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Write the Darn Book
Many people dream of writing a book, but few ever getting around to doing it. Why? Mike Reuther, author of "Write the Darn Book", believes too many aspiring writers set themselves up for failure by believing it's difficult. It doesn't have to be. The key is writing from one's heart to allow for the free flow of words to come pouring out. In no time at all - a matter of weeks - a writer can have a manuscript ready to be edited and eventually published. The book also covers literary agents and the publishing world. Drawing from some of his own experience, the author reveals mistakes to avoid in writing and trying to get published. This book makes it clear that anyone with the desire to write a book can make it happen. And the good news is, it's quite simple.
101 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
36 people are currently reading
1788 people want to read
About the author
Mike Reuther
44 books117 followersMike Reuther uses his fervid imagination to create page-turning novels filled with interesting characters, many of them searching for happiness and their place in the world. His books include the acclaimed "Baseball Dreams, Fishing Magic" and the Amazon best-selling baseball novel, "Nothing Down." He's also the author of books that help writers realize their writing dreams, among them, "Write the Darn Book" and "How to Write a Book Without Going Crazy." A longtime journalist and freelance writer, he devotes the warmer months of the year to baseball and fly fishing, two of his passions that have served as the backdrop for his books. A seeker of truth but an all-around fun guy, he lives with his wife and kids near Williamsport, Pa.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 28, 2013
Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Book.
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This is a very inspirational book, written in a dialogue with the reader. The author, Mike Reuther, commented that, “too many people who’ve given up plans to write a book or quit writing one do so for no other reason than they feel it’s too difficult.” If you want to write a book and haven’t the motivation to start or finish, this book is for you.
If you’re looking for a structured process for writing a book, Write the Darn Book isn’t for you. It won’t outline the main steps in a fictional story, such as plot or character development. It won’t describe the grammatical aspects of writing. It also, won’t discuss the elements of a book, such as using headers and page numbers, which this book clearly lacks. What it will do is motivate you to write. It doesn’t matter what you write, or how you write it. The main goal is to write something. And, the best writing involves passion.
In the final words of Reuther, “you can write. Today. What’s stopping you?” Need some motivation, read this book.
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This is a very inspirational book, written in a dialogue with the reader. The author, Mike Reuther, commented that, “too many people who’ve given up plans to write a book or quit writing one do so for no other reason than they feel it’s too difficult.” If you want to write a book and haven’t the motivation to start or finish, this book is for you.
If you’re looking for a structured process for writing a book, Write the Darn Book isn’t for you. It won’t outline the main steps in a fictional story, such as plot or character development. It won’t describe the grammatical aspects of writing. It also, won’t discuss the elements of a book, such as using headers and page numbers, which this book clearly lacks. What it will do is motivate you to write. It doesn’t matter what you write, or how you write it. The main goal is to write something. And, the best writing involves passion.
In the final words of Reuther, “you can write. Today. What’s stopping you?” Need some motivation, read this book.
December 27, 2012
I received/won a copy of this book through firstreads. I was a bit skeptical when my copy came and it was so thin, but I found it to be quite entertaining and inspiring. I have always wanted to write a book and have never succeeded and had basically given up on the hopes that it would ever happen, but after reading this book my dream has been reborn and revitalized. I believe that I just might write the darn book and enjoy doing it too!
Good Luck to all of you would be writers and if you need some new drive or maybe a better plan of attack check out this little book. You just might surprise yourself and have a novel before you know it.
Good Luck to all of you would be writers and if you need some new drive or maybe a better plan of attack check out this little book. You just might surprise yourself and have a novel before you know it.
June 3, 2013
The catchy title alone makes this book a winner! I gave it to my husband as a way to encourage him to.....you can guess what I mean. :) One of the things he's told me he likes about it is, while he's not ready to give up his day job and become a writer, he does feel that there is a book inside him waiting to come out. He finds that Mike's book embraces that concept. It provides encouragement and insights rather than a step-by-step check list. Additionally, it doesn't proceed from the assumption that the reader wants (or needs) to be an actual card-holding author. Thank you, Mike, for giving us this opportunity!
January 9, 2013
I won this book as a Goodread's Giveaway hoping for some structured insight, but did not find it. There were small golden nuggets throughout the book but overall, the author repeated himself, the chapter content didn't really relate to chapter titles. The author's emphasis was to just sit down and write, not worrying about anything (structure, cohesion, etc.) and the book followed the author's own advice.
June 4, 2014
A nice little book on writing you own book. This author gives some sound advice on getting off your butt and getting start, which I have not done yet!!! A great starter book to all the other starter books on writing your own book. :)
December 31, 2018
Some of the advice is a bit dated, but he is so terribly earnest in his desire to help.
November 18, 2017
The ultimate writing motivation
This book is the perfect thing to get you back into writing or to get you started with writing. I like his ideas. This is what I learned. Write fast
Write for yourself
Write because it’s a joy
Sit down and do it
Borrow the emotions of youth
Passion, truth, joy. Bring it to your own writing. Don’t be afraid of your feelings. Just write and don’t hold back. Give it your all.
This book is the perfect thing to get you back into writing or to get you started with writing. I like his ideas. This is what I learned. Write fast
Write for yourself
Write because it’s a joy
Sit down and do it
Borrow the emotions of youth
Passion, truth, joy. Bring it to your own writing. Don’t be afraid of your feelings. Just write and don’t hold back. Give it your all.
