Written (Paperback)
How to Keep Writing and Build a Habit That Lasts
Bec Evans Chris Smith Oliver Burkeman
This book collects some of the best advice I've ever encountered for constructing a writing habit that actually works.
This book collects some of the best advice I've ever encountered for constructing a writing habit that actually works.
This is a fascinating and extremely useful book. I recommend it!
An invaluable guidebook for writers at all stages. Evans and Smith understand that process is deeply personal, and they provide a wealth of wise, compassionate advice for breaking unhelpful patterns and creating a flexible, realistic plan for sustainable long-term productivity.
This well-written book on writing well is enormously valuable for anyone wishing to write productively. If you're a writer, first be a reader of this book.
A fun to read and highly informative guide to overcome the most difficult obstacles in writing.
What a lovely, friendly book. Made me feel cheerful, buoyant, less alone and keen to get on with my writing. Highly recommended.
Written lays out the challenges that almost every writer faces and provides real-world antidotes to many of the myths and stories we believe about ourselves and why we can't seem to get our projects finished. This book will help you structure your writing life and how you approach the craft of writing.
Two things that I love about this book. First, Bec and Chris don't assume that what works for one famous writer will work for you. Their emphasis is on discovering the best way for each writer to get their writing done. And secondly, this isn't just based on hunches – but on extensive study of how writers write. Highly recommended.
There's nothing scarier in my work than a blank page, yet nothing more satisfying and exciting than finishing and launching a book. Written holds your hand throughout that entire process. Bec and Chris keep things practical, with an admirable focus on the habit-changes needed to get your words "out there". If you want to go from "writing" to "written", then you need this book.
This isn't just another productivity book. Most writers have lots of those, but none of them speak to the real causes of why getting on with writing is so hard to do. Written is different: it's rooted not just in the authors' own experience but also in that of the thousands of writers they've worked with over the years. Whatever you write, whatever you struggle with, you'll find real-world solutions here. Warm, wise and practical, it deserves pride of place on your bookshelf.
Engaging and authoritative – full of tried-and-tested advice for all writers, wherever they are in their writing careers.
Bec and Chris' course on combatting procrastination is one of our most popular Reedsy Learning courses, so I'm delighted to see they've turned their practical and inspirational advice for writers into a book – it works.
I've been looking through my library of self-help books for writers and there's nothing quite like this book out there. To me, it seems that it might mean the difference between a half-written manuscript abandoned in a drawer and a finished book on the shelf. I know so many writers who will benefit from it – me included.
This book is an indispensable companion for anyone struggling to start and build a writing habit (most of us!). The writers' journey is a lot less lonely and much more doable with Bec and Chris by your side. We'll be sharing this one widely with our writing community for years to come. There's no magic potion to becoming a writer, but this book comes close. Pick it up to get started – then put it down and get to work.
Refreshingly human and immensely useful. It's so freeing to know there's not just one right way to write! I love the breadth and depth of this book – the curated insights into seasoned writers' heads and processes combined with the super practical tips and exercises on what to actually do next. This deserves to be a well-thumbed handbook on every writer's shelf.
Bec and Chris really helped me on my way to publication. Their insights and encyclopaedic knowledge about creative productivity gave me inspiration, support and practical tools to persevere and establish a more mindful writing practice. I'm excited about their book, as it will help so many writers.
An invaluable guide to those looking to find new ways to approach their own academic writing and to help others.
A refreshingly honest approach to writing- the authors' upbeat tone will cheer on readers. Writing pros and amateurs alike will be eager to start typing.
The beauty of this book is that it guides you into finding the best writing process for you.
This book is wise, sympathetic, encouraging and incredibly helpful. It will be a game-changer for so many writers.
An empowering guide to creating a writing habit that lasts. And a must-read for anyone fascinated by the psychology of performance and mastery.
The compassion for writers and our strangeness just bubbles off the page.
This is an indispensable addition to the creative bookshelf. It delves deep into blocks, miss-steps and confidence issues, and offers practical and effective coaching. I'll be recommending this to all my students.
This 'how to' book is a joy and inspiration. Their advice is really friendly and encouraging, and draws on lots of writers' experiences of what works – and crucially – what doesn't work. There's no 'one size fits all' approach either. I'm a fan.
Editor's Choice – Unsettling our tendencies to fall into fixed patterns of thinking of how we should write, the pair offer a variety of methods taken from the working lives of writers to shift us from unhelpful mindsets and empower us to find what might work.
