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How to Be a Writer: Building Your Creative Skills Through Practice and Play
Athletes practice. Musicians practice. As a writer you need to do the same. Whether you have dreams of writing a novel or a memoir or a collection of poems, or you simply want to improve your everyday writing, this innovative book will show you how to build your skills by way of practice.
Through playful and purposeful exercises, you'll develop your natural aptitude for communication, strengthening your ability to come up with things to say, and your ability to get those things into the minds (and the hearts) of readers. You'll learn
• Train and develop your writer's powers—creativity, memory, observation, imagination, curiosity, and the subconscious
• Understand the true nature of the relationship between you and your readers
• Find your writer's voice
• Get required writing projects done so you have more time for the writing you want to do
• And much more
Empowering and down-to-earth, How to Be a Writer gives you the tools you need, and tells you what (and how) to practice so that you can become the writer you want to be.
Through playful and purposeful exercises, you'll develop your natural aptitude for communication, strengthening your ability to come up with things to say, and your ability to get those things into the minds (and the hearts) of readers. You'll learn
• Train and develop your writer's powers—creativity, memory, observation, imagination, curiosity, and the subconscious
• Understand the true nature of the relationship between you and your readers
• Find your writer's voice
• Get required writing projects done so you have more time for the writing you want to do
• And much more
Empowering and down-to-earth, How to Be a Writer gives you the tools you need, and tells you what (and how) to practice so that you can become the writer you want to be.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
132 people are currently reading
1034 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Baig
3 books15 followersI am a writer who is passionate about teaching writing--something I've done for thirty years. I started out working with undergraduates and graduate students (I created the popular Writing Workshops at Harvard Divinity School), then moved on to teaching working adults and aspiring creative writers.I now teach in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Lesley University.
My teaching journey has been focused on the questions: What makes someone a good writer? How do I help aspiring writers to improve? After much thought, I arrived at the idea that writers need to practice their skills, just like athletes and musicians. I've developed a teaching approach that is entirely skills-based, and grounded in the findings of scientific researchers in the field of expertise studies, such as Dr. K. Anders Ericsson.
Although I know that writing is a wonderful tool for self-exploration, I'm more interested in writing designed to be read by others--because that's when we need all the skills we can develop. To reach other people with our words, we need to be able to come up with and develop ideas and material, and we also need to have excellent craft skills. I cover the first set of skills in How To Be a Writer, the second in Spellbinding Sentences.
My teaching journey has been focused on the questions: What makes someone a good writer? How do I help aspiring writers to improve? After much thought, I arrived at the idea that writers need to practice their skills, just like athletes and musicians. I've developed a teaching approach that is entirely skills-based, and grounded in the findings of scientific researchers in the field of expertise studies, such as Dr. K. Anders Ericsson.
Although I know that writing is a wonderful tool for self-exploration, I'm more interested in writing designed to be read by others--because that's when we need all the skills we can develop. To reach other people with our words, we need to be able to come up with and develop ideas and material, and we also need to have excellent craft skills. I cover the first set of skills in How To Be a Writer, the second in Spellbinding Sentences.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 26, 2019
One of my reading goals this year was to read more non-fiction and another was to read books on writing. This book meets both those reading goals and gave me the added satisfaction of pulling one down from the Kindle shelf that has been there for some time.
How to Be a Writer: Building Your Creative Skills Through Practice and Play does not get into the mechanics or technical side of writing nor does it delve into working toward publishing. It's for the beginner who either finds themselves in a 'Have to' or a 'Want to' write situation. It is broken into two sections as a result. It is written from an established writing teacher to student perspective.
For the 'want to' group which is where my interest lay, it explores the realm of freewriting and undoing all the stuff in a person's mind that block their ability to confidently put pen to paper and let the ideas start flowing out. I don't know enough about writing to say if the approach espoused is a generally good one or one specific to a certain group of people. What I can say is that this had some good ideas for beginning writers to keep in mind. Maybe not everything in this book will be of use and it does get repetitive, but I found some nice nuggets to remind me and to consider the next time I go into a writing project.
