Dorothea BrandeReseñas

Some good advice, some rather dated for obvious reasons ("the professional writer should have two typewriters, a standard machine and a portable"), but on the whole, I can see why this book has survived.

This book is not a technical book on writing. It is about unleashing the writer in you, focusing on your mind and your heart. Although, designed for the fictional writer, her instructions will work for nonfiction writers as well. But, I found it so full of fluffy writing that half the time I couldn't understand what she was saying. For that, I gave her only one star. The second star is given because around all that fluff she does explain exactly how to bring out the writer in each of us. I was surprised to see she had pegged my exact personality traits, which tells me I must have the same traits as many other artists. I took extensive notes. Now it's time for me to follow her guidance to freeing my unconscious so maybe I can actually write. Stilling your mind in quiet time is key for bringing out your creative thoughts from deep within your unconscious. She has motivated me, and because of this, I gave her the third sta

All about what to do before you get technical. She gives a few simple exercises and stresses engaging the sub-conscious and the hard fact that writers write. The first book on writing that I read and don't remember how I found it. The mulling and stewing of ideas was also stated by JH and giving your view of the world in writing was also noted by SK.

Written in the '30s but very much applicable to today's aspiring writer. Not a book on grammar and writing technique but more on learning how to utilise our unconscious mind in the service of our writing. Many of her techniques have been adapted and rewritten by other later writing coaches, the most notable being Julia Cameron over 50 years later.

I read this for a fiction writing class I took in graduate school. The class was a lot of work, but it was likely one of the best classes I took. It inspired me as a writer, and I have kept dabbling in fiction since.

The book itself is full of ideas a writer can use. It is not a technical book or guide. The book is pretty prescriptive, and a bit strict (when compared to a book like say, Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones).Yet I found the book pretty accurate in giving me sense of my experience as a writer at the time.

Excellent book and very ahead of its time - morning pages and meditation! One of those books worth rereading every year to make sure you haven't slipped into bad habits. Now I'm off for a bath and a creative coma...

The best book on writing that I have read. Upshot: discipline, self-confidence until the second draft, editing with a rested eye, meditating on your story idea, and more discipline. Excellent reading.
ShiraDestinie
World's Day, 12014 HE (The World Calender Holocene Calendar/Human Era)

The best book on writing that I have read. Upshot: discipline, self-confidence until the second draft, editing with a rested eye, meditating on your story idea, and more discipline. Excellent reading.
ShiraDestinie
World's Day, 12014 HE (The World Calender Holocene Calendar/Human Era)

A gem that is a must-have on every aspiring writer's shelf.

For a complete review click on the link below or paste it onto your browser.

http://onerightword.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/becoming-writer-dorothea-brande.html

The earlier chapters of the book look at the way that most of us subconsciously look for failure. Procrastination is a way of putting off what we don’t want to do; often because we expect to fail.

The premise of this book is that if we adopt an attitude of expecting to succeed (or, at any rate, acting as if we cannot fail) then even if we don't achieve great wealth, fame or other symbols of success, we will achieve a great deal more than we would otherwise, and will feel far more fulfilled.

The author assumes that all procrastinators are alike, and didn't take into account the problem of chronic illness which makes so many unable to be productive in the sense she encourages. However, there are a lot of good points and some interesting case studies. The last chapter includes some ideas for helping to develop self-discipline in some diverse areas.

Overall, I thought this an excellent little book, one I’d recommend to anyone feeling ‘stuck’. It’s intended primarily for writers, but could be of interest to anyone feeling bogged down in procrastination.

I've loved this book for the last 15 years. First published in the 1930s — it's so outdated that she talks about how you need a portable typewriter — this is hands-down the best book I've ever read on how to write and the only one you'll ever need. Writers write, right?

This is a book about finding ways to write that bypass the brain’s natural procrastinating tendencies. It's not about writing techniques, styles or genres.

Dorothea Brande launches straight into her programme. She starts by telling her readers to spend time each morning hand-writing. She puts no time limit or minimum amount on this, and acknowledges that it will probably be repetitive and muddled.

The next exercise is to set a specific time each day for writing, planned in advance. One therefore starts to look forward to that time, to treat it as a vitally important appointment. Indeed, the main point of the book is that we need to harness the will to write, to be disciplined in our use of time.

I’ve read other books that make similar suggestions, but never in such a straightforward way. Admittedly the text is long-winded in places, and the references to a typewriter are reminders that this is a very old book - first published over 80 years ago! But human nature doesn’t change; what the author describes as the anxieties of a writer are current today, and probably always will be.

I would recommend this highly to anyone who struggles to get started or to continue with writing of any kind, and hope to re-read it regularly.

This book was written in the 1920s, I think, and yet it still contains very practical advice for modern aspiring writers. It's a good guide for getting one's mindset in place, though I've found I don't actually have problems coming up with ideas; It's turning those ideas into full and complete stories that proves to be the difficulty, and for that, this book doesn't really help.

