Courage and Craft: Writing Your Life into Story
by Barbara Abercrombie
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Book Summary Information
Author: Barbara AbercrombieEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-28
ISBN: 1577316010
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: New World Library
Book Reviews of Courage and Craft: Writing Your Life into Story
Book Review: Practice For The Sake of Practice
Summary: 5 Stars
Barbara Abercrombie says, "Courage doesn't mean sudden, miraculous strenth of character: it means doing something difficult despite the fear."
And, through teaching her students to use their daily life experiences to develop their writing skills, she is also teaching readers and writers to explore the deepest parts of their psyche.
Early on in "Courage & Craft," as I read about Ms. Abercrombies' students saying that they didn't know how, or didn't feel comfortable writing journals, I was taken back to when journal writing became a significant part of my life. Years after college and after leaving the army, I went on a quest to discover my life's purpose.
I decided to read what I wanted to read, and to look for the meaning in everything that I read, based upon the questions that rose up, from within my soul. I chose to be, as the authors of "How to Read a Book" suggest, "a demanding reader."
A demanding reader asks questions before, during and after reading a book. And the type of questions are different, depending upon the type of publication you are reading. Questions for periodicals include, "What does the author want to prove?" "Does she know what she is talking about?" and four other questions.
Reading poetry starts with reading it out loud, and looking for the connections.
Where as reading a novel, some questions to consider might be, "Is Rhett Butler narcissistic? Does Scarlett O'Hara represent the unspoken rules for women, of her time?"
In "Courage & Craft," Ms. Abercrombie anticipates and answers some interesting questions:
"What if you don't like to read? My friend, if you don't like to read, don't write. There's no reason
to.... if your heart doesn't start thumping with anticipation when you walk into a library or a bookstore,
if you don't rationalize all the reasons why you must absolutely order all those books online and damn the
expense, if your idea of hell isn't being stuck on a plane without a book to read, then quite simply: don't
write."
This book is for anyone who wants to write, be that an essay, a journal, memoir, biography, or anything else.
Summary of Courage and Craft: Writing Your Life into Story
Have you always wanted to write about your life but wondered how to get started, how to keep going, and whether it's even worth it in the first place? Under the guidance of veteran author and writing teacher Barbara Abercrombie, you'll learn how to turn the messy, crazy, sad, and wonderful stuff of your life into prose or poetry that has order, clarity, and meaning. Abercrombie presents the nuts and bolts of several genres, showing you how to keep a journal, craft a personal essay, or write a memoir, autobiography, poem, or work of fiction. She offers lessons to embolden you as a writer and practical guidelines for working writing into your everyday life, giving and receiving feedback, and getting your work published. In Courage & Craft, you'll find exercises to keep the inner critic at bay, inspiration from writers who've been there, and proven advice for getting your words on the page and out into the world.Creativity Books
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