A Writer's Guide To Persistence: How to Create a Lasting and Productive Writing Practice

A Writer’s Guide To Persistence; How To Create A Lasting And Productive Writing Practice by Jordan Rosenfeld touches among the following topics; Making a list of all the possible time slots in your day that you could be writing (page 38), pushing through perfectionism and common fears (such as fear of failure, fear of being a fraud, fear of being out of control, fear of being tapped out,fear of being seen or being honest etc. (pages 72- 79). I’m also grateful that the author included a chapter on staving off sabotage either from yourself or from other people (chapter 17,an informative and helpful section that starts on page 150). He persuasively makes it clear that there are times when those who make a point to sabotage your writing are sometimes feeling unhappy and/or stuck themselves and/or trying to break free in their own creative lives. Rosenfeld also includes a healing quote in chapter 17 from Bobbe Sommer, From Psycho-Cybernetics With The Maxwell Maltz Foundation on why it is vital to embrace being different and/or your uniqueness rather than running away from it (which I admit that I’m still in the process of learning to embrace being different/my uniqueness). I wish that I would have found out about this book back around 2010/2011, but I’m happy to have discovered it by now.

Full Disclosure: I'm a superfan of Jordan Rosenfeld, so I may be a teensy bit biased. Then again, anyone who knows her recognizes her incredible creative output, resilience in the face of rejection, and well, persistence. The woman never stops! She also happens to be a good literary citizen, offering comfort and advice to her colleagues and showcasing their work on a regular basis. As a result, she has attracted a community of writers around her.In fact, I see "A Writer's Guide to Persistence" as yet another manifestation of her good literary citizenship. She sincerely enjoys helping other writers, and you can sense it from the passion and honesty in her words.This book is unlike other writing books. It's personal, at times spiritual, but also incredibly practical. It feels less like an "advice" book and more like a one-on-one class. I especially love when she confesses to her own fears and moments of needing to be "talked off the ledge." My favorite story: a text from her mother in response to a particularly scary essay. I, too, have had the experience of publishing scary things, only to find that people mostly supported me. Writers need to hear these stories!I also love how she weaves in research and essays from other writers. Again, her sense of community and good literary citizenship shine through.Every writer should have this book in his or her library

I've read what feels like a zillion books about creating a writing practice, but this one is by far the most encouraging. Not only does author Jordan Rosenfeld's advice come across as friendly and supportive, but she offers realistic to-dos to get writers -- new and old -- pushing forward on their work with advice that helps them create their own successful writing life.But one of the things I both didn't expect and absolutely love about this book isn't writing advice at all; each chapter ends with tips for self-care like simple yoga moves or prodding to go for a walk. After all, we can't be totally present for our work if we're not first totally present for ourselves.I highly recommend this book -- and all of Jordan's writing-advice books -- for anyone who's serious about a writing career of any type.

I'm a professional writer, but I learned so much from this book. I especially appreciate that it's not just about the act of writing, though there's plenty of excellent advice on that, but there's also exercises you can do that, while not too labor intensive, have improved my day immensely (who knew stretching was so important?). This is not a a blithe "you can do it" message, but rather offers detailed, specific advice on tackling some of the most common problems writers face. It's not something you're going to implement all at once, but writers of both fiction and nonfiction are likely to take away something valuable from Rosenfeld's encouragement and hard-earned wisdom. Persist away!

I LOVED this encouraging book for writers. I highlighted so much of what she said! What great advice Jordan Rosenfeld offers us to learn how to incorporate a balanced, writing practice that blends in with real life. It was like having coffee and conversation with a good friend who truly cares about my writing and my life. Truly a writer's treasure...

So very, very impressed with this writer's guide and am recommending it to all my writing students and anyone who needs a boost to remember that persistence is KEY with a writing practice. I also love Rosenfeld's Make A Scene, which is another great craft of writing book. Rosenfeld knows her craft, knows her audience and creates compulsively-readable books!

Why do we write? We just do. This book-length essay honors the practice of writing and helps the writer accept the writing life as a noble calling, regardless of any superficial assessments of "success." Inspiring. Will dip into this one again and again when feeling a bit lost.

Speaks to one of the most difficult challenges for writers in a personal way.

Lots of useful ideas on how to get ideas