What It Is
by Lynda Barry
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 326)
Read in June, 2008
recommended to jess by:
lynda barryrecommends it for: everyone
THE ORDINARY IS EXTRAORDINARY. i love this book like i have never loved a book. i want to make out with it, caress it, sleep with it near my pillow and wake up clutching it after a bad dream.
this book is related to the Lynda Barry writing class WRITING THE UNTHINKABLE! which i took in april. this class and book are for people who think they want to write, but don't know where to start. it's also for people who never thought about writing, people who already write, and people who like othe...more
this book is related to the Lynda Barry writing class WRITING THE UNTHINKABLE! which i took in april. this class and book are for people who think they want to write, but don't know where to start. it's also for people who never thought about writing, people who already write, and people who like othe...more
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Read in July, 2008
What It Is by Lynda Barry is a fascinating memoir/scrapbook/writing guide that almost defies definition. The first half of the book contains melancholic comic panels about Barry's alienated childhood and how drawing and writing saved her from loneliness interspersed with large one and two page spreads of collages that contain great writing prompts, like "Do thoughts move?" "What is a secret? What is it made of? Where is it kept?" "What is a monster? Do we need them?"...more
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7 comments
When you were a kid, did you have a toy that knew you? Were your toys alive? Did the wallpaper have secret shapes that only you knew about? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then you already have experienced the state of mind this book will help you find again. If not, it will help you discover it. Lynda Barry's "What it is" takes you into the state of mind where images are allowed to play and find form. Then there are a few exercises for practicing the abil...more
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Read in July, 2008
I really wish i would've had this book in 2006 when I was trying to be a writer. Now, I'm just reading it for the autobiographical comics, which is only about 1/3 of the book. It's pretty much a guide on how to write. It made me sad when several times Lynda Barry referred to 30 years of drawing where "while I drew, my main feelings were doubt and worry, and when I finished my only feelings were relief and regret." Think of all the amazing books that Barry created during those 30 ye...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Darlene by:
Jesse Cohnrecommends it for: Graphic Novels, Writers
A beautiful and brilliant book crafted in Barry's signature style. Every page is a color collage full of her demons, drawings, ephemera and multiple handwriting effects. She uses stories from her own childhood and artistic development to inspire creativity in the reader.
The book is divided into 3 parts. The first and longest section examines the importance of images to creative inspiration, along with memory and spontaneity. The second is a writing workbook, with exercises and a writing ...more
The book is divided into 3 parts. The first and longest section examines the importance of images to creative inspiration, along with memory and spontaneity. The second is a writing workbook, with exercises and a writing ...more
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Read in July, 2008
We saw Lynda Barry speak about this book at ComicCon. She sang and danced and told jokes and reminded us all what it was like to play when we were really little. Then she signed the book for us and told Shawn and me that we "looked good!" She rocks.
Apart from that, this is a gorgeously illustrated book based on classes that she teaches. It explores the nature of art as play, how when we're kids we draw and write and sing and dance for the fun of it, and then suddenly in puberty we...more
Apart from that, this is a gorgeously illustrated book based on classes that she teaches. It explores the nature of art as play, how when we're kids we draw and write and sing and dance for the fun of it, and then suddenly in puberty we...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Sarah Montambo by:
Me, Myself & Irecommends it for: Artists and Writer, People who had crappy moms.
"You know when kids play act their terrible, horrible, no good anger or icky sexual frustration by knocking two dolls together?*"
Well, "One Hundred Demons," one of my top 5 ever, is like what would happen if you knocked "The Greatest of Marlys" together with "What It Is." They would procreate and produce one of my favorite books of all time. "Marlys" is super groovy, "What It Is" is super arty. I gotta say, though it kills me**, tha...more
Well, "One Hundred Demons," one of my top 5 ever, is like what would happen if you knocked "The Greatest of Marlys" together with "What It Is." They would procreate and produce one of my favorite books of all time. "Marlys" is super groovy, "What It Is" is super arty. I gotta say, though it kills me**, tha...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
everyone with a brain
Have you ever needed jumper cables to revive your creative process? This book is essentially just that.
I have long been a Lynda Barry fan, but this is what a sense will be an essential reference book for any creative type. It bores down into just what makes one want to create and suggests exercises and steps to get whatever festers inside you out.
To say that it has prompted me to fine tune my and understand my writing in much more depth would be an understatement. It also has gotten my to p...more
I have long been a Lynda Barry fan, but this is what a sense will be an essential reference book for any creative type. It bores down into just what makes one want to create and suggests exercises and steps to get whatever festers inside you out.
To say that it has prompted me to fine tune my and understand my writing in much more depth would be an understatement. It also has gotten my to p...more
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Read in July, 2008
Almost as strange and devastating as her "Cruddy." It's sort of a dissection of her own creative process, going back to her childhood. And she had a crappy childhood, but has managed to remember it better than just about anyone I've ever encountered. She interrogates her whole life to try and figure out where drawings and stories come from. She asks some very basic questions -- where does imagination come from? What is "play"? How does a story work such magic on a person? -- ...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone even vaguely interested in creative writing.
