I have an abundance of how to writing books hidden under my bed. If I'm honest though and I mean really honest, I haven't actually read any of them. The ones I started to read, I didn't get past the first few pages, they just seemed so dull. When Maeve's book plopped onto my doormat however, I was excited. You see, Maeve is somewhat of a heroine of mine. I first discovered her when I was a teenager and I picked a book up on holiday that someone else had left behind. Since then I've been hooked. I have all of her books. Most of them in hardback. This woman can really tell a story. So I was interested in what she would have to say about the process of writing.
The book is composed of twenty letters written by Maeve. These letters were inspired by a course which ran for twenty weeks at the national College of Ireland. Every week Maeve would write the students a letter which included tips and advice for the students on the theme of the week. They also had guest lecturers from other authors, publishers and editors and ten of these also have contributions within the book including one by Marian Keyes.
The chapters cover themes such as how to maintain your motivation to write and deal with procrastination (this chapter really spoke to me), the road to success (hint: one percent inspiration ninety nine percent perspiration) and the writers journey.
The advice is a little obvious if you aren't a beginner, but this book is not giving you a magic formula of how to write. Instead every page of this book seemed to be telling me not to give up. It was telling me that I can do this. Because Maeve also struggled in the beginning, she used to write at 5:30 every morning before work and she used to visualise her first launch party in order to keep herself going, you feel that someone really understands everything you are going through and is willing you to succeed.
Just like her fictional work, this book is reassuring and comforting. But most of all it is encouraging and inspiring, filling me with self belief and enthusiasm for my own work in progress.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Like this? Try: Wannabe a Writer? by Jane Wenham-Jones
