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46th out of 345 books
—
527 voters
Page After Page: Discover the Confidence & Passion You Need to Start Writing & Keep Writing (No Matter What!)
You Are a Writer--Believe It!False starts. Self-doubt. Mind games. They end the moment you pick up this book. With an inspiring mix of humor, wisdom, and creativity, "Page After Page" shows you how to find the courage and commitment to start writing and keep writing.
Author Heather Sellers draws on twenty years of teaching and personal writing experience to provide lively a...more
Author Heather Sellers draws on twenty years of teaching and personal writing experience to provide lively a...more
Hardcover, 228 pages
Published
November 15th 2004
by Writers Digest Books
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Writing is my trade. Words are the currancy and writing help books are market watchers. Page After Page discusses and promotes a whole writing lifestyle. Sellers writes about how she came to her writing by meeting the trade, page after page, each day. She gently nudges you to the page by telling you stories of her triumphs and failures to meet the page every day. Through her stories and almost memoir-like writing, the reader learns how meeting the blank page and writing can lead to a writer's li...more
yes, yet another book of writing advice. i should really start a shelf for these kinds of books too, because i love them. this one caught my eye because it's very small & cute & the cover is that multi-media cartoon artwork style that i find so attractive. when i started reading the book, i was a little iffy about it. heather's writing style involves a lot of sentence fragments, which is of course a stylistic choice, but not one that appeals to me. it always feels very affected & may...more
Long title, right? Ms. Sellers recommends: write everyday, have confidence, don’t whine, and don’t take rejections personally. I know, easier said than done. She provides writing exercises to help you along at the end of each chapter. (I confess; I did not do these writing exercises.)
The part of the book that spoke to me was near the end was deciding what type of writer I want to be in five years. These are taken from the book:
A closet writer. (Write every day, but never reveal you do so.)
A wann...more
The part of the book that spoke to me was near the end was deciding what type of writer I want to be in five years. These are taken from the book:
A closet writer. (Write every day, but never reveal you do so.)
A wann...more
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I read a lot of books to keep my writing and creating spirits up. This one is the best I've read in a long time. Although she does a little finger wagging, she's very good at putting things in perspective -- like how much more important it is for you to write than to be popular or save the world. She has great techniques for making time to write, which is often a matter of making writing an important goal. She urges you to fall in love with writing. I think anyone can benefit from her frank advi...more
I loved reading this book. I want to start doing the exercises in it daily (as soon as I find the time, of course).
Sellers describes not how to write, although some of that creeps in as well, but more of how to create a writing lifestyle; one in which daily pages are routine, almost inevitable. It takes work to get there, of course (it can take years of daily effort to fully integrate writing into your life), and this book is a road map for getting from where you are to where you need to be. The...more
Sellers describes not how to write, although some of that creeps in as well, but more of how to create a writing lifestyle; one in which daily pages are routine, almost inevitable. It takes work to get there, of course (it can take years of daily effort to fully integrate writing into your life), and this book is a road map for getting from where you are to where you need to be. The...more
This book is very inspiring. It comes with a distinct caveat: not every chapter will apply to every reader. But as you traverse the pages, you will find moments, sections, and chapters where you go "Oh, that's me!", and even when the words aren't applying to you, they are definitely entertaining. Heather Sellers is a great writer and a positive force that will get you excited to write in a way that drier, more technical "so you want to be a writer" books won't accomplish. She makes yoga comparis...more
"Ideas kill art.
Compost feeds it.
Compost is dark, stinky, and messy.
It's not sex abuse, Mommy Dearest, the awful things that happened to you.
It's what happened to you, what stuck onto your soul. My main job as a teacher is to get students to write their compost; compost is where everything fascinating and good is. And it's under you. It's in the backyard of you. Stop going across town. Stop importing stories that aren't really yours. If you aren't dreaming down deep into your own history, your...more
Compost feeds it.
Compost is dark, stinky, and messy.
It's not sex abuse, Mommy Dearest, the awful things that happened to you.
It's what happened to you, what stuck onto your soul. My main job as a teacher is to get students to write their compost; compost is where everything fascinating and good is. And it's under you. It's in the backyard of you. Stop going across town. Stop importing stories that aren't really yours. If you aren't dreaming down deep into your own history, your...more
I bought this book, read the first chapter or two, got scared and left it on my nightstand untouched for nearly a year. The cover freaked me out, the writing style had an odd air to it that didn't sit well with my sense of composition, and, I told my self, the first two chapters were all too familiar, sounding, on the surface, a repeat of "You can do it!" rah-rah. The truth was, I was terrified...terrified because I could feel the truth in the vibrations of Heather Seller's words as they plucked...more
I found Page after Page very helpful. There were times when I was encouraged, and other times when I had to sort of think a little deeper about what it means to be a writer. Ultimately, Heather Sellers is extremely positive. I walked away from this book with a desire to write and the conviction that I can be a writer. Most of the exercises were useful in prompting previously non-existent writing routine. I look forward to seeing my writing life change as a result of following the advice Mrs. Sel...more
Heather begins the book by examining how we can integrate writing, willingly, into our lives. She says that we should invite writing into our lives as we would a lover, an analogy she quite enthusiastically continues with throughout the book. I'm not complaining, though it reminds me how lonely I really am. lol.
