Only as Good as Your Word: Writing Lessons from My Favorite Literary Gurus

by Susan Shapiro

Book Overview

In this funny, moving, and revealing ride, Susan Shapiro recounts her obsessive quest for success as a professional writer and the beloved mentors who saved her life--and career--along the way.

Growing up in the Midwest, Susan Shapiro knew at a young age that all she wanted in life was to become a writer. And so, as soon as she graduated from college, she headed straight to New York City, determined to break into the biz. A few hard knocks...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580052207
• ISBN13: 9781580052207
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Seal Press (CA)
• Length: 410 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Nine related stories packed with advice and living life

Sue Shapiro is not afraid to divulge her most intimate experiences in order to get her story across. Each chapter is a standalone short story about paths Sue walked to be an accomplished author. She give no illusions of grandeur, but hard realities. She shares numerous important lessons, like you don't write to gain money or fame but because you have an important story that must be told; a plumber never gets plumber's block--don't allow yourself to be self-indulgent, just go to work; writing is a trade, get busy and do it; and keep on trying "no never means no". Sue shares experiences on being mentored and many truths, such as maybe some mentors try to save you from making the mistakes they made. Sue learned the value of writing as among others a way of organising experience and defying loss. She cautions and give advice, such as show your draft to a few critics, before handing it in. Sue facilitated a writers group for several years and points out that each little triumph galvanised the group to try harder. About her teaching she observed students walking taller, gained confidence, quit jobs hated, go into therapy and tried an internship that resulted in career advancement. Every aspiring author should read `only as good as your word'.

Gutsy and engrossing

Susan Shapiro's engrossing memoir about the mentoring relationship is a welcome addition to my shelves of books on writing. Though it doesn't detail much new writing advice, I welcome the same ole words repackaged. The writing life is so solitary and replete with godawful voices telling me how bad my writing is that I need to hear again that determination, willingness and turning in assignments error-free and on time will get me farther than anything. Beyond the gossipy name-dropping (which I love) is a deeper analysis of Shapiro's relationships with her mentors. She goes beyond recounting their courtship and the writing lessons she learned from them. She also exposes their flaws and describes how their relationships evolved from a student at the feet of the master to two humans walking together, not always gracefully. Shapiro is gutsy and it seems nothing is sacred. Neither her secrets nor her subjects are safe. Still, I read this memoir, the first of hers I've read, as if I were her student, studying at the feet of a master who's been there, still doing that. Highly recommended for any writer.

Great read for aspiring writers

Sue Shapiro's memoir is a fascinating portrait of one woman's passion, ambition and gratitude. Her book, which takes the shape of both memoir and instructional guide about the literary world, chronicles how she became a successful writer through her relationships with seven "gurus." Each chapter is a balanced and warmhearted tribute to the person who was a leading influence in her life. Shapiro's evolution from struggling poet to confident, accomplished journalist is related with chatty good humor, as if the author was sharing her story with a friend. But what makes it a compelling read is her honesty, which is sharp and electrifying. She espouses the belief that "the first time [writers] come up with a piece their family hates means they've found their voice," and doesn't shy away from voicing opinions that can be less than flattering to those she seeks to celebrate, such as discussing one mentor's monstrous ego and extramarital affairs. She even admits to feelings of insecurity and jealousness of her beloved mentors--a real testament to her commitment to not sugar-coat anything, least of all herself. In penning an acknowledgment of those who guided her, Shapiro has also created an engaging how-to guide for those who want to emulate her accomplishments.