For example, I tend to be very task driven so the admonition to just let creativity flow during the first round of writing is a good reminder. This author reminds the reader that its hard to be creative when half your mind is trying to critique and edit at the same time. This rang true for me because I've lost my writing mojo many times when I do this.
I thought the distinction of writing 'to' your readers and not 'for' your readers was important and helped take out some of the fear and distraction that can cause.
The short bit about how to be specific with what a writer wants from a beta reader was extremely helpful: Ask the reader questions to keep in mind when reading and discuss afterward like what stands out to you? what do you hear me saying? were you left with questions? what needs more or less? or were you confused?
Listen to what they have to say and don't attempt to explain or defend afterward. Having more than one reader's take is even better.
And, when you get stuck on a word and can't get past that, go back to 'what am I trying to say?' and the word to portray the exact image you are trying to convey will come.
Side notes I observed as I read:
Content mind is the 'what to say' and Craft mind is the 'how to say it best'.
Free writing can wake up the content mind.
Find a method of collecting ideas in a central location like a notebook where they can be placed all in one place for use later.
Read for pleasure and to absorb how to write from other writers, but also read to add to your store of knowledge and content gathering.
To jumpstart the creative mind, ask yourself some questions: what's on your mind? what do you see around you or outside? What are people you see or think about doing? etc. Turn your attention from yourself and internals to simply observe (not judge) what is around you.
Narrow the freewriting further by tossing in one or two specifics like describe the sky today or what is growing nearby.
And, sometimes the best writing done is by not writing, but mulling over what has been observed or a germ of an idea that needs to grow a bit.
Do some focused freewriting to narrow down the perimeters of what you'll write about.
Curiosity can be a powerful catalyst. When you pose a question to yourself that you don't have the answer, put it in your content notebook.
Interviewing others can be a good source of fresh content.
In summary, this was mostly for the very beginner so not exactly what I needed, but it was a great refresher with a few good reminders, but also some items that hadn't occurred to me. I think it is a good source taken with other sources since it focuses on only one or two aspects of writing: freewriting and creative flow.
How to Be a Writer: Building Your Creative Skills Through Practice and Play does not get into the mechanics or technical side of writing nor does it delve into working toward publishing. It's for the beginner who either finds themselves in a 'Have to' or a 'Want to' write situation. It is broken into two sections as a result. It is written from an established writing teacher to student perspective.
For the 'want to' group which is where my interest lay, it explores the realm of freewriting and undoing all the stuff in a person's mind that block their ability to confidently put pen to paper and let the ideas start flowing out. I don't know enough about writing to say if the approach espoused is a generally good one or one specific to a certain group of people. What I can say is that this had some good ideas for beginning writers to keep in mind. Maybe not everything in this book will be of use and it does get repetitive, but I found some nice nuggets to remind me and to consider the next time I go into a writing project.
For example, I tend to be very task driven so the admonition to just let creativity flow during the first round of writing is a good reminder. This author reminds the reader that its hard to be creative when half your mind is trying to critique and edit at the same time. This rang true for me because I've lost my writing mojo many times when I do this.
I thought the distinction of writing 'to' your readers and not 'for' your readers was important and helped take out some of the fear and distraction that can cause.
The short bit about how to be specific with what a writer wants from a beta reader was extremely helpful: Ask the reader questions to keep in mind when reading and discuss afterward like what stands out to you? what do you hear me saying? were you left with questions? what needs more or less? or were you confused?
Listen to what they have to say and don't attempt to explain or defend afterward. Having more than one reader's take is even better.
And, when you get stuck on a word and can't get past that, go back to 'what am I trying to say?' and the word to portray the exact image you are trying to convey will come.
Side notes I observed as I read:
Content mind is the 'what to say' and Craft mind is the 'how to say it best'.
Free writing can wake up the content mind.
Find a method of collecting ideas in a central location like a notebook where they can be placed all in one place for use later.
