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1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round
Inspired by Jami Attenberg’s wildly popular literary movement #1000WordsofSummer, this writer’s guide features encouraging essays on creativity, productivity, and writing from acclaimed authors including Roxane Gay, Lauren Groff, Celeste Ng, Meg Wolitzer, and Carmen Maria Machado.
In 2018, novelist Jami Attenberg, faced with a looming deadline, needed writing inspiration. Using a bootcamp model, she and a friend set out to write one thousand words daily for two weeks straight. They opened this practice to Attenberg’s online community and soon hundreds then thousands of people started using the #1000WordsofSummer hashtag to track their work and support one another. What began as a simple challenge between two friends has become a literary movement—write 1,000 words per day without judgment, or bias, or concerns about writer’s block, and see what comes of it.
1000 Words is the book-length extension of this movement. It is about becoming—and staying—motivated, discovering yourself and your creative desires, and approaching your craft from a new direction. It features advice from more than fifty well-known writers, including New York Times bestsellers, Pulitzer Prize winners, and stars of the literary world. Framing these letters are words of wisdom and encouragement, plus specific strategies, from Attenberg on how to carve out a creative path for yourself all year round.
Paired with vibrant word art illustrations, 1000 Words is an accessible and motivational craft book that allows you to open any page and get a quick and fulfilling hit of inspiration.
Featuring Roxane Gay, Bryan Washington, Susan Orlean, Maris Kreizman, Sara Novic, Rumaan Alam, Lauren Oyler, Emma Straub, Christopher Gonzales, Benjamin Percy, Mira Jacob, Laura van den Berg, Carmen Maria Machado, Courtney Sullivan, Rebecca Carroll, Ada Limon, R.O. Kwon, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, Elissa Watusha, Alexander Chee, Maggie Shipstead, Deesha Philyaw, Jasmine Guillory, Kristen Arnett, Attica Locke, Megan Abbott, Min Jin Lee, Lauren Groff, Andrew Sean Greer, Camille Dungy, Megan Giddings, Isaac Fitsgerald, Hannah Tinti, Michael H. Weber, Celeste Ng, Elizabeth McCracken, Will Leitch, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Morgan Parker, Kiese Laymon, Melissa Febos, Alissa Nutting, Liz Moore, Laila Lalami, Megan Mayhew Berman, Rebecca Makkai, Meg Wolitzer, Mychal Denzel Smith, Josh Gondelman, and Dantiel W. Moniz.
In 2018, novelist Jami Attenberg, faced with a looming deadline, needed writing inspiration. Using a bootcamp model, she and a friend set out to write one thousand words daily for two weeks straight. They opened this practice to Attenberg’s online community and soon hundreds then thousands of people started using the #1000WordsofSummer hashtag to track their work and support one another. What began as a simple challenge between two friends has become a literary movement—write 1,000 words per day without judgment, or bias, or concerns about writer’s block, and see what comes of it.
1000 Words is the book-length extension of this movement. It is about becoming—and staying—motivated, discovering yourself and your creative desires, and approaching your craft from a new direction. It features advice from more than fifty well-known writers, including New York Times bestsellers, Pulitzer Prize winners, and stars of the literary world. Framing these letters are words of wisdom and encouragement, plus specific strategies, from Attenberg on how to carve out a creative path for yourself all year round.
Paired with vibrant word art illustrations, 1000 Words is an accessible and motivational craft book that allows you to open any page and get a quick and fulfilling hit of inspiration.
