Outwitting Writer's Block: And Other Problems of the Pen

by Sanford Jacobs and Jenna Glatzer

How to defeat a problem that faces all writers. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592281249
• ISBN13: 9781592281244
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Web Guru Shares Experience, Research with Writers

Glatzer has an exceptional talent. She has writing experience that smacks you in the face with its authenticity. She says, "Writers block is really more a case of opportunity knocking and you having your radio tuned up too loudly to hear it." (p. 10) and then goes on to explain how you might benefit from the big WB. Glatzers's book sets an example for writers because it is fresh, carefully crafted, and entertaining. There are, to be sure, other books that address writer's block but this one is far more fun and less dogmatic than most. These are the fraternal twins that let this volume fill a much-needed niche in advice books for writers.----------------------------Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson. ...

Great BOOK and a Great INTERVIEW

If you've ever found yourself staring at a blank page all day, or doing mundane chores over again just to avoid that lost feeling, then you've experienced writer's block. And Jenna Glatzer says, "That's good news - it means you're a writer!" Even highly successful writers can't avoid this problem, it's like failure, it happens and we learn from it. What's more important, is that you learn how to manage it.I believe all writers should now celebrate, because Jenna has written a humorous and practical guide that is chock full of tricks of the trade, versatile tools, and writer's block busting exercises that tackle this problem from all angles. It's worth more than a quick read, I plan to keep my copy close by so I can refer to it when those 'moments' happen, and more importantly, I consider most of her strategies to be a proactive way to increase my creativity and amount that I write.I interviewed Jenna Glatzer on "The Inside Success Show" and was captivated by her charm and wit. She's dedicated and a great example of how to proactively manage problems, not just hide from them.Here's some other things I learned from Jenna:** How Jenna Glatzer went from art to acting, and then finally found her creative outlet in a professional writing career!** What determines when an idea isn't going to work (in advance)** Why you need to rid yourself of myths and rules to write well.** How to apply relaxation techniques to get back into "the flow"** What 3 things you can do optimize your performance as a writer** And much, much more ...Whether you're a professional writer needing to jump-start your creativity, a college student needing to meet your deadlines, or a business person who needs to increase output, I believe you will find this book rewarding.Randy (Dr. Proactive) Gilbert, Host of The Inside Success Show (TheInsideSuccessShow.com) and best-selling author of "Success Bound"

This one's a keeper!!

Having just finished reading Jenna Glatzer's OUTWITTING WRITER'S BLOCK, I'm pleased to report that this book is chock full of innovative, creative, and just-plain-fun tips for all writers, blocked or not. Glatzer's friendly and oftentimes humorous writing style is a definite asset, since it makes the read a very pleasureable, yet very informative one. As I read, I found myself highlighting and dog-earing page after page, so that I would not forget any of the many wonderful pointers and suggestions interspersed throughout the book. I can't wait to put some of those suggestions to use! Thanks, Ms. Glatzer, for such a fresh look at an age-old problem. You've definitely dispersed some of the cobwebs in this writer's brain! Bravo!

Superb nuts n' bolts book

I gave myself two days to read through Jenna Glatzer's "Outwitting Writer's Block" and found myself on the last page within a few hours. This book deals with the nuts and bolts, get-your-hands-greasy-changing-the-flat-`cause-you-didn't-renew-the-AAA-membership approach to overcoming the creative block and also gives insight into the likely deep seated psychological basis from which the block may stem e.g. it just may be your defense mechanism for self-preservation. Don't go to a shrink next time - plunk down the money for this book and Jenna will be beside your couch, gently guiding you through the emotional hurdles that lie between you and your creative potential. It's a kind way to put your harsh inner critic to rest and let the blank page be a "blank canvas" on which you are being invited to play. The fear of writing might just be your friend trying to warn you about something from the past - and it's about time that this fear is addressed and turned into creative fuel. Her suggestion to form a mental literary triumvirate of a critic, an advocate, and a pragmatist is a very useful tool to balance the left brain, the right brain, and the checking account. Power of positive thinking and visualization are some additional aids to keep the critic at bay. The basic message is simple: ultimately, writing is an end in itself and is its own reward; the writer needs to move towards self-validation rather than external validation.It is a well researched book and I would recommend either highlighting the websites and books recommended or jotting it down in your "dirty notebook" (see, you just did it! You wrote down something!). One idea I found quite intriguing is to give a free outlet to your subconscious while writing without lifting your pen up from the paper (so as to not let the critic have any time to creep in). Of course, if you type, then come up with a creative solution of your own (short of splashing crazy glue on the keyboard).If nothing else, buy the book for the Prompts - these are the gems strewn across that are fun and practical exercises to help unleash your creativity. I believe that creativity is spiral - something done in one seemingly disparate area feeds into one's writing skills when one least expects it. Jenna exploits this principle to its fullest in this book. Merely reading Jenna's book gave me two new screenplay ideas! And I wasn't even warmed up to do the exercises.One of the most fundamental suggestions that this book makes is to change one's method of thinking. Although it sounds trite, the suggestion is to think like a writer. How often do we look at the mundane, banal items around us and try to put our thoughts about them into words, into strong nouns and strong verbs? I know I will make a conscious effort now on.She also addresses what I like to call the "tyranny of should(s)" - a bunch of rules that have outlived their usefulness and float around in writer-speak as the Ten Commandments. However, then, she recommends that

Best Writing Book I've Ever Read

This author makes you feel like she's known you forever. She seems to pick up on amazing universal truths about writers that I didn't realize were universal truths until I read the book. For example, she writes about professional jealousy and how she would work herself into a tizzy when another writer-friend "trumped" her, or when a writer who wasn't very talented got a big break. I had been feeling so guilty for having these feelings about my own writing-friends, but now I realize that even more experienced writers still feel that way and it's normal.But better than that, she offers such a wide array of "tricks" and tips for beating writer's block that something HAS to work! If the first method doesn't work, try a different method. She doesn't advocate just one thing, which is the problem I had with a different book about writer's block (the writer just offered one systematic solution. It didn't work for me, so the book was useless). With this one, I had to keep putting it down every few pages to scribble down new ideas it gave me.That was amazing. I had been feeling uninspired and like I was running out of new ideas, but this book made me realize how to open my "writer's eyes" and find ideas in everyday circumstances. It energized me, like jumpstarting a battery, so I felt compelled to actually write down my ideas and start drafting them instead of letting them sit in my brain until I forgot them.It's such a personal book and manages to weave effortlessly between humor and serious issues, even making me laugh when the author is discussing a very painful experience. I think the biggest strength of this book is that it teaches writers to let go of all the guilt and burdens they have placed on themselves, or let others place on them. I can't write every day, and I haven't been published much yet, so I was afraid to call myself a "writer," but the author made me feel like that was okay, and in doing so, I got less anxious and self-conscious about the act of writing itself. I have written more in the past two weeks than I have all year, just because I feel better about it and less worried about making everything "perfect." I knew from the author's website that I was going to like her style, but this just went so far beyond my expectations. I now feel like I have a brilliant teacher sitting on my bookshelf whenever I need her. At this rate, that won't be too often, because I can't imagine ever running out of ideas again! It's brilliant. Buy it.