Read for pleasure and to absorb how to write from other writers, but also read to add to your store of knowledge and content gathering.
To jumpstart the creative mind, ask yourself some questions: what's on your mind? what do you see around you or outside? What are people you see or think about doing? etc. Turn your attention from yourself and internals to simply observe (not judge) what is around you.
Narrow the freewriting further by tossing in one or two specifics like describe the sky today or what is growing nearby.
And, sometimes the best writing done is by not writing, but mulling over what has been observed or a germ of an idea that needs to grow a bit.
Do some focused freewriting to narrow down the perimeters of what you'll write about.
Curiosity can be a powerful catalyst. When you pose a question to yourself that you don't have the answer, put it in your content notebook.
Interviewing others can be a good source of fresh content.
In summary, this was mostly for the very beginner so not exactly what I needed, but it was a great refresher with a few good reminders, but also some items that hadn't occurred to me. I think it is a good source taken with other sources since it focuses on only one or two aspects of writing: freewriting and creative flow.
September 4, 2015
I've read a LOT of books on the craft of writing and over time I've found less and less I like about them. This one had a "go at your own pace and don't worry about it" tone that I found refreshing, relaxing and encouraging. The whole philosophy about PRACTICING, just like a piano player, golfer, or basketball player, is something a lot of uptight writers should embrace. Have fun with it. This book will show you how.
Easily one of the top 5 books on writing that I would recommend.
Easily one of the top 5 books on writing that I would recommend.
February 23, 2012
Useful for beginners, though the information is repeated almost every chapter. Advice pretty much amounts to free-writing, list making, and more free-writing.
January 2, 2016
there's a lot here to take in. I had to read in small sips, and this is a book I suspect I'll return to again. I'm not sure I'd unequivocally recommend it, however I did order her other book, Spellbinding Sentences: A Writer's Guide to Achieving Excellence and Captivating Readers, before I had finished this one, so there must be something about it that intrigued me.
I got a lot more from the section on bringing your imagination to required writing that I thought I would. I particularly appreciated Baig's advice that "functional writing doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't even have to be great. It just has to be good enough . . .[it's] simply not worth agonizing over. It's a task: it has to get done. That's all." (p. 237) I'm going to hold that in my mind this year.
I got a lot more from the section on bringing your imagination to required writing that I thought I would. I particularly appreciated Baig's advice that "functional writing doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't even have to be great. It just has to be good enough . . .[it's] simply not worth agonizing over. It's a task: it has to get done. That's all." (p. 237) I'm going to hold that in my mind this year.
January 27, 2015
I found the author's remarks about the education system in the states really began to annoy me. Being a product of said system, I get that the education system sucks. But seeing that I had no other alternative like say, private school, I learned to go outside the education system to learn how to write. She also makes a lot of assumptions that turned me off as I read it. She approaches imagination as something to be studied and critiqued rather than something involving fun and play. Started reading this in 2013, and my last note was three months afterwards. Now that I have Jeff VanderMeer's Wonderbook, which does a much better job in engaging imagination and creativity, it's time to call it quits with this one.
April 30, 2012
Disappointing. Basically the book is free writing, list making, repeat. It was so annoying reading the same thing over and over.
January 23, 2013
It's essentially freewriting prompts. You may be better served looking for free prompts on the web.
April 29, 2025
This book might be nice for anyone who has always wanted to write but never tried and doesn’t know where to kickstart their creativity. But for the practiced writer wanting to enhance their skills, there isn’t much here to help. Topics include “how to brainstorm” and “where to get inspiration from”, that sort of writing advice.
This book could have also been condensed into a pamphlet.
This book could have also been condensed into a pamphlet.
February 6, 2019
This book isn't about creating a finished product in one go, it's about getting content on the page and being more cognizant and intentional about the process that gets you there. Some have said it's a book of writing prompts and that's true, but only partially. The exercises are meant to be done in conjunction with the skills being explored. After all, what's the point of reading about a skill if you aren't actually going to use it?
