Page After Page: Discover the Confidence & Passion You Need to Start Writing & Keep Writing

by Heather Sellers

You Are a Writer--Believe It!

False starts. Self-doubt. Mind games. They end the moment you pick up this book. With an inspiring mix of humor, wisdom, and creativity, Page After Page shows you how to find the courage and commitment to start writing and keep writing.

Author Heather Sellers draws on twenty years of teaching and personal writing experience to provide lively anecdotes and exercises to help you develop a mindset and lifestyle conducive to daily creation. As each chapter takes you deeper into the eccentric, exclusive world known only to writers, you'll learn how to build a productive creative life that keeps you writing page after page, day after day.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, Crafts, Adult, How To

228 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2004

About the author

Heather Sellers has a PhD in English/Creative Writing from Florida State University. She’s a professor of English at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where she teaches poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction writing courses. She won an NEA grant for fiction and her first book of fiction, Georgia Under Water, was part of the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers program.

Reviews

[Colin Marks · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Page after page' is one of those books that probably sits better with American readers, no offence to my friends on the other side of the Atlantic. Us Brits are a cynical lot, we just like to be told where we're going wrong and how to fix it, everything else is fluff, padding that gets in the way. Motivational razzmatazz, ra-ra pep talks, 'you are the centre of your world' kind of sentiments, all that stuff appeals to America's go-get-em culture.

I stopped reading this book twice but kept finding it buried under papers on my desk, so both times I continued reading. On the third occasion, I admitted defeat and with some sadness returned it to my bookshelf. I had wanted to like it, but I found myself getting frustrated by Heather's style of writing, her constant use of minuscule sentences. That fragmented style, and the upbeat positive message, made me feel as though I was trapped in a childcare nursery.

I've given this book three stars since it does contain some sound advice that other reviewers found helpful, but I hate to say it, I gave up before reaching the end.

[Jaymi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing is my trade. Words are the currancy and writing help books are market watchers. Page After Page discusses and promotes a whole writing lifestyle. Sellers writes about how she came to her writing by meeting the trade, page after page, each day. She gently nudges you to the page by telling you stories of her triumphs and failures to meet the page every day. Through her stories and almost memoir-like writing, the reader learns how meeting the blank page and writing can lead to a writer's life; that words, written and read, along with surrounding oneself with chearleaders and other writers, builds a blooming writing lifestyle that will last an entire life. Exercises help broaden the writing life and help you write every day, building one one another until you're able to get the building blocks to keep up with writing daily. This is a great book... Sellers doesn't sugar coat any aspect of a writer's life. She lays all her cards on the table, telling you what is good about writing and a writing life and warns you against the bads... and what happens to writers when they drop out or lose the passion. This is a true writing life-- it's dirty, gritty and helps you cultivate something real... which is how to be a writer and sit your butt in the chair every day to write. This book fits into my summer goals by removing it from one of the three stacks I have laying around my writing desk. It's now going back home in my art/writing studio. (So I can use it to write daily.)

[Libby May · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guess
Guess
Guess what!?
I'm DONE! Done done done DONE done.
So yeah. 2.5 stars? Maybe? I think I liked chapter 28 a little bit.

Otherwise I was seriously reading just to finish. It felt like eating a dry turkey whole. There were way too many bones and useless pieces and the actual meat was so stuck to them that it was hard to get off.

This author encourages extreme selfishness and self centered-ness. And she uses quite a few inappropriate analogies.

But I'm DONE!
And this book is going to the donate pile. I would throw it away, I don't know if I would want other people to read it, but I don't like to throw away books, and it's not quite THAT bad...
Libby out.

[I Trump · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long title, right? Ms. Sellers recommends: write everyday, have confidence, don’t whine, and don’t take rejections personally. I know, easier said than done. She provides writing exercises to help you along at the end of each chapter. (I confess; I did not do these writing exercises.)

The part of the book that spoke to me was near the end was deciding what type of writer I want to be in five years. These are taken from the book:

A closet writer. (Write every day, but never reveal you do so.)

