged this and said, hey, this is what I thought then, here’s what I think now. I love that.

So, if you’re looking for exactly what the title promises, some gentle writing advice, I recommend you pick this one up. (Also, Chuck has a great blog that always has good food for thought—and lots of cursing.)

Has anyone else read this one yet?

1. My book links are Amazon affiliate links but no one has asked me to endorse the book