Blog Book Tour: Writing Motherhood
Apr 30, 2007 Read/heard/seen, Writing
There seem to be a small flock (gaggle? herd?) of writing books directed to moms all of a sudden. I’m not sure what this is about but I’m betting it has something to do with the internet and the fact that an awful lot of moms are writing and finding each other as writers, which is a good thing and certainly unprecedented. So this book enters what is happily becoming if not a crowded field at least a well populated one. I say the more writing books the merrier because we all need/want different approaches for our writerly selves. Which leads me to my very personal, very individual and so not entirely helpful review.
For me, as a writer, this book doesn’t do much for me. While I like its nurturing tone and encouragement (a lot), I’ve never been the kind of writer who liked exercises (here called “invitations”) and in fact they are a huge, giant, enormous turn-off for me. I can’t stand ‘em. And here may I out myself who has never been able to get through Writing Down the Bones either. (I mean, the fact that Julie Cameron who wrote The Artist’s Way blurbed the book is a reason I’d be likely to put it back on the shelf. Nothing against Julie Cameron, whose books have inspired many writers I know, love and respect, but speaking directly about what works for me and what doesn’t.)
So am I going to tell you to run away from this book? Heck no. I know that writing exercises are something other writers absolutely love and the sales numbers of Writing Down the Bones speak for themselves. Besides which the writing mother I am now — firmly rooted in my writing practice, fairly certain if sometimes struggling with my process, confident in my ability to produce meaningful work — is not the writing mother I was then when Noah was first born. If I’d been able to stuff my squeamishness about writing exercises, I’m sure I would have gotten a lot out of this book.
What’s interesting (or maybe frustrating — again depends on your point of view) is that each section begins with a little essay that may be about writing or may be about mothering and sometimes is about both and then this leads to the “invitations” and then to inspirations (writerly quotes, which my sidebar will show you I love). I do think that had I been a new mom trying to figure out the writing thing that I would have eaten up a lot of this but like I said, from this perspective I just skipped around trying to find stuff that I could actual apply to my own writing life and just didn’t find much. Again, that’s me.
The best thing about this book? The list of recommended books at the back. For me the worst thing? That I had to flip through prompts (the only thing I dislike more than writing exercises are writing prompts) to get to the recommended books.
I know this is a lukewarm review. I wanted to be honest but not discouraging. I do think it’s a great book for another writer/mom; just not this one.
(For the record, my favorite kind of writing books are more concrete and never touch on “releasing the writer within” or some such. I have no idea why I don’t like that sort of thing but I have an almost violently negative reaction to it. Maybe because getting in touch with my writerly self has never been hard for me and so my favorite writing books are strictly about craft.)
And your favorite writing books would be….????!
[...] April 30: Dawn kicks off the tour with her post at This Woman’s Work, where she admits that although she is not a fan of writing exercises and prompts, she likes the book’s “nurturing tone and encouragement (a lot).” [...]
see, now I found this review very, very helpful. I’ve read all of the other ones you mention and tried to do the prompts and exercises with stupendously negative results. Truly. Guh.
and I second Jody’s request for a list of your favorite writing books!
Yeah, I get what you mean. I soldiered through Writing Down the Bones and felt vaguely guilty for not getting much out of it, since it’s so popular. I hate prompts, too. I don’t need help generating lots of crappy prose. What I need help with is structuring my crappy prose into logical, pleasing and coherent pieces. I think that book is more about journaling and writing as a spiritual practice, which is a completely different thing than learning to communicate well with readers.
The ones that actually help me are Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp (which isn’t only about writing but is full of smart general principles for not only starting good projects but finishing them).
I’m not sure it’s kosher for me, as the author of WRITING MOTHERHOOD, to post a comment on your blog. But I can’t help myself! It’s so interesting to me that you responded to WRITING MOTHERHOOD solely as a writing book. In fact, the book is as much about motherhood as it is about writing, maybe more so. In the book, I explore tough issues I have faced in my own life as a motherâ€â€how my marriage has changed, what to do when my kids feel left out, what to tell my kids when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, how best to mother my own mother, who has Alzheimer’s. When I sat down to begin work on WRITING MOTHERHOOD, I set certain objectives, and one of these was that I wanted readers, when they came to the end of every chapter, to feel inspired to put down my book, pick up a pen and begin exploring their own experiences. I like to think WRITING MOTHERHOOD is not so much about becoming a better writer; it’s about becoming a better mother.
(I’m putting this in for someone who mistakenly — ironically — tried to add the comment over at Get Them Blogging)
Writing Motherhood:
While I appreciate the review of this book, I must say that as that author says, it is truly just her experience. I found that this book offered a lot of guidance and inspiration. It was supportive and inspirational, providing just the right amount of structure and freedom. I highly recommend it.
Phyllis,
Oh, how nice, that Lisa Garrigues commented on your post! I wonder if she will on mine, maybe not…
Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t read your post before writing my own since I might have been predisposed against the writing prompts. But I guess you’re perfectly right — you’re an established writer, this book is not really for you. For someone like me, though, who does know an awful lot about literature but pretty little about writing it (I totally don’t consider myself a writer yet — just maybe an academic writer), particularly in the context of motherhood (as I point out in the opening of my post), this book sounds helpful. I can’t evaluate it fully at this point (even though I wrote the review there) because I haven’t found the time or energy to read it cover to cover and carefully… (we’re house hunting right now, things are crazy, I still have to finish my dissertation and my parents just left for China last night).
I think it’s great that you (as always) wrote honestly about this book.
Motherhood is not a simple, but unqiue time in life. It changes so many things and the way how you see the world. It is interesting to participate in the experiences of other women.
Cheers
Lisa