The Writer’s Battle
Posted by annastan on March 10th, 2010. Filed under: Books, Craft.On the recommendation of the wise Karen Strong, I’ve been reading The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. It’s a brilliant little book inspired by Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Bell is honest about the difficulties of writing and publishing, but he’s also full of helpful advice. 
Here are a couple of his gems on storytelling:
The reader has to wonder what is going to happen next. To people. That creates the page-turning effect, and it applies not just to commercial fiction but literary as well.
Readers want to suspend their disbelief. They start out on your side. They hope your words will lift them out of their lives and into another realm.
And here’s a great bit of advice for those of us who tend to get a tad obsessive about a particular project:
You learn most about writing a full-length novel by actually writing a full-length novel. It is much more valuable to do this repeatedly than to hover too long over one unfinished (or unpolished) manuscript.
One thing that really stood out to me in this book was Bell’s attitude about being a writer. He sees nothing wrong with being neurotic, as long as you use it to your advantage:
If you’re not insecure about your writing…you’re either mailing in forgettable stuff or somebody else is writing it for you. You will worry if you are a writer. Turn that worry into writing.
I read that part aloud to my husband. “See?” I said. “Being a worrywart is part of being a writer.” He smiled and nodded. Poor guy.
I could go on and on about this book and I’m not even halfway through it yet. I’ve been reading a few pages a night, savoring its wisdom. As I’ve been practically drowning in revisions the past few weeks, it’s been nice to have James Scott Bell’s calm, authoritative voice telling me that it’s all just a part of the process.
March 10th, 2010 at 6:42 am
I’m adding this to my list of writing book to read. Thanks for the review.
March 10th, 2010 at 8:04 am
Hi Anna, I’m definitely going to read this after graduation!
March 10th, 2010 at 9:07 am
¡Excellente! I will add this to the list of books-to-buy-one-day-after-I-have-made-some-money-from-something-other-than-writing-so-that-I-can-make-some-money-from-writing. Or the other list, but that list’s name is too long too share.
March 10th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Anna (and Karen), thank you, thank you, thank you!! Must find this book!
March 10th, 2010 at 10:43 am
There’s also a book called the War of Art, by Steven Pressfield!
March 10th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Stina, it’s definitely worth a read. I feel like Bell boils down the important things and conveys them in a really clear way.
Hi Heather! Good luck with the rest of the semester. You’re almost there!
Jon, I’m glad your lists are so very precise. That way every book you buy knows its place.
Andrea, it’s a really great read. You can continue the buzz on your blog once you’ve read it.
Anne, I think Karen Strong also wrote about that on her blog recently. Apparently, all roads lead back to her blog!
March 10th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Drowning in revisions is a good spot to read a book like that. Hopefully, I will get to it. I have 2 writing books by my bed to get to – but revisions keeps getting in the way.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Anna, this sounds like a fantastic book! It’s been far too long since I’ve read a book on craft. Must do this.
March 10th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Book twin!
I knew you would love the book. I carry it in my bag and just open it at random and get gems of knowledge/inspiration/kick in the pants.
I follow him on Twitter too at @jamesscottbell — LOL. He tweets gems of knowledge there as well.
And the book by Steven Pressfield is also excellent. Not as easy to find but worth the time to read.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:15 am
Laura, revisions really do seem to take over everything don’t they? Good luck!
PJ, it’s a good one. I love how short and concise it is – perfect for perusing.
Hi Book Twin! I follow him on Twitter too – you’re right that his tweets are also great. I’m in awe of all of his writing wisdom.
March 11th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Thank you for posting about this book. It’s definitely going on my “Books to Buy” list!