The style of her writing is very fluid and poetic, similar to Natalie Goldberg's.
In Chapter 3 she compares writing to a lover. Is your lover in the center, or on the side? It seems as th...more
The style of her writing is very fluid and poetic, similar to Natalie Goldberg's.
In Chapter 3 she compares writing to a lover. Is your lover in the center, or on the side? It seems as th...more
Page after page takes a casual approach to starting out in the world of a writer. It says that you need to take your time, let yourself love the process of writing and worry less about whether or not it's good enough to be published. The book contains good advice and exercises to get you writing and thinking about your writing. Its a great place for a beginner to start.
Very good and encouraging book on writing. It has a good plan for mailing stuff out--a schedule you can easily follow. Kind of like Natalie Goldberg might sound if she was a creative writing PhD and professor. Boy, she (the author/professor) flips out in the middle though--talking about her whiny students!! I couldn't believe how she skewered them. Was fun.
This is a well written book on the writing life. It encourages one to write with examples and exercises. It gives good advice for writers at all stages, but especially those who are just beginning a writing habit.
I enjoyed reading this book and found it useful. I recommend it to anyone looking for some inspiration toward writing more.
I enjoyed reading this book and found it useful. I recommend it to anyone looking for some inspiration toward writing more.
One of the better books on creating a writing practice that I've read. It allows for differences rather than giving a single blueprint, and treats writing as an art rather than just a job or a template to be followed.
Sellers is encouraging without being sappy. She assures new writers that it is a difficult path at times but to stick to the practice of writing and not be afraid of writing badly. You will improve with time and hard work.
3.5 to 4 stars - has some interesting ideas - some parts were going - as it is a bit of a self help book it's hard I get into like works of fiction
Sellers pushes the through process much farther than any other writing help books I have read. Through examples, prompts and some honest advice, Sellers acts almost like a personal mentor, saying yes you can, sure you can, well why the heck don't you all the way through.
Jan 24, 2010
Cynthia
is currently reading it
A friend just gave me a boatload of encouraging writing books. I could cry. Ask if you want to borrow any.
Jun 12, 2009
Jen Safrey
added it
A great writing inspirational book...what do do when facing a blank page. I highly recommend.
This book of writing advice focuses on the aspect of creation and perserverence.
Thinking of it as a love affair with your writing, I just loved that.
Anyone interested in becoming a writer should read this book.
Good advice on getting into the writing habit.
A nice little book on writing, complete with beginner's writing exercises. I enjoyed Sellers' style, her passion for the written word, and her gentle encouragement. I followed through on some of the exercises, and was pleasantly surprised at the results.
My disclaimer is that I'm a sucker for cheesy writing books. I've done the Artist Way, read Natalie Goldberg's Writing the Bones, etc. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of inspirational and honest advice about making a writing life. Sellers has been a Creative Writing teacher for years and it shows in her ability to share information without sounding too preachy or ivory-towered.
Very helpful!
This is my new bible. Thought provoking and inspiring, this is a book, not so much about the act of writing, but the state of mind of the writer. If your mind works in a way similar to that of Ms. Sellers (or mine for that matter), you'll get a lot out of this book. I'm guessing that it's not for everyone though.
This is a really helpful book. I was feeling like I was in a rut and she has good ideas to approach writing and turn it into something you do everyday instead of forcing it. I am going to read this again and follow what it says, at least to some degree. It's a really helpful writing book, honest and real.
Now one of my top 5 favorite books on writing. Fear not the compost pile!
This is a wonderfully helpful book for anyone who has been telling themselves, "I'd really like to write, if only...."
Sellers gets you back at your desk, day after day, with stories from her own writing life, exercises and writing prompts, and lots of great advice. Highly recommended!
Sellers gets you back at your desk, day after day, with stories from her own writing life, exercises and writing prompts, and lots of great advice. Highly recommended!
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Heather Sellers has a PhD in English/Creative Writing from Florida State University. She’s a professor of English at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where she teaches poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction writing courses. She won an NEA grant for fiction and her first book of fiction, Georgia Under Water, was part of the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers program.
More about Heather Sellers...
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Sep 13, 2011 09:56pm