Escaping into the open : the art of writing true / Elizabeth Berg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Berg, Elizabeth.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Berg, Elizabeth--Authorship.

Berg, Elizabeth.

Authors, American--20th century--Biography.

Authors, American.

Authorship.

Fiction--Authorship.

Fiction.

Creative writing.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xv, 223 pages ; 21 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : HarperCollins, [1999]

Summary:

Elizabeth Berg touches women's lives with heartbreakingly funny and true novels--including the New York Times bestseller Talk Before Sleep--that distinctly capture the essence of their lives. Now this critically acclaimed author and writing instructor offers an inspiring, practical handbook on the joys, challenges, and creative possibilities inherent in the writing life.

Both autobiography and primer, Escaping into the Open interweaves Elizabeth Berg's story of her own journey from working mother to published novelist with encouraging advice on how to create stories that spring from deep within the heart.

For the beginning wordsmith, she provides guidance and concrete suggestions for getting started. "What you need most is a fierce desire to put things down on paper; and you need a certain sensibility, a way of seeing and feeling," she counsels. She outlines the fifteen essential Ps of writing--from purpose and perseverance to priorities and patience to playfulness and pens, pencils, and paper--and shares the ways she uses to make the writing process as painless and joyous as possible. Offering advice grounded in the real-life experiences of writers, she sagely reminds us, "there is no single right way to do anything in writing. There is just the desire to communicate something on paper."

With wit and honesty, Elizabeth Berg provides numerous exercises that will unleash individual creativity and access and utilize all of the senses. Most important, she tells how to fire passion--emotion--into writing itself; to break through personal barriers and reach one's own outer limits and beyond. The author also provides useful information on making the transition from nonfiction to fiction, lists guaranteed techniques for getting unstuck, weighs the merits and pitfalls of attending writing classes and workshops, and shatters myths that can destroy a newly budding writer's dreams.

Listen to Elizabeth Berg. "It is all-fulfilling for me to be a published writer. It is literally a dream come true. I got into this business with no contacts, no writing classes or degree, and no experience. Please believe me when I tell you that with a little talent and perseverance, you can too." Escaping into the Open offers the key to fulfilling a personal, often secret, lifelong dream.

Contents:

1. My Story 1

2. Getting Started 19

3. In Your Own Words 39

4. If You're a Man, Be a Woman: Exercises to Unleash Your Creativity 51

5. The Passionate Writer 85

6. The Good Liar: Making the Move from Nonfiction to Fiction 101

7. Make the Ocean Your Desk: Techniques for Getting Unstuck 125

8. Writing Classes: Take Them or Leave Them 133

9. Myths to Ignore 150

10. Writing Groups 161

11. The Business of Writing 173

12. Food for (Creative) Thought 204

13. Last Lines 220.

ISBN:

0060191791

OCLC:

40675000