Excellent book for beginner writers to jumpstart their writing.

This is the book that got me writing again.

Brande stresses the play of the unconscious in writing -- but without coming across as faux-psychologist. Brande makes you work, gets you writing, and that is exactly what I needed to get doing: I was doing far too much reading about writing.

With Brande, I wrote.

I'm not sure how original any of her theories might be -- although, remember, Brande was writing in 1934 -- and some of what she's writing about has become common fodder for writing books, but the presentation and coherency of Brande's approach kept my interest piqued. The pace of the book grabs you and pulls you into it. She stresses the need to keep moving, to push forward and let the unconscious do its work. At times, I felt like I was sprinting through the book, trying to keep up with her enthusiasm.

Here's an example --- and, for me, the exercise that re-sparked my own writing -- showing her practical advice, her way of making you feel you are engaged in something new, something adventurous. From Chapter 5: Harnessing the Unconscious:

The best way to do this is to rise half an hour, or a full hour, earlier than you customarily rise. Just as soon as you can -— and without talking, without reading the morning’s paper, without picking up the book you laid aside the night before -— begin to write.

Write anything that comes into your head: last night’s dream, if you are able to remember it; the activities of the day before, a conversation, real or imaginary; an examination of conscience. Write any sort of early morning reverie, rapidly and uncritically. The excellence or ultimate worth of what you write is of no importance yet. As a matter of fact, you will find more value in this material than you expect, but your primary purpose now is not to bring forth deathless words, but to write any words at all which are not pure nonsense.

This exercise/technique not only brought back to me an enthusiasm for writing but also introduced an exploratory component to my writing -- just what was going to come out of the recesses of my mind? I can't over-stress the satisfaction of crawling out of bed, staggering to the computer, then -- half asleep, mind you -- pounding out 30 minutes of writing. It just flowed. The trick was to keep the censoring mind at bay and to see what my mind wanted to talk about. More than once, I found myself half-asleep at the keyboard, my mind making those crazy jumps that you often find in those after-the-alarm-rings half-dreams. The resulting story-scraps almost seemed as though written by another hand.

Don't focus on her explanation as to how this all works, especially if you are prone to over-analysis. Just do the work and see what it does for you. For me, it has done more than I could have hoped for.

Dorothea Brande’s BECOMING A WRITER is a great inspirational writing guide. There’s a huge difference between the traditional books for creative writing and Brande’s book. After reading this you know exactly if you are ready to become a writer. There’s nothing written about any writing styles or how to write a book. It is what the title says: an inspirational guide. If you have the problem of fantasy, or writers block or a lack of self-confidence is this guide the right one for you. If you have a problem with technique, look for another one. I believe that everybody who wants to become a writer should read this book first before reading anything else about writing.

A must read for would-be writers. I didn't agree with EVERYTHING she said, but most of it is quite true.

I first read this book about a year and a half ago when I began my MFA journey at Wilkes University. It was required reading for the fiction foundations course. I thought, at the time, "Really? A book written in the 30's about being a writer? What can this teach me?" The answer is: More than I was ready to handle. Rereading it now after having written 2 drafts of my first novel and beginning the task of a third major revision, I am blown away about how much of the book I subconsciously took to heart. I journal everyday--have since I was accepted in the Wilkes program and what it has done for is allowed me to be ready to write whenever and wherever I might have time and space to do so.

Brande's assertions that writing was no longer for true craftsmen in the 30's because just about anybody "can afford a portable typewriter" had me cracking up because she would probably have an aneurism if she saw how just about anyone today could sit down and type up a few words via text or Ipad and call themselves a poet/writer.

Very insightful book. New writers read it even though you probably won't pay attention to its brilliance until at least a year or more later when you pick it back up and are struck across the brow at apt Brande's understanding of the writerly life truly was and is.

The first time I read this book several years ago I wasn't ready for what it offers, so I put it back on the shelf and forgot about it. Then recently, during a spate of frustration with my process I pulled it off the shelf again and began to read it more carefully.

This book is mentioned in so many other writing craft books I thought it was worth a second try. I still have difficulty with some of Brande's suggestions because I'm not always sure what she's talking about. I also have difficulty with her starched and persistent use of the masculine pronoun and the word "man" as representative of every writer.

However, I've committed myself to forming the early morning writing habit that she prescribes, to reach for the notebook as soon as I wake and get at my dreams and other subconscious material before I do anything else. For that is where originality lies, she assures me. Writers write. A lot. Every day. Regardless whether or not they have an audience. This is the ONLY way to become a writer.

I've taken many workshops and it's true, none of them get at the basis of my inability to write with ease. I either can't get started at all or I can't finish what I've managed to start. Classes and workshops only teach technique. None of them have ever showed me how to generate ideas from within my own life and how to develop them with confidence in myself as a person and as a writer.

