A Writerly Life - Suggested Texts for Writing Inspiration 3/4

A book about the writing process is a thoughtful and I think, useful way to mull over one's writing progress. I have compiled a list of books about writing that I love. I buy books in this genre often and I am always reading one from my collection. The books included in this list have prompts for writing, advice around getting words on the page, how to approach the mechanical aspects of writing, developing a writer's notebook, responding to texts, and general guidance for developing a writing routine.

1. A Writer's Notebook by Ralph Fletcher
'Writers are like other people, except for at least one important difference. Other people have daily thoughts and feelings, notice this sky or that smell, but they don't do much about it.'

'A Writer's Notebook' is book supporting the development of a writer's notebook. Fletcher provides many useful gems in this book and it doesn't matter that it us aimed at upper primary school children - good ideas are good ideas. Fletcher has written several books supporting the writing process and he wrote my favourite article about writer's notebooks here.



2. Children's Writer's Notebook by Wes Magee
This is a marvellous text is filled with writing prompts that relate to the work of a range of children's authors. The activities are straight forward but undertaking them will force your writing into a new direction. It is possible that the responses to the exercises will never leave the pages of your notebook but you will gain through attempting them and you never know, you may uncover a brilliant story!

3. Creative Writer's Notebook by John Gillard
The 'Creative Writer's Journal' is just like the 'Children's Write's Notebook' and I leapt at the chance to buy a copy (it is pay week this week, right?!). This text provides a range of prompts drawing on a range of well known authors - check out the list on the cover. The prompts encourage movement from the style and subject matter your writing usually takes and they also give great insight into how you may respond to other texts and authors in the future.



4. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Words and writing are what paint and canvas are to a fine artist, a way to interpret and see the world and in Lamott's case, when struggling to find her place as a teenager, to gain some acceptance. The power of story is evident throughout the book.



5. Write Every Day by Harriet Griffey
A straight forward text that focuses on the writing practice and a range of specific forms of writing. Griffey provides an overview of prose, poetry, and memoir as well as mechanical aspects like voice, dialogue, character, plot, and structure. The writing quotes are my favourite - I was able to find a few more texts on writing via the included quotes. Sample pages are available at the link.



6. Making Stories by Kate Grenville and Sue Woolfe
How great is print on demand? Making Stories was published in 2001 and while that feels like yesterday, it is 19 years ago which is a long time for a book about Australian writing to remain in print (or print on demand!). I was able to order a copy recently and I am eagerly anticipating its arrival. The book captures the drafting process - I think this offers an important insight into the writing process. The strength of a piece of writing is in ruthless revision.



7. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
The Artist's Way is a way to be introspective about the writing process and what is holding you back. It is presented as a 12-week course with some reading and activities to work through the development of the creative self. The renowned 'Morning Pages' originate from Cameron's work and are a worthwhile component of the book - three A4 pages each morning can break down a creative block and help find clarity with a writing project.



8. The Joy of Mindful Writing by Joy Kenward
A beautiful book that will easily fit into a laptop case, handbag, or maybe even a pocket. There are a range of 'Mindfulness' Exercises included as well as writing examples which makes it an excellent text to prompt and inspire writing outside one's comfort zone. Also, this would be a great book to support HSC English Standard and Advanced Module C: The Craft of Writing (always thinking about how things would work in the classroom!).



9. A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves
Oh, this one is another nice one. There must be a particular sentiment from writers who write about writing that the book they write must be printed on nice paper or have a unique aesthetic. I am very much on board with this. Reeves' book is printed on cream coloured paper with burgundy writing. It includes advice on the writing process as well as a prompt for every single day of the year. If stuck, this could be the perfect remedy to get writing on a regular basis. There is even a section on writer's notebooks (pp. 19-20) which, of course, I was interested in. Reeves includes advice from the greats and the quotes and references she included have led me to some great resources.

10. Writing from the Senses by Laura Deutsch

Another relatively short book that highlights the impact of sensory writing. There are writing prompts, tales, and advice throughout this book all aiming to encourage the writer to find inspiration in their surroundings. I think the prompts would be great for a writer's notebook.