A wanna-be writer. (Talk about what you want to write and how unfair and hard publishing is.)

A nonwriting writer. (Think about your writing a lot. Get complex illnesses instead of words down on paper. Decide you are “busy”.)

A duped writer. (Say, “I’ll write later,” and know inside you won’t. Hang around people who will play this sad game with you.)

A famous writer. (Write every day. Trade work with people a little better than you. Read every day. Go to writing conferences and school. Learn a lot.)

A smart, quiet literary writer. (Have a devoted, tiny following.)

A one-hit wonder writer.

A struggling-against-himself writer. (Write a couple of times a month. Spend a lot of time listening to the demons who tell you the work sucks. Indulge these voices. Or, drink a lot.)

While I think there are more types of writers out there, it reminded me of what type of writer I wanted to be, and gave me a few tips about how to get there.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was genius that Sellers suggests the reader discover and deepen one's writing by thinking "Love Affair." This was such a great analogy — because when I'm in the mist of writing, my behavior definitely parallels how one acts with a new lover. When you're in love, you can't wait to see your lover, and you think about him/her day and night. You make plans around being with your lover. Friends and family can wait. That is exactly how I feel about my writing.

But aside from the 'Lover' analogy, I either didn't see a benefit from, or had a difference of opinion with, much of Sellers advice, namely that she believes this of every writer:

If you write, suck you must.

Sadly, she says it over and over again. I understand Sellers is trying to comfort and/or appeal to less confident writers, but to say all writers must suck is a blanket statement I don't think is accurate or particularly inspirational. It's just plain harsh.

[David]

Some of the good advice in this book:

1. Stop complaining.
2. Write about what you want to write about.
3. Don’t think about it.

You don’t have to suffer in some world-class fashion. You simply need to notice how suffering works.

[Ciara · Rating 4 out of 5]

yes, yet another book of writing advice. i should really start a shelf for these kinds of books too, because i love them. this one caught my eye because it's very small & cute & the cover is that multi-media cartoon artwork style that i find so attractive. when i started reading the book, i was a little iffy about it. heather's writing style involves a lot of sentence fragments, which is of course a stylistic choice, but not one that appeals to me. it always feels very affected & maybe a little bit lazy to me. i guess it's prevalent among people who fancy themselves poets, which i definitely do not. but i stuck with it, & ultimately, i liked it. it's not a perfect book--the whole chapter on how heather prefers a "loose" journal as opposed to a "kept" one made me roll my eyes a little bit. & as i was reading, i thought a lot about how every writer has their own little quirks & tricks & tips that work for them, but that doesn't mean they ought to be considered "advice". everyone has to find their own path & figure out what keeps them writing. heather is all about cultivating a writing life that she compares to the relationship one might have with a lover (hate that word, incidentally). she's all about passion & doesn't like the idea of writing as a discipline. personally, i really like the idea of writing as a discipline. it's what works for me, it's what keeps me at my desk. i love to write, i can't imagine not writing, but...i don't have heather's idealized lover relationship with my actual live-in boyfriend--i'm not going to try to cultivate it with writing. it's just not who i am.

some of the exercises were also cribbed from other sources. in some case, heather acknowledges this & gives credit to the originator, but i have seen several of these exercises in other places that pre-date the publication of heather's book by many, many years. which isn't a big deal. it's still nice to have a selection of exercises collected in one place, even if they're not all 100% original.

i don't know that this book will necessarily help every aspiring writer. i couldn't relate to all of it. some of the universal feelings of insecurity & anxiety that heather describes are not really things that hold me back from writing at this point in my life. but i still enjoyed the book. i especially liked the chapter on understanding that the life of a writer is a life that is full of rejection, & the chapter on figuring out if you really want to write, or if you just think you should write. i have often been told that i am a big mean jerk for pointing out that just because everyone has a story (supposedly), that doesn't mean everyone ought to be writing their stories down. this book says the same thing, in a nicer way.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Heather Sellers's Chapter After Chapter -- that one hit me at the perfect time and, although a lot of the get-up-off-your-ass-and-finish-your-book books tell you the same thing, there was something in the way she put those things that really resonated with me.