More than anything, this book is a tool for sifting through the writing process and figuring out what works for you. Baig encourages you to give yourself permission to write uninhibited, to develop a sense of play and curiosity, and to distinguish content creation from revision. She also drives home the importance of writing often, even if it's just collecting words or scraps of images. Because who knows? It might develop into something.
How to be a Writer is specifically for beginning writers, so if you're beyond the basics or are not interested in a refresher, this might not be for you. That being said, the text is rich with information and full of explicit steps for generating ideas and developing content.
I think Baig's approach is useful because it builds on itself (which is why I think her use of repetition is useful, despite what others may say). Once you've mastered all the individual skills and buildings blocks, it becomes easier to seamlessly combine them all together later. The way athletes master skills. (Fair warning, Baig loves sports metaphors, and there are a lot of them. So yeah, there's that).
But Baig lays all this out in the introduction, so it's amusing that people are upset that they're getting exactly what's on the tin.
More than anything, this book is a tool for sifting through the writing process and figuring out what works for you. Baig encourages you to give yourself permission to write uninhibited, to develop a sense of play and curiosity, and to distinguish content creation from revision. She also drives home the importance of writing often, even if it's just collecting words or scraps of images. Because who knows? It might develop into something.
How to be a Writer is specifically for beginning writers, so if you're beyond the basics or are not interested in a refresher, this might not be for you. That being said, the text is rich with information and full of explicit steps for generating ideas and developing content.
I think Baig's approach is useful because it builds on itself (which is why I think her use of repetition is useful, despite what others may say). Once you've mastered all the individual skills and buildings blocks, it becomes easier to seamlessly combine them all together later. The way athletes master skills. (Fair warning, Baig loves sports metaphors, and there are a lot of them. So yeah, there's that).
But Baig lays all this out in the introduction, so it's amusing that people are upset that they're getting exactly what's on the tin.
March 8, 2019
My favorite chapter was on how to ask for and give helpful, as opposed to critical, feedback. That being said, I found I ended up skimming through most of the book to pick out the pieces that we're interesting to me. Where I liked the philosophy of writing as a journey and found a handful of techniques or suggestions I will try, the overly negative commentary on education and vilified assumptions of how writing is taught were irritating and I skipped large sections as a result. Overall, there were a few good gems and I feel it's worth a skim if not a full read.
October 25, 2018
A primary focus on content generation, a topic not so frequently tackled, makes this a potentially interesting read. There are some nice freewriting prompts and practical advice, particularly on helpful attitudes to hold. Author is insightful when speaking of writing. Would have given this 3 stars if an editor had trimmed the sanctimonious and narrow-minded commentary on "academics", "Western education" (read "American"), and mass media, not to mention the endless references to baseball.
July 26, 2019
"How to be a Writer", very helpful informative book. It offers many ideas I have never thought of before in my writing endeavors. Having read these new ideas I see how they have real application. Many of the practices within may come easily and others will take time to learn and develop. The practices are worth the effort for they all help to make us writers.
May 16, 2012
This book really got me going in the first chapter or two, but the repetition (lather, rinse, repeat style) really left me feeling a little washed out. Perhaps if it had been a workbook, and a lot shorter, the teaching style really would have shone through.
November 27, 2011
It had some really good ideas, but I felt like she was just repeating the same thing over and over and over.
December 2, 2013
a lot of repeating in this book
September 2, 2018
This book focuses on creating content for writing. And that is the great value it has, because by creating content in the slow, nice way the book suggest, we are starting to create a source for all our writing. It is suitable for beginners, because it will take away the fear of writing, and for professionals, because of all the exercises that will help to improve your writing. I found it reassuring because it creates a healthy approach to writing that is all about giving yourself permission to learn instead of trying to do everything well from the first time. Also it considers why is there so much pressure for writers to become professionals and make money when so many people enjoy being amateurs in other areas. I love it!
May 21, 2018
Absolutely loved this book. Barbara's voice is simple-easy to follow- and well thought out. it is clear that she knows what she is talking about. As a beginning writer I find the exercises throughout this book extremely beneficial.