Featuring Roxane Gay, Bryan Washington, Susan Orlean, Maris Kreizman, Sara Novic, Rumaan Alam, Lauren Oyler, Emma Straub, Christopher Gonzales, Benjamin Percy, Mira Jacob, Laura van den Berg, Carmen Maria Machado, Courtney Sullivan, Rebecca Carroll, Ada Limon, R.O. Kwon, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, Elissa Watusha, Alexander Chee, Maggie Shipstead, Deesha Philyaw, Jasmine Guillory, Kristen Arnett, Attica Locke, Megan Abbott, Min Jin Lee, Lauren Groff, Andrew Sean Greer, Camille Dungy, Megan Giddings, Isaac Fitsgerald, Hannah Tinti, Michael H. Weber, Celeste Ng, Elizabeth McCracken, Will Leitch, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Morgan Parker, Kiese Laymon, Melissa Febos, Alissa Nutting, Liz Moore, Laila Lalami, Megan Mayhew Berman, Rebecca Makkai, Meg Wolitzer, Mychal Denzel Smith, Josh Gondelman, and Dantiel W. Moniz.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 9, 2024
About the author
Jami Attenberg
12 books1,790 followersI'm the author of Instant Love, The Kept Man, The Melting Season, The Middlesteins, and Saint Mazie, All Grown Up, and All This Could Be Yours, and a memoir, I Came All This Way To Meet You: Writing Myself Home. You can find me on twitter @jamiattenberg. I am the founder of the #1000wordsofsummer annual writing project and have a newsletter called Craft Talk. In 2024 the book version of #1000wordsofsummer will be published along with a new novel. I'm originally from the Chicago area, lived in New York City for sixteen years, and am now happily a New Orleans resident.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
June 9, 2023
Guys I put my heart and soul into this! Fifty-four amazing contributors + my own words of wisdom and encouragement, plus specific strategies, on how to carve out a creative path for yourself all year round. My goal is to motivate you to write. This book is all good vibes and I hope it helps you and entertains you, yes ma'am, five stars!
August 5, 2024
Sometimes a work torpedoes into the middle of your heart and makes you want to stop everything and just write. This is a beautiful book, a-brim with grace and generosity, wisdom and comfort. See if it makes you feel this way too.
November 27, 2023
Books about the creative process tend to be hit or miss for me. This one was a huge hit! The way it was organized and the topics covered made me feel incredibly seen and understood as an author, and I appreciated that Jami's advice was supplemented with letters from other creatives. I felt so motivated reading this that I started aiming for 1000 words a day instead of my previous goal of 500 and managed to stick with it for most of the homestretch of drafting my third book (and then only paused while recovering from a very bad cold). Definitely something I plan on buying for myself and for all of my writer friends!
March 13, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed reading 1000 Words, a compilation of advice on how to stay creative and in the writing process, by Jami Attenberg, with contributions from several authors.
Even when I didn’t know or haven’t connected with the work of a contributing author, their advice offered is sound. Discipline and establishing an effective routine are clearly paramount. I loved hearing from some favorite contributing authors too.
Reading 1000 Words had me thinking I can write a book, and who knows, maybe I will ;) An inspiring, motivating read for aspiring and motivated writers — 4.5 stars
Even when I didn’t know or haven’t connected with the work of a contributing author, their advice offered is sound. Discipline and establishing an effective routine are clearly paramount. I loved hearing from some favorite contributing authors too.
Reading 1000 Words had me thinking I can write a book, and who knows, maybe I will ;) An inspiring, motivating read for aspiring and motivated writers — 4.5 stars
January 27, 2024
Attenberg's passion for her work and for her friends' and colleagues' work is just so infectious, I have to give 5 stars.
Her contributors to this collection of writing advice added different perspectives and were a very beneficial addition.
Her contributors to this collection of writing advice added different perspectives and were a very beneficial addition.
January 24, 2024
total banger
August 26, 2023
This book is awesome. As an aspiring memoir writer I loved how Attenberg shared her 1000 words writing challenge and how it led to an entire movement. It was inspiring to read and I felt the energy from the contributors through their quotes and essays that were included. Well done! I will be purchasing a copy for my home library. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.