With this one... well, not quite. It's not bad advice and I don't mind the way she gives it, but the timing was wrong. This was the one I should have read eons ago when I was having those nascent thoughts about becoming a writer. So, I'm trying to look at it from that perspective. I wasn't a huge fan of some of the Mr Miyagi-like tactics she suggests for tricking yourself into enjoying your writing time, but they may actually work. As with all these things, your mileage may vary.

There were two sections I liked quite a lot though. One was on the idea of the mental compost pile, the source of your richest ideas. If you're a young writer, the pile is small, but you don't have to dig deep to get to the really hearty stuff. The pile, as a whole, gets richer and deeper as you have more experiences, though you can't neglect the pile. You have to get in there and turn it from time to time through reading and working, etc. Everything you learn and experience adds to the pile.

The other was the anecdote about the Russian lady at the writers' conference who stood up and asked the panel something to the effect of, "I am very old and have had an interesting life. All my friends tell me I should write a book. Should I?" And although Sellers's inclination was to jump up and say "YES, everyone has a story they should tell!" she was beaten to the punch by the guy next to her on the panel who asked the better question: Did the Russian lady want to write a book? Your friends can tell you all day long how funny or interesting you are and that it would be great to share this with the world, but at the end of the day, writing a book is a hell of a lot of work. If it's not something you want to do, don't do it.

So, there is some excellent food for thought for the beginning writer, but even to a brand new writer, I'd recommend the other book over this one. For me now, this is a three-star writing book, but the me of ten years ago probably would have loved every word. I'll average the two.

[Joy Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of books to keep my writing and creating spirits up. This one is the best I've read in a long time. Although she does a little finger wagging, she's very good at putting things in perspective -- like how much more important it is for you to write than to be popular or save the world. She has great techniques for making time to write, which is often a matter of making writing an important goal. She urges you to fall in love with writing. I think anyone can benefit from her frank advice on giving up the modern affliction of "busy-ness." All of us are too busy. She also recommends naps -- I love that. Favorite quote in the book,in the chapter on Passionate Irritation, "You have to take care of yourself first. Ultimately, it's in your writing that you are going to feed others. You really are." Great advice, great exercises, and great encouragement.

[Meow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very inspiring. It comes with a distinct caveat: not every chapter will apply to every reader. But as you traverse the pages, you will find moments, sections, and chapters where you go "Oh, that's me!", and even when the words aren't applying to you, they are definitely entertaining. Heather Sellers is a great writer and a positive force that will get you excited to write in a way that drier, more technical "so you want to be a writer" books won't accomplish. She makes yoga comparisons a lot, so I'll try one: reading this was like trying a yoga class when you've been torturing yourself on the treadmill for weeks. A definite recommendation for possible writers and even newly started writers like me!

[Christine Rains · Rating 3 out of 5]

With over 20 years of teaching and personal writing experience, author Heather Sellers shares her lessons and gives you exercises to help writers to develop the mindset to write every day.

I read this in spurts to give me pick-me-ups when I needed then. How can I not like a book that tells me to take a nap when I feel like taking one? I enjoyed reading about Heather's writing journey and many of her quirks. Writers are a fun bunch and each of us have our doubts. Heather gives advice on how to overcome those doubts through daily creative exercises. And while some might seem impractical like the lists, they really are worthwhile.

While I felt much of this was directed at writers just starting out, I still enjoyed the read.

[Mustapha Safadieh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very, VERY disappointing.

Mediocre at best, this "guide" offers no more information than you would find on a Yahoo Answers thread. Furthermore, any writer who has written more than an essay in his entire lifetime will find no information offered by this book valuable. What I was lead to believe was a guide on accenting and enhancing one's writing style turned out to be the equivalent of a "For Dummies" book on subject that just CANNOT be learned by anything other than experience.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully helpful book for anyone who has been telling themselves, "I'd really like to write, if only...."
Sellers gets you back at your desk, day after day, with stories from her own writing life, exercises and writing prompts, and lots of great advice. Highly recommended!

