This book teaches you how to write about your problems. The epidemic and how it affected how we write were both mentioned. While some people struggled to write anything last year, others were more motivated and inventive. Writing about your emotions may be helpful, or it can be a form of defiance.
The idea is that writing fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy, may keep you alive when a virus decimates the world. You can imagine new universes in order to stay sane despite the turmoil, division, isolation, and death that COVID has brought about around the globe. Anders makes a good case for it, and it is a valid one. After establishing this, the book’s following chapters are a mixture of autobiographical and writing coaching.
She delves into the specifics of the story, subject, structure, word choice, and other writing elements and offers a number of exercises for novices. However, for new writers, the most engaging sections of the book focus on the writing process’s more inspirational components. She underlines, for instance, that being a writer does not require some unique initiation or rite of passage.
There are no rules in writing, which is another crucial issue that Anders brings out. None. Furthermore, no one should ever use the argument that there are to try to limit you. There is only one requirement for being a writer: you must write. She also discusses the dreaded impostor syndrome, a disorder that affects nearly all authors. To heck with the doubters; write anything you want. However, you want. Finding a network of like-minded individuals so that you can support each other is one way to overcome impostor syndrome, according to Anders, who claims that even well-known authors experience it.
This book also contains a chapter on writing about other people’s cultures and experiences that They found to be exciting and instructive. Anders points out that there is a balance between this and other contentious topics because it has recently been a hot topic. While writing about another culture as if you were a member of it may not be suitable, it is preferable to be inclusive when choosing the characters in your novel. Anders advises employing sensitivity readers to confirm that you are doing everything correctly.
Overall, this is an excellent, light book with lots of intriguing stories and suggestions. The idea that writing or engaging in another creative activity may help you get through difficult times is undoubtedly true. But the fact that there are no regulations is one of the most crucial elements. Please take what you need and dismiss the rest of the practical advice, inasmuch as it pertains to you.