October 21, 2023
It took me awhile to get through this one because it's jam packed with practical tips & advice. I have an abundance of highlights & post-its from it, sprinkled throughout my home office. As an aspiring writer who loses focus so often, due to outside influences, this book was extremely helpful. It reminded me that I have a story that needs to be heard and helped me cultivate ways to get my thoughts on paper. If you've even thought about writing a book or a blog, I highly recommend this book.
5 ⭐️
5 ⭐️
January 18, 2024
If you write, read this book. Genuinely motivating and validating, you won’t regret it.
August 16, 2024
This is a compilation of pleasant, cheerleading platitudes to encourage writers, rather than a concrete "guide" to anything. It's very, very slight and the references to writing in COVID make it feel terribly dated already, but I liked that it featured input from many different, diverse authors, and the bite-sized sections made it easy to dip in and out of reading. It contains no secrets on how to actually write 1,000 words a day, just PMA stuff that you already know, really.
November 27, 2023
Inspired by Jami Attenberg's #1000wordsofsummer challenge, 1000 Words is a writing motivation book reflecting on her and dozens of participating authors' experiences with the experiment and the years afterward. The writing is mainly Attenberg's, but the other authors occasionally pitch in their thoughts to support her ideas and thesis with their own experiences.
The advice is covered in four "seasons" of the writer's cycle (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall), starting from creative mindset, getting motivation to start writing, drafting, and to editing and publishing, this covers the entire gambit of motivation. This is not a "how to" writing craft book or a prompt book (though there's a few prompts in it), but focuses on mindset, which is great for those in creative burnout and ruts, especially for newbies. While at first, I was almost ready to dismiss the book with the long winded introduction, something started to click during the "Winter" chapters, and by the time I got to the “Spring" chapter, I was all in. I was highlighting and taking notes throughout the rest of the read, full of quotes and insights. I appreciate that some of the advice does clash, which is more options for writers to take if one doesn't work. I also love the little notes throughout the book to take quick action. I wasn't a huge fan of the overwhelming references to 2020 events (especially in the latter half), as it took me out of the motivation and made me think more about those events (and made me think of burnout, as 2020 events were a factor to my own spiral), and it also dates the book (book release is 3 years after the end of 2020). However, it does add a historical footprint to the work and some aspects of the lessons can apply at any time of crisis. Overall, this is more of a collection of insights with a cohesive theme than a single book, which makes is easy to just pick a page and turn it to it.
This was a great tool for me as I'm working out my own creative rut (after extended burnout from constant negativity). This is a must for all writers who doubt their own creative spirit and I believe other creatives will get something out of this too!
*I received a review copy from Netgalley and Simon Element. All opinions are my own.*
The advice is covered in four "seasons" of the writer's cycle (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall), starting from creative mindset, getting motivation to start writing, drafting, and to editing and publishing, this covers the entire gambit of motivation. This is not a "how to" writing craft book or a prompt book (though there's a few prompts in it), but focuses on mindset, which is great for those in creative burnout and ruts, especially for newbies. While at first, I was almost ready to dismiss the book with the long winded introduction, something started to click during the "Winter" chapters, and by the time I got to the “Spring" chapter, I was all in. I was highlighting and taking notes throughout the rest of the read, full of quotes and insights. I appreciate that some of the advice does clash, which is more options for writers to take if one doesn't work. I also love the little notes throughout the book to take quick action. I wasn't a huge fan of the overwhelming references to 2020 events (especially in the latter half), as it took me out of the motivation and made me think more about those events (and made me think of burnout, as 2020 events were a factor to my own spiral), and it also dates the book (book release is 3 years after the end of 2020). However, it does add a historical footprint to the work and some aspects of the lessons can apply at any time of crisis. Overall, this is more of a collection of insights with a cohesive theme than a single book, which makes is easy to just pick a page and turn it to it.
This was a great tool for me as I'm working out my own creative rut (after extended burnout from constant negativity). This is a must for all writers who doubt their own creative spirit and I believe other creatives will get something out of this too!
