Whether an experienced or novice writer, The No-Experience-Necessary Writer's Course is a practical, down-to-earth guide that helps anyone who enjoys writing to discover the joys and pleasure of putting words on paper. It provides new ideas, inspiration and may even open new writing areas to be explored.
Writing Fears
Scott Edelstein writes that the only way to get over fears about writing is to write. Among the fears listed are: I can’t do it, I don’t have any talent, I don’t know what to say, I don’t know how to say it, I get stuck, and a general fear of writing. His answer is to just to stop thinking about them and start writing and keep writing.
Writing Myths
Edelstein believes that myths about writing sometimes hold the writer back. Among them are that one must write every day, write a certain amount every day, writing must be the most important things in the writer’s life, one must have a special room for writing, and writers must have regular schedules. He maintains that individual writers discover the needs, preferences and attitudes that work best for them.
Writing Practices to Get Started
He tells writers that the most important things to do are getting started and practice writing. To help the process, he provides twenty-five exercises that alternate with groups of chapters and also twenty additional exercises at the end of the book. Each one provides a starting point from which the writer can take off in any chosen direction.
Writing Exercises
These exercises are meant to inspire the writer, to create mental and emotional connections that lead to scenes, images, stories and poems. He advises that whether done with a pen, pencil or typewriter/word processor, it makes no difference. Even errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling and diction can be ignored at this stage and can be corrected later with editing and rewriting. If the writer has trouble coming up with the right word, phrase, image, line or sentence, Edelstein says to just skip it, leave a blank spot where it belongs, continue writing and come back to it later.
The No-Experience-Necessary Writer’s Course: A Unique Stress-Free Approach for Anyone Who Has Ever Wanted to Write has been in print since first available in 1990. While written before computer word processing became popular, it is still one of the standbys for novice writers or those who are coping with writers block.
About the Writer: Scott Edelstein has taught creative writing at Oberlin College, the University of Minnesota, Metropolitan State University, and other colleges. His published works include hundreds of short stories and articles and is an author of numerous books on writing.
Edelstein, Scott, The No-Experience-Necessary Writer’s Course. Scarborough House/Publisher, Chelsea, MI, 1990. 299 pages.
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