A Writer’s Guide to Persistence: How to Create a Lasting and Productive Writing Practice by Jordan E. Rosenfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I usually just copy and paste these reviews in from my Goodreads profile, but I wanted to quickly preface this one. I’ve been having some difficulty finding the time and energy over the past few months to persevere in revising my current novel while working on other projects. This book was exactly what I needed to give me an important perspective shift and realize I can continue accomplishing what I set out to do. I highly recommend it to anyone who might be questioning themselves and their writing. It can be a bit on “new-agey” in parts, but the core message it delivers is honest and sound.
An excellent read to help inspire authors and give some firm but fair advice on creating a long lasting writing practice. Jordan Rosenfeld does well in re-framing a lot of common problems that writers face, from rejection to self-criticism, and gives solid advice getting through those issues with a positive attitude. There are exercises (both physical and creative) at the end of each section, so the reader can take action on what the author is advising.
For what it’s worth, I enjoyed Rosenfeld adding a chapter that “de-glamorizes” self publishing, and makes the reader ask some important questions of themselves prior to diving into that world versus the traditional publishing route. People are quick to push their work out to Amazon these days, and I like her thought process on why writers should be a bit more mindful prior to clicking the “publish” button.
Definitely a more personal and storied tone than many writing advice books. It’s not a sterile technical manual (looking at you, Strunk&White). If you’re looking for something akin to “On Writing”, but without as much autobiography, this would be a solid addition to your repertoire.
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