*I received a review copy from Netgalley and Simon Element. All opinions are my own.*
January 8, 2024
My first 5 star review of 2024! Honestly this is the best writing book I’ve read in awhile. I loved all the different author’s ways of writing. I particularly loved that Jami couldn’t get behind the typical author’s answer of “I sit in a chair at the same time every day and write.” Which as teen having just read Stephen King’s On Writing, I thought it was genius until I realized that didn’t work for me. I wondered if I was doing something wrong with this whole writing thing. Over the years I learned that it didn’t matter when or where I wrote as long as I was writing. I really thank Jami for validating that.
All in all I think this is a great read for anyone who wants to start writing or someone who wants to pick up writing again. Writing is always there for us.
All in all I think this is a great read for anyone who wants to start writing or someone who wants to pick up writing again. Writing is always there for us.
May 21, 2024
What I needed. I'll be back soon.
January 22, 2024
I really enjoyed participating in #1000wordsofsummer last year, and this is a great little distillation of it in book form.
January 9, 2024
I will come back to this book time and time again for encouragement and reminders about writing and living a creative life. Loved hearing from all the different authors included in the book as well as Attenberg herself. An uplifting, worthwhile read for writers.
May 5, 2024
This is a helpful balance of pep talk and practical writing advice.
January 24, 2024
A book of pretty straightforward (and honest, humorous) advice about writing from Jami Attenberg and many of her writer friends that somehow coalesces into something very special. At different times, different parts will resonate. Some will immediately pierce deeply and embed. A couple things still bouncing around in my mind are that creativity (or was it imagination?) consists of heart, mind, and time, and that a first draft is the clay, marble, paint, the raw material of a writer. I am already writing with more joy and productivity, so it did something right!
June 11, 2024
If I were closer to the beginning of my writing career than the end, I would have found this inspirational. Even so, I always enjoy reading about the creative process and found this very interesting.
July 10, 2024
This has to my favorite book on writing that I've ever read. It's simple, to the point and damn inspiring. If you are a writer who has been in a terrible slump, a writer who would like to write more, someone who has always dreamt of being a writer -- this book for you. Some might find it's no-nonsense "Tony Robbins" style of motivation pollyanna-ish, but I found it to be wonderfully refreshing. Is it repetitive? Yes, but sometimes that's what we writers need! Because we know deep inside how to get out of our slump, but it's so helpful to hear the words over and over again -- just do it, go write. This book is also great because it showcases how all writers, no matter how many books they've published or awards they've won -- all writers struggle, all writers find writing hard, all writers get into slumps. There's also great practical advice as to how to ease back into a project, and how if you're not up 1000 words a day, even 100 might suffice, because something is better than nothing.
January 16, 2024
Upon reading it I wanted to instantly start it again. Made writing feel fresh and fun and feasible!
May 24, 2024
Some of us writers need a motivator. This non judgmental, easy to follow, motivating book literally connects you with published writers who struggle like you and I do. I sometimes look at published writers like famous celebrities (as perfect and unreachable people). If you need a metaphorical kick in the pants to write, just start with 1000 words a day.
I’ll also add that I’ve never felt so seen as an aspiring writer with this book. I always thought the problem was me (Well Hi it’s still me) but I struggle with a lot of things these authors do/did. I’m not abnormal (Yay), and its really resonated with me.
I’ve been writing since I was a young child. Then I grew up and life happened. From then, it’s been a struggle. I can honestly say I will be picking up this book throughout my writing process now. It’s helped me get past that hurdle, i’ve somehow developed! Thank you to the authors who took time out their lives to bring their thoughts into this and Jami as well, for compiling everything.
I’ll also add that I’ve never felt so seen as an aspiring writer with this book. I always thought the problem was me (Well Hi it’s still me) but I struggle with a lot of things these authors do/did. I’m not abnormal (Yay), and its really resonated with me.
