This book is fine for beginning writers, but I do have a
couple of problems with it:
One, not everyone is a good writer. Yes, many people have
inherent talent for writing, but Goldberg‘s collection of essays seems to
suggest that every student in her writing classes had enormous talent that they
were unaware of. I am sure lots of people who are told to “just write” will
still write badly, so don’t sugar-coat it.
Two, I understand the book was first published in 1986. But
when it was republished in 2005, it would have been good to update it a little.
For instance, how many writers are sitting in coffee shops all day with
notebooks and pens? At least put them in Panera with a laptop, for Christ’s
sake. These kinds of references made the book seem horribly outdated.
In all, it is an easy book to read, although I didn’t find
it earth-shattering or really learn anything I didn’t already know about
writing. It’s more of a rah-rah type of book to give encouragement to those who
need it.
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