[Beth Konkoski-Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite recent writing book. Terrific voice and some great thinking about reading. I liked most of the exercises. Will reread parts of it often.

[Roman Kurys · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the desire to hone my skills a bit on my own amateur writing journey, GoodReads algorithm suggested this might be the book for me.

GoodReads was right, it was.
At this point, I am no longer surprised by the polarities of the reviews on any books, but some of the 1-2 star comments made me raise my eyebrows. The biggest common complaint is that this book is way too upbeat and positive. I re-read them twice, just to make sure I was seeing things correctly. I was.

My conclusion, if you are not a fan of positive, upbeat and encouraging self-help books, don't bother reading this. There will be nothing for you to like. There's 0 Cynicism, Sarcasm or Negativity of any kind in this book.
If you're still reading, my best guess is that your eyebrows are as raised as mine were. Really, it's a thing, go read some comments, very entertaining, I might say.

My personal favorite were all the writing exercises at the end of every chapter. Heather Sellers makes it a point that if you are reading the book that's supposed to help you establish consistency in writing habits and you don't actually stop reading and DO those exercises, you're wasting your time. She makes that point often and for a good reason.

Writing is one of those things that gets better with practice. I fully get that, however stopping reading the book I enjoyed to actually do some exercises felt like I was in a class! It made me do things I did not want to. All I wanted, was to just sit and read. I made myself, close the book and with exasperated sighs started to jot whatever it is she asked me to writr about at the end of every chapter.

She's right. As I got into a habit of consistency with each chapter, it became a scheduled thing. Something I knew was going to happen. my "Writing Hour" became adrenaline pulsing, ideas flowing, thrill having time. It was fun.

Now, as Im looking for a literary agent and working on editing my second novel, all that comes to mind is...

Thank you, Heather Sellers. I found my cardboard house and it's very comfy in there. (read the book to learn more)


Roman "Ragnar"

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written in a casual, funny, witty style. Some readers will love it, and others will inevitably hate it. I personally enjoyed the writing style.

There is some useful advice here, although I don't agree with everything Sellers writes. There's also some strange contradictions "You need to write every day without skipping a day."
Later on, we read, "It's been four days since I last wrote." And finally,"If you're in a bad mood, you should skip writing that day." Huh? What's going on here?

This book has tons of exercises. I'm not a fan of exercises in books. I feel like when most people sit down at the end of a long day and pick up a book to relax, they don't want to have a list of exercises to do. That's just my personal opinion, but I'm sure others feel the same way.

Exercise is something I do at the gym, which typically happens BEFORE I start reading.

This is written in an informal style. The writer has a lot of personal experience with writing / teaching / literary stuff. I found this to be a short, fun read overall.

[Wolfenstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

The introduction was captivating, and there is undoubtedly some unique ideas contained within the pages of this book but overall I found it to be flat. It is a very biased approach to 'the writer's life' with statements like 'This writing business -it's really, really hard to do.' And 'Can anyone become a great writer? Probably not.' It is arrogant. It is pompous. It is candid. Furthermore, I believe that the grunt of exercises proposed at the end of each chapter sets up more barriers for writers then it does to build them up for success. This was just my experience and obviously other people have thoroughly enjoyed this book as well as the author has had phenomenal success.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing all-encompassing book on the craft of writing, crafting yourself as a writer, and most importantly building a good relationship with writing. I particularly like the way Heather Sellers describes writing as a lover that you must care for and occasionally lock yourself away in a room with. Each chapter has great insights into writing, as well as thoughtful exercises to try out. I can definitely see myself making this a permanent part of my writing bookshelf at home.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because it was recommended at a writing conference that I attended. The book had some good points, but it is not one that I would encourage others to rush out and buy. It was really hard for me to push through and read this book all the way through. I think it is great for writers just starting out, however for individuals that have attended conferences or have been writing for a while, this is not a book for them.

