Review of Write Good or Die
Write Good or Die is a self-proclaimed guide for 21st century writers. Editor Scott Nicholson has compiled a series of articles written by a variety of best-selling authors and other contributors, all focusing their attention on the craft and business of writing. It is currently listed as a free download on Amazon.
I have read books and blog posts written by many of the contributors to this collection. Notable names like J.A. Konrath, Jonathan Maberry, and Heather Graham offer some of their most prolific wisdom in these pages. The guide was inspiring, full of motivation and great advice, but in some areas it was lacking.
I found myself appreciating the advice to new writers, to the beginners in the field. Maybe this is where I am in my career, so the articles focusing on motivation and determination were the most profound. One piece of advice that stuck with me was written by Heather Graham when she said, “Settle in your mind what you want, what your goal is with your writing, and then take steps to reach that goal.” Simple advice that should be so incredibly obvious that newbies like me should smack themselves in the face for not realizing it sooner.
Mur Lafferty wrote the most inspiring article in the book, summing it up with, “The day you accept that your writing is allowed to suck is the first day of being a writer–the day you set yourself free.”
This is where I am. This is the stuff I need.
There are wonderful tips and tricks on how to approach a career in writing, but some of the articles conflict with one another on their advice. In one post Heather Graham pleads that an author write what he or she enjoys. Some of the contributors say to avoid writing for the market like it’s a nasty plague, but others say the only way to success is to dumb down your work for the masses. The conflicting advice was frustrating, but I suppose no one person has all the right answers. Each writer will have their own path to take.
The one area Write Good or Die was lacking in was the electronic publishing (self-publishing) revolution. A couple of articles dabbled in the topic, but there was no true advice for me to sink my teeth into. There was praise for the new technology and author freedom, but no depth to those remarks.
The collection was released in 2010. The e-publishing market is still a chaotic wild west in the publishing industry, any many new writers like myself are venturing into the unknown. Write Good or Die has plenty of information on how to approach legacy publishing, but it sure could use an update to expand its advice on how authors should tread in the electronic world.
All in all I took a lot away from this collection, and it’s difficult to complain when you can pick up awesome information and advice for free. The great thing about Write Good or Die is that it is an e-published book, facilitating the update process, making it instant and hassle-free. Hopefully the editor will choose to update his collection, or compile a new one.
I appreciate the effort of Scott Nicholson and all the contributors. Thank you for helping those of us still finding our footing in the realm of writing.
Categorised as: Inspiration, Writing Resources