Title: Book Review: Writing for Others, Writing for Ourselves: Telling Stories in an Age of Blogging
Abstract: Writing for Others, Writing for Ourselves: Telling Stories in an Age of Blogging. Jerry Lanson. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 183 pp. $34.95 hbk.If you struggle with writer's block, or if you work with people who struggle with writer's block (and what writing teacher doesn't?), this book is for you. Lanson shows readers how to work through this frustrating challenge by presenting a logical sequence of techniques, from finding a working space to finding a niche. Along the way, he illustrates these methods by sharing specific examples, both from his experience and from other experts' experiences, and each chapter ends with implementation steps, giving the reader tangible direction in applying the suggestions.The book is not about blogging, but it does briefly discuss storytelling in a blogging context.Lanson is an associate professor of journalism at Emerson College, where he teaches ethics and reporting and writing courses. His experience as an author (this is his third book), reporter, columnist, editor, bureau chief, writing coach, blogger, and member of a Pulitzer Prize-winning city desk staffqualifies him to write knowledgeably and deeply on the subject of writing. He shares his own familiarity with writer's block-Lanson calls it repetitive stress writing . . . [a] noninsurable illness, triggered when the brain shuts down and the fingers type the same sentences over and over- helping readers connect with him and realize that they, too, just might be able to work through this struggle with a little less pain.As one would hope when reading the work of an experienced writer and teacher, the organization and writing in this book are high quality. Lanson follows the development of one of his own stories throughout the book and intersperses additional examples from himself and other successful writers, letting the reader see various stages of the writing process through different eyes. These details make the reading enjoyable as well as informative. Throughout, Lanson reminds readers of relevant strategies previously discussed and hints at upcoming methods in the book that could apply to the topic at hand.To help readers learn how to work through writer's block and produce good writing, Lanson does what many good teachers do: he makes the implicit explicit. For example, instead of writing first and thinking later, Lanson suggests going to a place that best promotes relaxation and thinking, then proceeding with writing: The secret is to go where you can relax enough to solve writing problems, not merely worry about them. In our overscheduled, overplanned lives, it is advice too few writers heed. He follows with examples of places that have worked for previous students: walking my dog . …
Publication Year: 2012
Publication Date: 2012-02-16
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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