A BOOK OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR WRITERS, YOUNG AND OLD

I was in Borders book store recently and was delightfully surprised to be there when Susan Shapiro spoke about her new book. I especially liked the question and answer period and wished that I could have had a CD of it to pass on to a friends daughter, a young, aspiring and gifted writer. After reading Susan's book, I can say that this is not only a book for my friends daughter or others like her, but for all writers hopeful of being published. Susan's story is a compliment to the American work ethic, and the possibilities of fulfilling ones dreams in this great country of ours. Her book displays this, and also is a guide for all of us to follow as a mentor, a giver and a doer in all walks of life, not just in writing. She, being part of a writing and publishing program in a New York City soup kitchen was so inspiring for me, that I want to pass the idea on for the down and out to tell their story, and you can do the same. We all have something to say, and Susan shows us the way to find those that will listen. After reading her book, I now consider myself a student of hers. So when asked for my writing credentials , I'll say, "I'm a student of Susan Shapiro". WOW! And if your a romantic as I am, then you'll love this books flavor and fall in love with its Susan the heroine, wearing her motorcycle jacket, sweatshirt, ripped jeans and cowboy boots. Not only is she a talented writer, but see the photo of her on the back cover of her book about neurotic men and you'll see that she's a "Real Betty", meaning, a "Real Beauty", as mentioned in the film "Clueless". The film will also give a clue of how life was for her while growing up in the opulent Bloomfield Hills area of MI. She's a herione trying to make a big difference in her own little way. A woman to die for, if you know what I mean. And as the song go's by the Chi Lites, "Have You Seen Her, Have You Seen Her-r-r?" I plan on reading all of Susan's books and the books of the authors that she has mentioned. (Bernard has written articles on, "Continual Improvement" in his field and is probably known throughout the world in this area due to them. He is a hot rodder of North Woodward fame, and who's car, a 1957 Hemi Powered Plymouth, was used to advertise the Internationally known,"Woodward Dream Cruise"(96) on local TV. He has also written articles for Cruis' News Magazine about his drag racing experiences, on Woodward.)

Entertaining and Helpful Memoir Any Writer Will Enjoy

Susan Shapiro's highly entertaining as well as helpful memoir details both her writing career and her complex, sometimes tumultuous relationships with a series of mentors. She starts out sharing her youthful, high school ambition, which is nurtured by her literature teacher Jack Zucker. Right away, the contrast between Zucker and her family, especially her father, is made clear, and this ongoing split is alluded to throughout the book; clearly, Shapiro's mentors gave her something her family of origin was unable to. In smart, lively prose, Shapiro chronicles her move from dedicated poet to book reviewer, interviewer, article writer and finally memoirist. She forms several intense friendships with writers and others who captivate her, and it's these outsize personalities, varied, quirky, unusual, and each in a different stage of life, career and genre, that make this such an interesting read. Shapiro makes no bones about not always having an easy relationship with her mentors, including their disagreements and squabbles, and in the chapter on Howard Fast, she airs some family history that some might consider dirty laundry. Yet she also details a relationship built on respect for the written word, showing how she got to know this renowned member of her family as one writer to another. She sends him her work and basks in his praise, but also has her own strong opinions about which of his books are best. One of the best things about the book is how Shapiro shows, often in a subtle but still clear way, how her mentors were just as affected by their relationships with her as she was by them. It's not a one-sided "This is what I know" relationship; she argues with her mentors, cajoles them, and tangles with them. Even her premise that each mentor told her some essential lie shows that wise students can see the flaws of their mentors. She doesn't shy away from stating where she believes her mentors erred or where they may have hurt her, though throughout the book it's clear that Shapiro reveres each of her mentors in her own way, writing about not just what they did for her, but how they impacted the world via their work and example. Some of the best chapters, such as the juicy one on her cousin Howard Fast, and the remarkable 95-year-old Ruth Gruber, portray highly iconoclastic, often stubborn, writers who are set in their ways and don't necessarily want to change (though Gruber's addition to Shapiro's writing workshop is clearly a bonus for everyone involved). The soup kitchen chapter, ostensibly about Ian Frazier but really about the people Shapiro met while teaching at a soup kitchen, is also powerful and shows the many reasons, aside from simply getting published, people have for turning to writing. There, Shapiro writes that "writing was a way of taking the worst things in life and turning them into the most beautiful," and that's literally the case in this moving chapter. Shapiro mixes memoir and her own writing ups and downs with the lessons