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 Pretty book, little substance July 27, 2008
I have to agree with reviewer Livvy -- this is a lovely book (aesthetically), but once I delved into it, there seems to be little actual substance to improve one's writing. I kept expecting some advice or tips on how to push through into new ground, but most of the information was generalized description, no real "meat."
For example, one suggestion it to take a book by a favorite author and copy a section of text in order to learn how the author thinks. Hmm...haven't I heard that somewhere before? Oh yes---in numerous other writing how-to's.
As pointed out elsewhere, there are indeed quite a few illustrations that don't have anything to do with writing, which wouldn't be so bad *if* there were juicy tidbits that did. However, since there aren't, there isn't really much here unless you're a rank beginner who has never read any of the other, more substantial, books on writing.
 Utter Brilliance July 24, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I own many books on writing, but this one blows them all away. It's as simple as that. It isn't your standard "how to write" text. Rather, it's the sort of book that makes you think. Other books go into the basics of writing, and while this one does touch upon each subject, it serves more as inspiration and nourishment for your muse. It shows you how to take your writing to the next level--to make an ordinary, dull story into something unique, with layers and nuances. As you read it, your mind makes connections, and new ideas spark into life, so that you're constantly tempted to stop reading and go write.
As one reviewer pointed out, there are a lot of illustrations. However, I don't see them as needless. In fact, I feel that they brought the book to a much higher level. A few of the illustrations are essential, as they demonstrate certain points the author is trying to make. The rest are simply there to engage your creative muse. That is what the book is really about, after all: using your creative side to write, the right brain, instead of the practical left brain that's better used during the editing stage, not the writing stage.
All the traditional writing books are aimed at the technical aspects of writing. And that's good. It's important to learn how to write properly. But once you know the basics, then what? When you know *how* to write, but you're still hesitating or unsure, this book will help. It's the kind of book that is a pleasure to read, because it engages the senses. It's beautifully bound, with thick pages and an artistic design that makes it more than just a book. You'll want to read it slowly, a few chapters at a time, so that you can absorb what you're being taught.
(Edited to Add: I thought of the perfect example to describe the difference between this book and your standard "how to write" book. A regular writing book is necessary, but basic--like a utilitarian stand-up shower. Gets the job done, but doesn't do much for your imagination or creativity. On the other hand, "The Mind of Your Story" is essential yet luxurious--like a deep, soothing bubble bath in a cozy bathroom lit by candlelight. Likewise gets you clean, but more elegant than strictly necessary, and goes a long way toward rejuvenating your mind.)
This book would make a fantastic gift for someone who writes, or as an indulgence for yourself. Final word? Best purchase I've made in a long time. Worth every penny, and then some! It will have a place of honor at the top of my stack of writing books, where I can easily grab it whenever I need a bit of encouragement.
Beautifully insightful July 24, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've bought many writing books over the years, most of which were somewhat disappointing. This is the only book I sat down to read cover to cover. I was enthralled! What I liked best were the insights into the process from the writer's point of view. Cook has amazing insights that I've never read before. Her explanation of how ideas spring to life was worth the price alone - I've not read or heard that anywhere in my 12 years of studying writing.
 Nice Looking Book But That's All July 22, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
To begin with, I have just about every "recent" writing book there is. Yes, I admit it. I'm a Book junkie. But I still make time to write every day. Nonetheless, I bought this book reluctantly because I needed to make a $25 purchase in order to receive free shipping. At the same time, I was also hoping to find "something" helpful or learn of a few writing tips to justify my purchase. Sadly, I was disappointed.
This book offers a very down to earth and personable read about the heart of fiction, which the author illuminates by talking about a few facets of fiction like pacing, plot, pov, and the such (look at the free preview for a detailed listing of the table of contents). Cook delves into each area with heart but fails to give any in depth treatment of the subject that you can utilize in helping you to write. Her book feels more like a collection of essays / vignettes on the "beauty" &/or generalizations of writing.
At 270 pages, I expected a much more detailed treatment of writing such as Premise, Theme, and characterization. Also, this book has an aurora of a new age feel because of the many needless pictures within this book that have nothing to do with writing. In fact, these clip art take up about 20 full pages within the book.
However, as engaging as I found Cook's writing to be, I felt by the end of the book I was left with nothing except for inspiration and perhaps a refresher on the extreme basics of writing and a pretty book to look at.
This book might serve a purpose for the beginner as a companion text, if only to elucidate on some of the generalities of writing fiction, for anything else, look elsewhere.
Some better books to consider in comparison to what this book is trying to achieve are: Elizabeth Lyon's "A Writer's Guide to Fiction", Dara Mark's "Inside Story", and Stanley Williams' "Moral Premise".
The Absolute Best on My Long Shelf June 28, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Like so many writer/ editors I have a shelf full of writing how-to's--two shelves, actually. But The Mind of Your Story is the one that I would take to a desert island with me. First, perhaps, because it is a truly engaging and lively read, cover to cover: Full of little mysteries to be solved as the author re-creates short passages from her own novels, and the books of other writers, and asks the reader to find the problem. She then presents the solution. What fun, and so much to learn in so few words!
Second, because the author does summarize in a really useful way the basic "rules" of writing fiction: Plot, pace, locale, dialogue, voice. Honed and polished no doubt by her experience as a teacher of creative writing, including her tenure as an instructor at the Santa Barbara Writers' Institute. Short and sweet. Right to the point. A reminder list for the experienced writer; a succinct overview for the aspiring writer of what he or she needs to know--"rules" not withstanding--about the writer's craft.
Third, because in Part II of The Mind of Your Story the author presents what to me was an altogether new and original concept of how a narrative does have a "mind"--the author's words--of its own, a mental organization, as one's own brain works, that drives, or should drive, the presentation of the story. The author writes "Like a good jockey, you can speed your fiction up or slow it down, all the while maintaining a pace that beats as regularly as your fiction's heart. That's because a fiction's pace is tied to its sense of time, what I like to call the mind of the story."
She speaks of "the movement of time within a fiction"--a concept that deals with potentially problematic dilemmas for a writer, such as the use of flashbacks (seldom and only when these relate directly to the reader's experience in the moment). The concept of a story having an intelligence of its own has been expressed in other ways, but in the explanation, and illustrations, presented in this book, the concept becomes not random but explicit, an idea that may be employed intuitively, as great writers surely do, but truly understood in the explication in this book.
Finally, when I return from that desert island, I need to say that Section III, the final section of the book, "Start All Over Again," deals with what I have found in my experience as an editor one of the more difficult matters to impress on aspiring writers: That is revision and re-writing. The author presents revision as an essential part of the creation on a novel, no matter how long one may need to lay the work aside to "cool" after the final ("whew"!) "The End" is typed. And does so in a way that I believe should impress on the writer the excitement, satisfaction, and importance of re-writing once the initial creative effort is spent.
I have been looking for a flaw in this book. Can't find one.
I have purchased several copies of The Mind of Your Story (as Amazon would know and does remind me each time I re-order). One I sent to a new author whose fine manuscript I was so happy to read, to let her know, in better words than I could express, what she has done right--and how she might revise. Another for a new graduate headed for a liberal arts college major, whose understanding of the principles of fiction writing, will, I am certain, be helpful to her in her own classes. Two more, one for me to underline and refer to often (as I have--the index is excellent), and one to loan out. A five-star recommendation for writers (and readers) at any level.
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