I’ve been writing since I was a young child. Then I grew up and life happened. From then, it’s been a struggle. I can honestly say I will be picking up this book throughout my writing process now. It’s helped me get past that hurdle, i’ve somehow developed! Thank you to the authors who took time out their lives to bring their thoughts into this and Jami as well, for compiling everything.
January 15, 2024
This is mostly geared to prose writers rather than poets, but I still found a lot of food for thought and encouragement in these pages. I really appreciated the breadth of this guide’s suggestions and the wise kindness of its voices.
December 14, 2023
This series of inspirational essays from Jami Attenberg and more than fifty authors including Megan Abbott, Roxane Gay, Attica Locke, Carmen Maria Machado, Benjamin Percy, and Bryan Washington provides encouragement for writers. This book was born after Attenberg and a friend planned to write 1000 words a day over two weeks and tweeted about their progress with the hashtag #1000Wordsof summer while trying to avoid any kind of judgment.
The book is divided into to the following sections: introduction, choosing to write, the seasons, winter, spring, summer, fall, and year round. Each section includes several essays from Attenberg and the other authors.
I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and the way the book was organized, which provided a palatable structure. In a moment of serendipity, I found myself reading Brian Washington’s essay soon after I finished his wonderful story “Foster” in The Best American Short Stories 2022. His essay, which advises a writer to trust themself and give themself grace, happened to be exactly what I needed to hear at the time.
This book covers a lot of ground as it explores myriad aspects of the task of getting words on the page while tackling the emotions and vulnerabilities associated with the process and beyond. The book even delves into ancillary topics such as tips related to knowing when a piece is done, and giving and receiving feedback.
Many of the authors mentioned the effects of the pandemic on their writing, offering hope for those dealing with grief and things that make it especially difficult to meet writing goals.
My only real issue with the book was that every so often an image with writing advice that was included written in a tiny font that I found difficult to read on my ereader. This issue may be resolved in the final ebook version and in the print book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.
The book is divided into to the following sections: introduction, choosing to write, the seasons, winter, spring, summer, fall, and year round. Each section includes several essays from Attenberg and the other authors.
I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and the way the book was organized, which provided a palatable structure. In a moment of serendipity, I found myself reading Brian Washington’s essay soon after I finished his wonderful story “Foster” in The Best American Short Stories 2022. His essay, which advises a writer to trust themself and give themself grace, happened to be exactly what I needed to hear at the time.
This book covers a lot of ground as it explores myriad aspects of the task of getting words on the page while tackling the emotions and vulnerabilities associated with the process and beyond. The book even delves into ancillary topics such as tips related to knowing when a piece is done, and giving and receiving feedback.
Many of the authors mentioned the effects of the pandemic on their writing, offering hope for those dealing with grief and things that make it especially difficult to meet writing goals.
My only real issue with the book was that every so often an image with writing advice that was included written in a tiny font that I found difficult to read on my ereader. This issue may be resolved in the final ebook version and in the print book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.
January 21, 2024
1000 Words is a guidebook on how to keep the writer inside of you on track with your works whether it be an essay or story. Each chapter also gives guides and advice on how to keep yourself productive throughout the changing seasons. Within those chapters, comes many tips provided by different authors on how they dealt with writing out their works. By the conclusion of each chapter, there are notes that spell out the main goal, one should always try to achieve whenever they start the process.
Much of the input from the contributing authors are relatable and open on how they struggled to stay on track. It's not easy, and there are many legitimate excuses as to why one cannot always be attentive to their writing. Attenberg assures us that is okay, as there will always be to return to them when we get the chance. Additionally, there are certain portions that gives some instructions on how to progress to the next stages, how to handle criticism, and how to give them, along with finding inspirations. And it begins by setting a goal with how much you want to accomplish, in which the author advises to try to write 1000 words a day. Regardless of quality, it will help find motivation to continue further until your realize your words are said.
