Dinty W. Moore is a master writer--he writes textbooks about writing, and he has the tickets for this position as an author and professor. But don't let that get in the way of enjoying his engaging book about the challenges of writing. He is a fellow sufferer in the world of 10,000 writerly pains. In The Mindful Writer, 59 sections begin with quotations from eminent writers, then Moore comments on them. Section 1 begins "A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people" (Thomas Mann). Moore illuminates this paradox. Writing is difficult "Because we care about finding the precise word, the clearest expression, and we understand that sometimes a thought needs to be revised tens or hundreds of times before we find the perfect way to say what we really mean." Moore outlines the noble truths of writing. His four sections identify four modes of solving the writer's ongoing koan: "The Writer's Mind," "The Writer's Desk," "The Writer's Vision," and "The Writer's Life." Moore's book The Accidental Buddhist is one of my all time favorites. This book adds to his teachings. I plan to buy extra copies to share with my many suffering writer friends.Monday, July 9, 2012
Dinty W. Moore's Book THE MINDFUL WRITER Mentors Writers
Dinty W. Moore is a master writer--he writes textbooks about writing, and he has the tickets for this position as an author and professor. But don't let that get in the way of enjoying his engaging book about the challenges of writing. He is a fellow sufferer in the world of 10,000 writerly pains. In The Mindful Writer, 59 sections begin with quotations from eminent writers, then Moore comments on them. Section 1 begins "A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people" (Thomas Mann). Moore illuminates this paradox. Writing is difficult "Because we care about finding the precise word, the clearest expression, and we understand that sometimes a thought needs to be revised tens or hundreds of times before we find the perfect way to say what we really mean." Moore outlines the noble truths of writing. His four sections identify four modes of solving the writer's ongoing koan: "The Writer's Mind," "The Writer's Desk," "The Writer's Vision," and "The Writer's Life." Moore's book The Accidental Buddhist is one of my all time favorites. This book adds to his teachings. I plan to buy extra copies to share with my many suffering writer friends.