The Courage to Write is an invaluable book and essential reading for anyone who wishes to learn how to write well.
Katherine Anne Porter called courage "the first essential" for a writer. "I have to talk myself into bravery with every sentence," agreed Cynthia Ozick, "sometimes every syllable." E. B. White said he admired anyone who "has the guts to write anything at all." An author who has taught writing for more than thirty years.
In The Courage to Write, Ralph Keyes, an author who has taught writing for more than thirty years, assures us that anxiety is felt by writers at every level, especially when they dare to do their best. He describes the sequence of "courage points" through which all writers must pass, from the challenge of identifying a worthwhile project to the mixture of pride and panic they feel when examining a newly published book or article.
Keyes also offers specifics on how to root out dread of public "performance" and of the judgment of family and friends, make the best use of writers' workshops and conferences, and handle criticism of works in progress. Throughout, he includes the comments of many accomplished writers -- Pat Conroy, Amy Tan, Rita Dove, Isabel Allende, and others -- on how they transcended their own fears to produce great works.
"Anyone who is a writer, wants to be a writer, or knows a writer will want to pick up a copy of The Courage to Write. It is one of the best books about the writing profession ever published."
The Fresno Bee
"Here's practical and positive advice that can help every writer capitalize on anxiety instead of knuckling under to it. Writers not only need this book--they know they need it."
Judith Applebaum, author of How to Get Happily Published
"Fresh and Startling--one of the two or three best books on writing I've ever read."