[Treasure Island Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing about this small book is the format. Each page is illustrated and feels special. The information contained on these pages is not much different from other writing advice, but if you are an aspiring author, you need to read it over and over until you internalize it and write your own book of writing advice.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly brilliant. This book had even greater impact....I was lucky enough to be a student of Heather’s in 1999-2000. I can see her gesticulating and hear her voice—and it makes me want to write. Nay—it made me start.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best writing book yet. Sellers gets right to the point and touches on topics that are true, things we don't always like to look at but are necessary to overcome if we want to cultivate a healthy and thriving writing life.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just did not feel the motivation from this book. Took me forever and I just didn't get the bump in energy I was looking for.

[Bob Nadal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book to help every writer through self doubt and all the problems that crop up.

[Lynn Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Been writing and writing and writing

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to like this book, I really tried. But it just didn't resonate with me.

[Dian Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little book to help writers focus and keep going. The exercises weren't necessarily fun, but helpful to complete.

[JulaPDX · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I needed!

[Jennifer Pullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will likely assign parts of this to my students.

[Andre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book, read the first chapter or two, got scared and left it on my nightstand untouched for nearly a year. The cover freaked me out, the writing style had an odd air to it that didn't sit well with my sense of composition, and, I told my self, the first two chapters were all too familiar, sounding, on the surface, a repeat of "You can do it!" rah-rah. The truth was, I was terrified...terrified because I could feel the truth in the vibrations of Heather Seller's words as they plucked at the strings of my writing subconscious. I believed I sensed that I was about to be challenged with truth, and, for whatever reason, maturity, age, experience, circumstances, forced to confront it and make a life-change decision about whether or not I was a Writer (note the capitol 'W') or someone who simply writes about wanting to be a Writer.

When I finally got over my fright and more than a year later blew the dust off the cover and cracked the tiny tome open, yellow highlighter and mechanical pencil in hand, I discovered, as I suspected I would, not a book of 'how-to exercises,' though there are writing exercises throughout, but a book of seeing, a book of truth, a book of mirrors. With each chapter, "Lover on the Side, Lover in the Center," "Butt in Chair," "Being Away From the Work," "How to be Unpopular and Why," and "When Do You Say It?" to name a few, I was forced to confront my assumptions, my delusions and my purity-of-intention in terms of my 'writing life' and by the time I ended the book, I can honestly say my entire attitude and vision had been changed. If it sounds like I had a spiritual experience...at the risk of sounding dramatic, I'm going to say, yes…yes, I did—especially in terms of a deep inner adjustment and outward life-style change.

70 days after reading this book, and others that came a long including Heather's Chapter by Chapter (Hail Oh, "Six Wise Guides"), I began and finished the first draft of a novel length manuscript. Do I lay this heretofore un-accomplished ambition on Heather's altar, pouring out libations to my new found Writing Goddess? Of course not, I’ve been writing for most my life and have been Jones-ing to write a novel length manuscript for some time. It was inevitable I would eventually succeed on some level. I would be less than honest, however, if I didn't say that her philosophy of what it means to be a Writer, how our sometimes faulty perceptions influence that belief, her thought provoking essays on the process and craft of writing were critical in helping me to that long cherished yet unfulfilled goal. Nor would I refuse a drink with the lady and, in the spirit of present honesty, I will admit to a certain crush on the lushishly long haired writing guru.

This does not mean I agreed with everything she had to say or am now the prophet of some ultimate "Way of Heather." Some of what she had to say simply did not apply to me...yet. My present experience and place in life left some of her chapters a bit less applicable than others. "The Rents" for example, and its references to the, at times, negative influences our parents have on our writing did not jive with my experience (though that chapter's exercise about "Adding new parents..." and exploring the influences of our favorite authors was well worth doing and gave me a lot to think about…and yes, I added Heather to my writing family tree...lol). Other's however, like "Lover on the Side, Lover in the Middle," "Butt in Chair," and "When Do You Say It?" rang like dinner bells in my inner ear and forced me to confront my own writing practice and perceptions.

This is not a self-help book however, and I hope I have not made it sound like such. That being said, it is a book that helped me toward a greater awareness, confidence and belief in my persona as a Writer and the only such book to speak to me on a level and in such a way that I could understand that indeed, I am a Writer...despite the fact that the cover creeped me out.