March 31, 2019
Must read
This is a must read for anyone wanting to break into the publishing world
This will be a great help for those thinking about becoming a writer. It breaks everything to a simple process that anyone can use to achieve their goals.
This is a must read for anyone wanting to break into the publishing world
This will be a great help for those thinking about becoming a writer. It breaks everything to a simple process that anyone can use to achieve their goals.
November 15, 2014
This is strictly an inspirational book with the rah rah "You can do it" method of motivation. There are no tips for writing, other than to be sure and use adverbs. Reuther claims there is no such thing as writer's blocks and you can write a book in 6 weeks or so by simply writing 2,000-5,000 words a day.
A lot of the information is repetitive and there are long stretches in which Reuther gives examples of what to write (details about some mystery, a location, feelings, etc) and it seems like what middle schoolers do in essay classes to pad word length.
That aside, though, he did offer information that was helpful to me. He discusses the left-brain, right-brain role when writing. He suggest writers should simply write and not go back to edit until the work is finished. No revisions while writing! Also, to reprime the well of writing, he said writers should only read their last 2 or 3 paragraphs before writing anew. I have always bogged down rewriting and editing what I've written. He is correct in saying that it kills the creative process and causes the creative right side of the brain to fade out and be taken over by the logical left-brain side.
The book is fun to read. It's very conversational and it addresses the common writer. It's not some elite literar tome aimed at creative writing college courses or pretentious writer's groups. I finished it in 2 days of sporadic reading. It is inspirational if only to get the prospective writer off his butt and into the writing mode.
A lot of the information is repetitive and there are long stretches in which Reuther gives examples of what to write (details about some mystery, a location, feelings, etc) and it seems like what middle schoolers do in essay classes to pad word length.
That aside, though, he did offer information that was helpful to me. He discusses the left-brain, right-brain role when writing. He suggest writers should simply write and not go back to edit until the work is finished. No revisions while writing! Also, to reprime the well of writing, he said writers should only read their last 2 or 3 paragraphs before writing anew. I have always bogged down rewriting and editing what I've written. He is correct in saying that it kills the creative process and causes the creative right side of the brain to fade out and be taken over by the logical left-brain side.
The book is fun to read. It's very conversational and it addresses the common writer. It's not some elite literar tome aimed at creative writing college courses or pretentious writer's groups. I finished it in 2 days of sporadic reading. It is inspirational if only to get the prospective writer off his butt and into the writing mode.
August 24, 2013
Like many people, a part of me would like to be an author. I have a partially finished memoir that I haven't worked on in quite a while, and I have the ideas for a couple of possible novels bouncing around in my head. But I've had trouble finding the motivation to actually write.
This slim volume might actually be the kick-in-the-pants I needed. While this slim volume does include some useful advice, it is primarily a lengthy pep talk. At times, this relentless encouragement feels a bit repetitive, but for a struggling writer, it would probably be useful to keep this book on a nearby shelf, to combat those moments when doubt and discouragement threaten to stop our writing.
As for the advice inn the book, it really isn't new to me. In fact, the author's most important point, that writing is best done fast, without analysis or effort, forms the basis for the annual National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge that many of my friends participate in each November. Perhaps it is time for me to join them...
This slim volume might actually be the kick-in-the-pants I needed. While this slim volume does include some useful advice, it is primarily a lengthy pep talk. At times, this relentless encouragement feels a bit repetitive, but for a struggling writer, it would probably be useful to keep this book on a nearby shelf, to combat those moments when doubt and discouragement threaten to stop our writing.
As for the advice inn the book, it really isn't new to me. In fact, the author's most important point, that writing is best done fast, without analysis or effort, forms the basis for the annual National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge that many of my friends participate in each November. Perhaps it is time for me to join them...
October 20, 2013
Writers, especially new writers, should consult it when motivation is waning or doubts arise.
Practical and inspirational--in a kick you in the pants sort of way. More helpful than a semester-long course in creative writing--I know from unfortunate personal experience--and, of course, a better value. Some may find some chapters repetitive, but a more generous assessment is reinforcing. You can open any chapter and find a reason to continue writing.
For those of us without a mentor, a helpful guide.
Practical and inspirational--in a kick you in the pants sort of way. More helpful than a semester-long course in creative writing--I know from unfortunate personal experience--and, of course, a better value. Some may find some chapters repetitive, but a more generous assessment is reinforcing. You can open any chapter and find a reason to continue writing.
For those of us without a mentor, a helpful guide.
July 21, 2013
I "won" this book from Goodreads giveaway program. This was a quick read with a lot of inspiration and advice on writing. I like Reuther's advice to sit down and write as fast you can. Let the words flow from your mind through your fingers and on to the paper or screen. That's pretty much how I have written in the past.
Thanks Mike for your inspiring words!
Thanks Mike for your inspiring words!
May 15, 2014
AWESOME book. I never really realized I was writing my stories/books ALL wrong. I used to write with the method of making sure all the plot points made sense and nothing seemed impossible... after reading this book, I now realized that in order to write a book, you just need to write and worry about the details later.
HIGHLY recommended
HIGHLY recommended
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews