Making a Literary Life
by Carolyn See
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Book Reviews of Making a Literary Life
Book Review: Guarantee this will make you want to write, and it'll make you laugh!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Think about the things that put you on the moral high ground. If your dead set against fast food or red meat or oral sex or shaving your legs or hard liquor or bad language, you might just want to go ahead and give some of that a shot. Just to see what it feels like." -from the book.
Filled with some of the best writing advice I've ever read, this book will inspire you, and besides that, its so insanely funny! I just love this woman! I have had this book for several years, and recently took it off the shelf to read again, and once again, I just couldn't put it down.
I just don't know how anyone could write more real than this. Not only does she offer superb writing advice, but some darned good advice about other areas of life as well.
Book Review: Please follow your own advice, Mrs. See.
Summary: 2 Stars
Fortunately this book does have good information, put in a pithy, readable format with a certain amount of witty aplomb. This makes up for the author's glaring vanity.
Also, for a person who incessantly reiterates the imporance of being charming, well-mannered, pleasant and courteous toward readers and everyone else, it's sad to see her fall into the almost de rigeur practice of almost any writer today: bashing Christianity.
There are a dozen or so completely unnecessary negative analogies to the Christian faith, and a few cases of really sacriligeous and offensive statements. This is done in her breezy, nonchalant manner, but really, it detracts from her otherwise original style.
Book Review: A waste of time not needed by any writer
Summary: 1 Stars
I must say I am confused by the effusive compliments other reviewers have for this book, which I found to be a total waste of time. It is a silly conceit of a book, and writers are far better served by many other books on the subject.
Points made by See, in a sea of obnoxious "humour," are so obvious that if you NEED this advice, you are probably not going to succeed as a writer anyway. Carolyn See lacks creativity in her suggestions and has little to say to anyone who has given this more than a passing thought already.
I am unsure why the publisher even bothered to print this book.
Book Review: Stick with it, it gets better.
Summary: 4 Stars
Plain and simple; the first half of the book is a wee bit corny for my taste, and really leans toward the female point of view. I am not a wine drinker, a dancer in the living room, a lover of Paris, just a blue-collar family man wanna-be writer. But as I rolled my eyes a few times, and enjoyed the conversational writing of Miss See, I made it to the nugget of the book, the 2nd half. Great practical advice on revision, promoting, etc..
So this book does have style, advice, offers something new, and worth the quick read.
Book Review: Grateful she was not my teacher
Summary: 1 Stars
I must confer with the readers who were seriously turned off by this book. I hastily purchased it as a possibility for a writing class I was offering , thinking it would be in a league with Lamont, N Goldberg, S King, and others who have given so much of themselves to help fledging writers. I fear Ms. See's nasty brand of negativity and her humor based on humiliation and put downs made me wonder what is wrong with the woman.Too revealing about her own dark psyche and very little to truly encourage new writers.