I would certainly recommend this to anyone who is an aspiring writer along with anyone who simply wants to clear their minds and find their inner voice.
I have introduced freewriting into my journaling and have found the benefits grow exponentially. I look forward to the journey of being a practicing writer and reading Barbara's further works.
I would certainly recommend this to anyone who is an aspiring writer along with anyone who simply wants to clear their minds and find their inner voice.
I have introduced freewriting into my journaling and have found the benefits grow exponentially. I look forward to the journey of being a practicing writer and reading Barbara's further works.
April 29, 2022
Truthfully, I gave up about halfway through.
Pros: the advice - freewriting, write down the thoughts, situations, and words that catch your attention - is probably helpful to some people.
Cons - Repetitive, very, VERY repetitive. Also, her preaching about the evils of the schools system and mass media were obnoxious.
Pros: the advice - freewriting, write down the thoughts, situations, and words that catch your attention - is probably helpful to some people.
Cons - Repetitive, very, VERY repetitive. Also, her preaching about the evils of the schools system and mass media were obnoxious.
June 4, 2020
Encouraging...
March 10, 2015
If you want to learn how to write well, then read this book. Even for those of us who already think we write well, we could still benefit from this book. It does not matter if you are writing in a business setting or just day dreaming of becoming a successful fiction writer, this book, although written a few years ago, should become a classic on how to write well. It is written in a manner of a workshop so as you go along you need to take the time to do the exercises, which I found very effective and useful. I am still going through the book and have purchased a used new book from Amazon (after reading the library copy) simply because it is an invaluable reference for me. The author who has been teaching writing for several decades is for sure up-to-date and describes how today's connected world with us surrounded by the media and entertainment while being tethered to our devices is robbing us of our ability to imagine, be creative, and go deep in our minds and hearts to write well. I would be thrilled to sit in on one of Barbara Baig's writing classes rather than attend your typical writing-critique course where your writing is judged and critiqued by fellow classmates; talk about a surefire way to sap your enthusiasm and confidence about your own writing. Baig describes her methodology well and obviously has a passion not only for writing itself, but for enabling others to reach their full writing potential.
July 7, 2021
For any aspiring writers that are trying to get into writing or veterans looking for a refresher, this is an excellent book for you. It goes over everything you need to be a successful writer by Barbara Baig’s 30+ years of experience as an accomplished writer and teacher. You’ll be able to have a very useful resource whenever you need to brush up on writing.
I especially enjoyed how it speaks of developing creativity in the writing process, practicing until you get things down pat, and how it sums everything up to build that writing muscle through patience. Yeah, it’ll take time to master the art of writing but this is a great book to start honing your craft and build upon it as time goes on.
This is 5/5 stars in my book and then some, it's that good and something I highly recommend for all my fellow writers. This is a must-have for beginners as you’ll enjoy it just as much as I did many years ago. At the time, I really wanted to gain more confidence in my writing and do things the right way through a veteran in the industry. This book undoubtedly helped me in my own personal development as a writer and it’s something I’ll always remember with a smile since I learned so much.
I especially enjoyed how it speaks of developing creativity in the writing process, practicing until you get things down pat, and how it sums everything up to build that writing muscle through patience. Yeah, it’ll take time to master the art of writing but this is a great book to start honing your craft and build upon it as time goes on.
This is 5/5 stars in my book and then some, it's that good and something I highly recommend for all my fellow writers. This is a must-have for beginners as you’ll enjoy it just as much as I did many years ago. At the time, I really wanted to gain more confidence in my writing and do things the right way through a veteran in the industry. This book undoubtedly helped me in my own personal development as a writer and it’s something I’ll always remember with a smile since I learned so much.
