Unfuck Your Writing: Write Better, Reach Readers, & Share Your Inner World

by Joe Biel, Faith G. Harper

Want to write but the words won't come Do you have a lot to say but don't know how to write it so people will read it Do you struggle with anxiety, procrastination, or feeling like an imposter around your writing Microcosm's two most prolific authors teach you their tricks of the trade in this no-nonsense, practical guide to the craft of being a writer. Learn skills like setting and sticking to goals, communicating effectively with your writing, having fun while writing, working with an editor, and creating reader-oriented work.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

Paperback

Published May 19, 2020

About the author

Joe Biel is a writer, activist, journalist, filmmaker, and publisher. He is the founder and co-owner of Microcosm Publishing and co-founder of the Portland Zine Symposium. He often tours the U.S. with his books and films. He has been featured in the Utne Reader, Portland Mercury, Oregonian, Broken Pencil, Readymade, and Bicycle Times.

Reviews

[Lee Kimball · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive and basic, this pamphlet didn’t offer anything new to what it takes to become a writer. It’s very much just a collection of blog posts and articles.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I backed this book through Kickstarter I was excited to get my hands on it, but now recently having had time to read it, I'm much less excited about it. If you're looking for a book that almost tries to discourage you from writing, this is probably it. If you don't have anything unique to say, the authors tell you, don't write. (They also advise avoiding over-saturated markets ... but they chose to write and publish a writing how-to, which are fairly dime a dozen everywhere). They also hate on self-publishers, particularly the kind you find on Amazon, basically looking down their noses at people who have dared to not follow the traditional publishing route.

I will say, however, that the first 20 pages did have some decent info in it that, when applied, could be helpful as they include fairly practical advice.

There was little indication during the Kickstarter phase that this book was geared toward non-fiction writers, although there is some useful things in the book that other types of writers can glean from it, it's not much. I also thought it was going to maybe give tips for working through mental/writing blocks since it's literally called "Unf#ck Your Writing", but maybe that was my mistake. Some bits of the book can be helpful, but it's very little depending on your own writing background. If you've never written, desire to write a non-fiction book/article/essay, this book might actually be helpful. As someone who was made to write essays in high school and had the privilege of post-secondary education, the how to's of structuring and writing an essay are not new to me.

The delivery of the information in the book feels a little bit like the authors are talking down to you, which probably is not the tone they intended and is likely my own reaction to the format. Between telling its readers that they need to have a unique idea and writing pov if they're going to bother writing at all, and the advice of starting out by "learning how to write a really good tweet" before you can go on to expand your own character limit in tiny increments, the book offers aspiring writers little. Or maybe I'm just jaded. Either way, I think the book's descriptions and title are misleading. It started out as a pamphlet/zine and probably should have stayed that way.

[KK Rebecca Lai]

I've always dreamed of writing a book, but I'm not sure what it is. A travel story? Stories about relationships? I've had ideas and scattered scenes and passages drifting around in my head for years, but nothing has ever solidified. Reading this book has rekindled that urge to write more. I will try to write more and explore more and some day I'll land on something that feels worth sharing with the world. The part where it talks about how Wild spurred a whole lot of self discovery travel books made a lot of sense to me. You don't want to write something with an already saturated market. You research, you find a niche, you having something unique to say, in a way that no one else has said before. And before then, there's nothing wrong with stuff just staying in your diary or letters to friends. Other than the published author pipe dream stuff, this book has great advice about just being a better writer in general, which really everyone should learn because we all use words to communicate. I love the way the book is written, the structure, the tone, the way it yells at you like a true friend.

[Ene Sepp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kui ei ole mitte kunagi mitte ühtegi kirjutamise teemalist raamatut lugenud, siis võimalik et sellest paksema brošüüri mõõtu raamatukesest saab nii üht kui teist huvitavat. Mina sain siit tõdemuse, kui väga ma ikka vihkan soovitust: "Kui tahad kirjutada romaani, alusta novellide kirjutamisest." No see konkreetne raamat soovitas lausa kõigepealt alustada tviitimisest ja siis kui seal oled meister, siis lühilugude juurde ja siis pisut pikemate lühilugude juurde ja siis novellid ja siis võid ette võtta romaani ja siis lõpuks võid jõuda sarja kirjutamiseni. No sõida seenele! Iga romaanikirjanik ei pea tahtma (ega oskama) kirjutada lühivorme. Kui ma oleksin seda soovitust järginud, oleksin endiselt seal esimese sammu juures kinni.

[Emily Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really concise and easy to read writing resource. It covers much of what you'd find spread across many of the most popular writing books, so if you're looking for a quick resource on not only writing, but also the editing and publishing processes, and related mindset and mental health aspects, this is a good read.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some excellent sound and down-to-earth advice.

[Erin Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Down to earth, easy to read, inspiring to get to work!

[Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, practical tips told without window dressing .

[Katrina McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging book that has some good tips for writing, editing, and publishing.