Happy reading, and writing!


N.B Images are the author's own and further information on each title can be found at the hyperlink - mainly Booktopia, for consistency's sake.

Writing about Reading Books about Writing #1 'Bird by Bird' - Anne Lamott

My interest in writing and the teaching of writing stems from my background as an English teacher. I work with students everyday, some love writing - they will summarise notes, write short or extended responses to questions, pen a poem, a narrative, an essay, all with enthusiasm and delight. Though there's a flipside - students who lump all of their experiences of writing in one pile and label it 'yuck' - my own experiences mostly place me in the first category but I have experienced the 'yuck' - the strain of getting a sentence just right, of extending a thesis throughout a critical response, the effort to articulate exactly what it is that I'm thinking. It is hard.

I have always written but have never considered myself a 'writer.' Since joining one of the ETA Writing Teachers groups I have begun to engage with what it means to be a writer and it is my hope that the experience of writing regularly and sharing my work with others will give me more insight into what my students experience when they set about the important work of writing.

To further my understanding of the writing process I have engaged with literature exploring pedagogical approaches to the teaching of writing at word, sentence, paragraph, and whole text level but it becomes especially apparent, (especially after my foray into the delight that is the work of Nancie Atwell) that there is something missing. The human element, the grit and determination needed to mould and build pieces of writing. I needed to know more about the compulsion to write and how people overcome blocks and garner inspiration.

A few months ago I started listening to the Australian Writers' Centre podcast  'So You Want to be a Writer' (featuring authors A.L. Tait and Valerie Khoo). Besides being entertaining, the podcast provides insight into the process of writing fiction, non-fiction, as well as publishing, blogging, and what it means to be a writer in the world. One of the segments that I particularly enjoy is the suggestion of a book about the craft of writing. In Episode 61 Valerie and Allison discuss several texts that they count as influential and worthwhile. I must say, from this initial introduction I have developed a strange love of these non-fiction volumes exploring the writing process and have now filled an entire shelf in my bookcase. The joy!

I started with Anne Lamott's 'Bird by Bird' and I loved it. Here's a few points I pulled from the text:

Ten Snippets of Advice from 'Bird by Bird'


1. Words and writing are what paint and canvas are to a fine artist, a way to interpret and see the world and in Lamott's case, when struggling to find her place as a teenager, to gain some acceptance. The power of story is evident throughout the book.

2. The one-inch picture frame is the precursor to the 'bird by bird' anecdote. Both are suggestions as to how to avoid the all encompassing, desperate, and overwhelming feeling when embarking upon a journey into the unknown. I love how honest Lamott is, an author who has written many novels and books, yet she comes back to first principles - the one inch picture frame, bird by bird.

3. The best possible writing advice? WRITE! Thanks Lamott and also, thanks Goldberg (I will read your work after Stephen King!).

5. The emotional acre we all receive at birth is the perfect pasture to explore what matters to a character - what is happening behind the fence? What is planted there? Who is allowed in? Food for thought and a delicious opportunity to uncover the inner workings of an aloof protagonist. The emotional acre is suitable for writing and life, especially since unwelcome visitors can be told to leave, stat!

6. Character development propels the plot but it needs to be on the page! Write first, smooth later! Lamott's step into dialogue in the following chapter is a joyous one - references to Hemingway and reminders: keep the dialogue 'sharp and lean', ensure each character has a distinct voice, and avoid dialect - good advice!

7. Drafting 'short assignment by short assignment' is a way forward when the going is rough.

8. To be a writer one must be reverent. I love the beautiful stories of friends, family, the world, and her students that Lamott weaves through 'Bird by Bird.' It is a real account of a writerly life - worries, anxieties, panic, self-doubt, alongside the occasional exaltation, however short lived, when a book is published.

9. Live 'big round hours' and write what is most important. Lamott refers to a moral purpose in writing, not in a gratuitous, over-the-top way, but to explore the world to say, 'this is who we are.'

10. Give your best, everyday. There will always be more.

Next: Stephen King's 'On Writing'