May 5, 2015
If you went to a music concert, you'd be shocked if you heard that the musician hadn't practised prior to the concert. Similarly, if you went to a sports event, you expect the competitors to have trained. Writing is no different, this book argues, and it provides a helpful guide on how a writer can practice their art most effectively. The book also makes the distinction between writing that is meant to be seen by a wider audience, and writing that is just for yourself, and again helps you prepare a piece of writing for wider distribution appropriately. While the book did drag at points, for the most part it was an enjoyable and sometimes quite inspiring read. Aimed not just a professional writers, but at people who may need to produce writing during the course of their own professions, or just at people who enjoy writing, even if only in a diary, this book has a broad appeal. I picked it up some time ago on the Kindle store for free (it's actually pretty expensive now and I freely admit I wouldn't pay full price for it), and it was definitely worth the read.
December 28, 2016
This book gave me the courage to start writing again after a long break, and I am very grateful for that. However, it seems to me that it is boring at times, as it focuses mostly on variants of the ten-minute freewriting exercise (which I do every day, by the way), and also on giving beginner writers confidence. In this matter, the book is indispensable. But there is not much advice about fiction writing; you can find more content on writing stories on the author's website than in this book. I have not tried the method described in the chapter about obligatory writing (for school, university and work), but it seems really effective.
In a nutshell, read this book if you are insecure about your writing and want to feel more confident about it, but if you are looking for specific fiction writing advice, like that about plot, characters, setting etc. try something else, for instance the short e-books by K. M. Weiland.
In a nutshell, read this book if you are insecure about your writing and want to feel more confident about it, but if you are looking for specific fiction writing advice, like that about plot, characters, setting etc. try something else, for instance the short e-books by K. M. Weiland.
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July 23, 2011wonder full book .. this book may help Lot of people How to Be a Writer and also Building Your Creative Skills.this book has good meaning that also needs to use it actually this book help's me lot of things also was my needs... 4 now you better get use to it if really wanna feel better and i hope you may found out your needs to appreciate you will be great with and hopeful this book for me my finger is thumps up with this book better look it down body ... am off ....
try this book insha Allah If you do more practice it will make you more understanding...... which is my finger is thumps up body for only this book
try this book insha Allah If you do more practice it will make you more understanding...... which is my finger is thumps up body for only this book
October 21, 2012
Although this took me almost a year to finish—very rare and sporadic reading here and there—it was well worth it and a great book on writing. It contains a lot if good information and practicing techniques that is very helpful. Plus, the fact that this was a free ebook on my Nook was an extra bonus.
If you are at all interested in writing and/or becoming a writer, I recommend this book. Even if you don't feel fully inclined to dive into this book, I do highly recommend at least reading the last chapter on "Walking the Writer's Way." It covers a nice amount of reaffirming issues that deal with the non-technical side of writing.
September 16, 2015
The book is directed at people would be like to be writers but aren’t sure how to start. For these readers it’s an excellent book. For people who are moderately experienced writers but struggle with plot and story ideas this is also an excellent book. Especially the first two-thirds. The author introduces “freestyle writing”, and offers exercises to awaken one’s subconscious (one’s muse), and to mine all sorts of stuff that is filed away in one’s mind. The result is enhanced creativity. In my opinion, one of the most helpful books on writing. Note: Look to other books for guidance on grammar, sentence construction, etc. 5 stars.
April 18, 2016
An excellent starter guide for those who perhaps have been writing for research, business etc but who want to be more creative with what they write. Barbara Baig is also a believer in Ericsson's principle of "deliberate practice" which makes me trust her just that little bit more. She stresses the idea of practice for writing as something that is important and that can be disassociated from writing for specific publication or results.
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January 15, 2016I liked it, because it was about the very same thing that I was looking for - that is, getting your mind to generate ideas about the topic you wish to write about. It also gave me a lot of "helpful" insights about the process of writing itself. For example, the book introduces "writing" as a method using which one can "learn" a whole lot about himself.
December 13, 2011
Nothing really new in here but I did find some motivating advice and some new twists on some old exercises. I think the most important feeling I got from this book is that we're not alone - writing is tough!
March 8, 2013
So. Very. Repetitive.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews