Review of 'The art of war for writers' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
I will admit, I was drawn to this for two reasons unrelated to the specifics of the book itself. The first reason was for its delightfully bold cover design—yes I judge books by their covers. Secondly, it is a book about writing, and I have a long-standing weakness for such books, from compendiums of quotes about writing, to books about Point of View in writing (it looks like a textbook and sounds dull, but is really quite helpful and interesting—these are the impulse buys I make in the bookstore).
I did not find a lot of new content that differed greatly from other books on writing that I have found, but this book has extremely short chapters, which is very useful, since after each chapter I usually felt the urge to set the book down and write. The Art of War for Writers carries force and vigor and maybe it's …
I will admit, I was drawn to this for two reasons unrelated to the specifics of the book itself. The first reason was for its delightfully bold cover design—yes I judge books by their covers. Secondly, it is a book about writing, and I have a long-standing weakness for such books, from compendiums of quotes about writing, to books about Point of View in writing (it looks like a textbook and sounds dull, but is really quite helpful and interesting—these are the impulse buys I make in the bookstore).
I did not find a lot of new content that differed greatly from other books on writing that I have found, but this book has extremely short chapters, which is very useful, since after each chapter I usually felt the urge to set the book down and write. The Art of War for Writers carries force and vigor and maybe it's just me, but this is what keeps me coming back to books about writing. They get me writing. Bell shares tidbits and advice for a wide variety of topics from setting and character development to making time to write and engaging with editors and publishers, each packaged in an urgency-laden chapter titled with a succinct summary phrase.
I certainly enjoyed this book, though granted over a long period of time and in small doses. It would not be a book to bring for a long plane ride or a day at the beach, unless you plan to write 5 minutes after starting to read. I would recommend this book to writers who want something to help get them motivated without it being long-winded or complicated. Bell makes his points in each chapter in few words and occasionally with exercises to get you writing. Four stars for getting me to sit down and write rather than wandering and wasting my time on many occasions.