Brande's Becoming a Writer and Brenda Ueland's If You Want to Write are companion books that I can return to again and again whenever my writing and confidence have grown stale.

If you think all books about writing are the same, you need to read this book.

Ms. Brande focuses on the basics of writing (Get your butt in the chair at a certain time and WRITE, darn it!)

But she also focuses on ways to release your subconscious mind, because, she says, that's where your genius is. She also addresses the discouragement that many writers face, and gives helpful advice to overcome it.

She's witty, she's helpful, and she says things you won't hear in other 'how to write' guides.

Inspirational, and so easy to follow. By the end of reading this book, you will probably have realised whether you are really suited to becoming a writer or not. Dorothea Brande's style is plain-speaking and insightful. The tasks set throughout the book encourage the reader to challenge themselves in the art of putting pen to paper. Enjoyable and practical, without being overly technical. Recommended.

This is a wonderfully lucid book. I would not hesitate to take writing advice from Dorothea Brande, for the simple reason that her own writing is so elegant and clear. As I was reading, I was reminded of George Orwell’s dictum that good writing should be like a window pane. Brande’s book, written in 1934, is a perfect exemplar. It does not draw attention to itself, but simply communicates the author’s ideas in a clear, pleasing manner.

Brande states from the outset that she will not deal with issues of technique. Even in 1934, there were plenty of books and writing courses to give advice on plot, pacing, etc. In any case, her belief is that in most aspiring writers, the problems holding them back are not technical, but psychological. The reason people turn up to workshops and classes and buy endless books is not to learn the craft, but to discover the secret of being a great writer.

"In almost every case he will be disappointed. In the opening lecture, within the first few pages of his book, within a sentence or two of his authors’ symposium, he will be told rather shortly that genius cannot be taught; and there goes his hope glimmering."

The aspiring writer may not believe that he/she is looking to acquire the secret of a writer’s genius, but that’s really what it is, even if only unconsciously held – an idea that there is some kind of magic about writing. And Brande agrees: “I think there is such a magic, and that it is teachable. This book is all about the writer’s magic.”

The rest of the book contains a lot of practical advice on setting schedules, etc., all of which is good. But the part that really stood out for me was her discussion of genius. For her it is not a rare gift owned only by the likes of Shakespeare; rather it’s something that anyone can access, but most people don’t know how to. She says that writers should think of themselves as split personalities: a hard-working, sensible artisan, and a free-spirited, spontaneous, sensitive artist. Both sides must be in balance: too much spontaneity and the writing never gets done; too much sense and the writing gets done but is no good.

Having recognised this need for a split personality, it is then important to cultivate the sensitive “unconscious” side even as your workaday self gets you to your desk on time. One idea I loved was not talking about your writing until it is done. This is something I have always done without really knowing why – it just seemed to work better for me that way. Brande’s view is telling a story to friends before writing it down is very dangerous:

"Your unconscious self (which is your wishful part) will not care whether the words you use are written down or talked to the world at large... Afterward you will find yourself disinclined to go with the laborious process of writing that story at full length; unconsciously you will consider it as already done, a twice-told tale."

In addition, the unconscious is very sensitive to criticism, and the damage done by talking too freely can be severe:

"Send your practical self out into the world to receive suggestions, criticisms or rejections; by all means see to it that it is your prosaic self which reads rejection slips! Criticism and rejection are not personal insults, but your artistic component will not know that. It will quiver and wince and run to cover, and you will have trouble in luring it out again to observe and weave tales and find words for all the thousand shades of feeling which go to make up a story."

There’s so much other valuable advice in this book that I can’t summarise all of it. In fact, I feel as if I should read this book on a regular basis. So many of the ideas resonated with me, but they’re the sort of thing that are easy to forget when you’re mired in the routine of writing. So this is definitely one to keep on the shelf, and pull out at regular intervals, especially when things are getting tough and inspiration is hard to find.

Very inspirational, I have always dabbled in writing but after finishing this book it made me want to sit down and take it a little more serious. Many different methods on bringing out that writer "magic" are discussed in very easy to do exercises. Definitely a must read for anyone thinking of becoming a writer.

streng maar rechtvaardig: wil je schrijver worden of niet?

I bought this book at an used book store in Boston, MA while spending 2003 New Year's weekend there with a friend. It has sat on my bookshelf for three years before I picked it up on Sunday. Originally published in 1934, I wondered if the language would be intimidating for my contemporary literary tastes. Instead I have found the seeds of the philosphies that grew into other writing inspiration books. The ideas in Cameron's The Artist's Way, Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, Lamott's Bird by Bird and Maisel's Deep Writing are all contained in this slim volume. Before you start using writing technique books or workshops, read this book to build up your heart and courage for the enormous task at hand.