I will say for potential writers, 1000 Words would be helpful, if not, inspirational in how to get into creating your piece of writing. And I say that as someone who is not a writer, but have written my own (unpublished) story years ago. Going through this book has pushed me to go and read over my initial draft and helped me start the re-editing process on a story that I felt incomplete. I am sure my thoughts will be different once I give this book a read again, but that will be when I notice I am procrastinating on my next piece in the future! A very helpful book on how to get into writing, I had received a giveaway copy a while back that I only wished I had read sooner here.
Much of the input from the contributing authors are relatable and open on how they struggled to stay on track. It's not easy, and there are many legitimate excuses as to why one cannot always be attentive to their writing. Attenberg assures us that is okay, as there will always be to return to them when we get the chance. Additionally, there are certain portions that gives some instructions on how to progress to the next stages, how to handle criticism, and how to give them, along with finding inspirations. And it begins by setting a goal with how much you want to accomplish, in which the author advises to try to write 1000 words a day. Regardless of quality, it will help find motivation to continue further until your realize your words are said.
I will say for potential writers, 1000 Words would be helpful, if not, inspirational in how to get into creating your piece of writing. And I say that as someone who is not a writer, but have written my own (unpublished) story years ago. Going through this book has pushed me to go and read over my initial draft and helped me start the re-editing process on a story that I felt incomplete. I am sure my thoughts will be different once I give this book a read again, but that will be when I notice I am procrastinating on my next piece in the future! A very helpful book on how to get into writing, I had received a giveaway copy a while back that I only wished I had read sooner here.
January 17, 2024
If you are a writer, in any capacity, looking to get back on the writing horse or to just stay motivated as you go, then you'll want to read this book. Jami Attenberg and the contributing writers are generous with their thoughts in a kind but direct way — You can do this. You can find the method that works for you, and you can get your writing done.
I subscribe to her newsletter, so some of the text was vaguely familiar, but it's still worth reading again. We always need the reminder that we're capable of valuing our creativity, our work, and our time. Whether you're on a deadline or that writing is just for you, to see if you can do it (you can), you'll find something of use here. Wholeheartedly recommend.
Pair with Matt Bell's Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts (though maybe read Bell's book second, if you've read neither before), and you'll really feel capable of tackling that next project.
I subscribe to her newsletter, so some of the text was vaguely familiar, but it's still worth reading again. We always need the reminder that we're capable of valuing our creativity, our work, and our time. Whether you're on a deadline or that writing is just for you, to see if you can do it (you can), you'll find something of use here. Wholeheartedly recommend.
Pair with Matt Bell's Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts (though maybe read Bell's book second, if you've read neither before), and you'll really feel capable of tackling that next project.
February 14, 2024
One thousand words, all year round. You can do it.
🌟 Rating ⭐⭐⭐½
📖 Overview
In the spring of 2018, author Jami Attenberg embarked with educator Anne Gisleson on a two-week long project: writing 1000 words each day, for two weeks. The trend #1000wordsofsummer, a wordplay of the movie (500) Days of Summer, brought together various authors. This collection of inspirational words is meant to be picked up and flicked through as needed.
🚀 Strengths
This collection inspires and makes you want to put down the book and simply get on with it! I find it really motivational, and I will surely come back to it for tips and nudges along the way. I can't wait to try and set the 1000-words-a-day goal for myself!
📉 Weaknesses
Not many: for the simple fact that a lot of people collaborated for this collection, you can find any kind of advice that suits you best! Small tip: don't try to read this book only in one setting.
🎨 Style
A lot of different styles are present throughout the book. The author's words at the beginning of each section give cohesiveness to the text.
