Living Write: The Secret to Inviting Your Craft into Your Daily Life

by Kelly L. Stone

Living Write is a state of mind! By using a mix of anecdotal material from writers who have been there and a series of progressive and creative psychological exercises, professional counselor Kelly L. Stone shows you how Each interactive exercise serves as a mental workout and helps you train your brain for writing success. You'll find a comprehensive program to reverse negative writing habits and move forward as a goal-oriented writer. This book also includes an instructive CD so you can put the techniques described in the book into practice right away--and make writing something you look forward to as much as your morning coffee!

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

207 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2010

Reviews

[Carolyn James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the books I’ve read to help me improve my craft, this has been the most useful. A lot of the time I glaze over exercises in these type of books and promise myself I’ll try them later but never do. This book inspired me to keep track of all the tasks in a little notebook that I plan on flipping back through whenever I go into a writing slump. It made me be really honest with myself about why I don’t write and what’s holding me back. There were some chapters a little too out there for me (like the writing counselors) but all in all this was super super helpful to see where in a day I can cram writing into a packed schedule. I have laid out a plan to gradually increase my writing and I’m excited to see if I can get up to my daily goal within the next few months. Definitely a great read for those of you who love to write but just can’t find the time.

[Nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like this book. It's basically about using positive self-talk to improve your writing and encourage you to incorporate writing into your daily life. Maybe it's mostly common sense and a little on the "self-help" side, but it was still a decent read and has some helpful tips. There is nothing wrong with reading a book that focuses on telling you to stop feeding yourself negative thoughts and try out a little positive energy. The truth is, using those types of tips are bound to reflect in your personal life as well as your writing career.

[Shannon Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living Write: The Secret to Inviting Your Craft Into Your Daily Life by Kelly L. Stone is a great book that will guide the reader/writer through tasks created to aid her in creating a wonderful writing life. The Book comes with a CD called Living Write Guided Meditations and Other Daily Exercises for Writers. This CD is very helpful as well.

The book has many activities that will help you along your path. It discusses numerous ways to bring writing into your daily life, with exercises designed to guide you through the process.

Developing your writing self-image enables you to see your strengths, as well as areas where you may need some work. Kelly explains that building up your self-image is an important aspect in accomplishing your goals. She shows you how to create your vision of success and how to work toward your goals as a writer.

Reaching your milestones is one way this is done. Thinking about your milestones daily, and taking action toward them, is how you take responsibility for your writing career. Kelly shows you how to do this in her book. You will learn how to overcome negative thinking, and how to deal with rejection and use it in positive ways.

And that is not all. Kelly also explains how to deepen your writing efforts. She guides you through the process of meeting your daily and long-term goals using different techniques.

And so much more. This book is a great guide.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I've been having a hard time getting back in the swing of writing, and this was just what the doctor ordered! It uses simple and effective psychology techniques and thoughts to ponder and journal about to help get to the bottom of the problem so you can most past it and get back into doing what it is you want to do. A problem aspiring writers have is fear: fear of failure, fear of success. They also have a negative script/voice running in the back of their minds that makes it intimidating to sit at the desk, much less actually write. I liked this book's gentle tone and compassionate voice. I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with getting back into writing and who needs some gentle encouragement. I read a review someone wrote that "if you need this book, maybe you should find another hobby," and I thought that that was unfair and missed the whole point of the book. Yes, writers write, and the book reiterates this, but it delves deeper into the reasons why someone may be having blocks and finding obstacles to putting their pen to paper. It helps get to the bottom of the issue, and helps you work through the issues once you figure out your weaknesses. It even has a 21-day plan at the end to implement the works in the book, and it comes with a CD of meditations, of which I haven't listened to yet. I enjoyed this book, and it has helped me remember why I wanted to write in the first place.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

As others have noted there's an element of redundancy in the book and the author's reliance on psychological techniques at the exclusion of suggestive norms for aspiring writers is both questionable and a noted concern. While she advocates petitioning the subconscious for insight and aid, the author neglects to address the probability that the responses received may be inauthentic and of little use to the individual inquiring. At no point is the reader advised to query others and garner their feedback or bounce the responses they've received from their subconscious. The promotion of ones perception devoid of any measure of consensus or due diligence is a foiled process that will eventually meet its end.

It's both unwise and unhealthy to spend that much time within oneself. Nor should anyone erroneously believe that the musings of the mind are for their benefit or wholly profitable to their writing. In spite of these gross shortcomings the book does provide excellent tools for goal setting and elementary visionary practices which may prove helpful in the long run. Glean these fruits and leave the untested psychobabble where it belongs.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read it for class. I'm not really into motivational books. I suppose it is alright.