I adore this book, and I think I would recommend it above all other writing self-help books on the market, just because it's fun and weird and philosophical and idealistic...kinda like what imagination is like, y'know? I don't know that I've unlocked the full potential of this book yet, but I've only had it for a week. So far, the first half of this book - the narrative/memoir portion - has resonated more for me than the lessons/activity section in the back. But I plan on re-reading What It Is o...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
artists, writers, anyone with a desire to create
It's pretty amazing what Lynda Barry does. It's so seemingly simple- but, there's such depth of feeling she can coax from, say, five words and a splash of ink. Now she's teaching a variation of a course she took in college - giving back to the teacher who taught her. This book part memoir part instructional manual. It's an extension of the course Barry teaches and is filled with inspiring ideas and images to help anyone, want-to-be-writer or manicurist to get writing and (more importantly) to ke...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
writing teachers
I read this book in one sitting and stayed up late to finish it. I agree with all of the other posts - this is an amazing book. I think it would be a great tool to use with kids who think they have nothing to say or who think they cannot write. There are so many quotable parts of this book that it's hard to remember them all. It's very powerful and one of those books that you just go back to again and again. I got mine from the library, of course, but I will buy my own copy so I can do just that...more
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Read in August, 2008
I just went to my first Comic Con as an exhibitor with my company. What I DIDN'T expect was to personally geek out so much on the small publishers and graphic novels. One of these publishers, Drawn and Quarterly (out of Canada) had Lynda Barry there, signing this book. I purchased two copies (one for me and one for my mom) and had her sign them. What an amazingly lovely woman! She is exactly what you expect. Can you adopt a new aunt? This book is really beautiful if you get a chance, take...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
writers, artists, hip cats
This book had everything you could ever want from a book. I haven't tried the exercises in the back, but I am looking forward to it. I feel really inspired and happy whenever I read anything by Lynda Barry, and this book did not disappoint. There were so many amazing questions, each one seeming just as unanswerable as the next. But, I would prefer a question that is unanswerable, or at least seems it, compared to a question I am capable of answering right away.
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i'm not sure i can say anything that the cover doesn't already tell you. but i'll try - lynda barry's books keep taking me in new and scary directions - they actually live on in your mind after you read them. they make me not only wish i were more creative, but also realize how creative i already am (and was and can become). they make me happy and sad at the same time. they do so much for me! i love them. i love her. i love this book.
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recommends it for:
people who are locked in a fighting stance with their inner writing demons
ok so this is not cruddy but still pretty darn good. It's got some good stories. If you battle with a lot of self-mutilation during creative ventures, you might think you're in good shape after reading this and seeing lynda barry's never-ending dialogue with herself over all that. also, there is a super inspiring writing-made-simple guide at the back if you tend to make things complicated or if you get stuck or anything along those lines.
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recommends it for:
librarychicken, if she hasn't already read it
I need to read this book.
I'm having the urge to create again. I drew comics about 2 years ago, to get me through my first dating relationship in three years, which turned out bad (the relationship).
I burned the comics, to forget the relationship. I knew it would hurt, because they were really good expressions of what I was experiencing. The comics were wonderful. I can write them, but I can't draw.
Help me, someone!
I'm having the urge to create again. I drew comics about 2 years ago, to get me through my first dating relationship in three years, which turned out bad (the relationship).
I burned the comics, to forget the relationship. I knew it would hurt, because they were really good expressions of what I was experiencing. The comics were wonderful. I can write them, but I can't draw.
Help me, someone!
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
everyone
I've been waiting for this book for years! Hooray for D&Q, a publisher who truly appreciates the rare gem they have. I've attended Lynda's workshop twice, and now I can dip into it anytime I wish, thanks to this juicy, colorful paper version. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a book to keep nearby, dip into it when you need refreshment, space out on the pretty collages, try the various exercises, to peruse over & over again.
This is a book to keep nearby, dip into it when you need refreshment, space out on the pretty collages, try the various exercises, to peruse over & over again.
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
writers and artists who don't want to be discouraged anymore
This book is beautiful and intricate and fascinating...and did I say beautiful? Well, I'll say it again. BEAUTIFUL.
This is kind of an autobiography of how Lynda Barry became a writer and artist and kind of a how to write kind of book. I don't think I will actually do the writing exercises, but the book was so wonderful to read.
I read the entire thing in a couple of hours in one afternoon.
So cool!
This is kind of an autobiography of how Lynda Barry became a writer and artist and kind of a how to write kind of book. I don't think I will actually do the writing exercises, but the book was so wonderful to read.
I read the entire thing in a couple of hours in one afternoon.
So cool!
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Read in July, 2008
I was overcome with the urge to write and draw while reading this book! Or even songwrite. It's definitely inspirational about Creativity in general, while emphasizing the nuts and bolts of writing. She recommends frequent bouts of "automatic" writing, based on mental imagery and memory, while disconnecting from conscious interference. It continues the dreamy watercolor-on-legal-pad look of 100 Demons.
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