🔖 Quotes
HOW TO GENTLY RESTART
· Remind yourself of what the project is and why you wanted to write it
· Reread it all starting from the beginning
· Read the first chapter of a book you love to see how the author made it work, and then think about how it makes you feel
· A little forgiveness, followed by a lot of focus
· Set yourself up for success physically and mentally
· Ban yourself from the internet for the first few days
· Above all, do not feel intimidated or discouraged
Creativity happens all the time, whether we know it or not. We just have to learn to pay attention to it. And we can be at any stage of the creative process all year round. We can always be thinking and consuming and processing, even if there's no visible output. You can also just exist in your life, too, and that is wonderful. You don't need to be consistently viewing the world through an artistic lens. But I just want you to know that this creative side of yourself is always available to access in one way or another. One thousand words is a beautiful guideline. But you are the ultimate creator of your guidelines. You drive your future creativity. You don't need me or this book or anyone to tell you how to make your art. It's year-round, this work, this life. What you can count on is yourself, sitting down and doing that work. And the relationships you build along the way.
Whatever it is you are working on, whatever it is you're dreaming about, whatever path you're trying to carve out for yourself, whatever electricity you're trying to generate, whatever voice you're trying to draw out of yourself, whatever way you're trying to connect with people, whatever you're trying to communicate with the world, whatever fire you are trying to start this morning today this week forever and ever, you can fucking do it.
One thousand words, all year round. You can do it.
February 5, 2024
This is one of the most motivating and inspirational books on writing I have ever read I think. I am a sucker for a good self-help book and also enjoy a good book on the craft of writing, so this was kind of a best of both worlds situation for me.
The pace of this book is lightning speed with handfuls of pages from other writers along with the author's own ideas and suggestions. I had never heard of the 1000 words community before, so I went into the book with a totally open mind. The book is very structured and thorough.
The one thing I didn't like was the strangely sexual nature of this book. Otherwise, it was very raw and comforting to someone who also writes. I understand why the writing went there, but I also don't think it was necessary at all. Definitely recommend this to anyone who considers themself a writer!
The pace of this book is lightning speed with handfuls of pages from other writers along with the author's own ideas and suggestions. I had never heard of the 1000 words community before, so I went into the book with a totally open mind. The book is very structured and thorough.
The one thing I didn't like was the strangely sexual nature of this book. Otherwise, it was very raw and comforting to someone who also writes. I understand why the writing went there, but I also don't think it was necessary at all. Definitely recommend this to anyone who considers themself a writer!
December 22, 2023
Simon Element provided an early galley for review.
Running the monthly writing group at our library, I know how important inspiration and motivation can be for those trying to get their stories out of their heads and on to the paper. This book provides quite a bit of that.
While many writers will likely have heard much of this advice before (it is not rocket-science), we all often need to be reminded of these things to help keep us focused and on-track. Hearing from other writers adds to the supportive foundation. Knowing that even published professionals struggle with the process now and again can actually be encouraging for the rest of us.
Running the monthly writing group at our library, I know how important inspiration and motivation can be for those trying to get their stories out of their heads and on to the paper. This book provides quite a bit of that.
While many writers will likely have heard much of this advice before (it is not rocket-science), we all often need to be reminded of these things to help keep us focused and on-track. Hearing from other writers adds to the supportive foundation. Knowing that even published professionals struggle with the process now and again can actually be encouraging for the rest of us.
January 1, 2024
I was given an #ARC of this book from #NetGalley. I have been a Jami Attenberg newsletter subscriber in part because of the New Orleans content. I expected writing advice but perhaps because of the title anticipated it would be more "productivity" oriented. I was delighted to find that, instead, the book is charming vignettes from many of my favorite authors-- as much about life as about writing. This would be a great book to gift a writer/aspiring writer and one that is easy to dip in and out of.
February 25, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. Although all the advice is for writing it can also be used to think about other aspects of your life. I would have loved to take a bit more time to really look at the authors and who they were and which quote they said but that will have to wait until later (too many holds at the library!) I read it on Kindle which made it a little hard to see when the text was from a quoted author or the book’s author. I think it’s probably a more visually pleasing and intellectually pleasing experience reading from a paper book. But I really loved all the inspiration from the different authors. It’s nice to see that even very successful writers experience the same kind of blocks as anyone else.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews