How to Be Writer
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley July 30, 2016
Author John Birmingham
Distributor: New South Books
ISBN: 9781742234847
Publisher: New South Publishers
Release Date: June 2016
Website: http://www.newsouthbooks.com.au
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So you think you want to be a writer! You are convinced that the words you write will be a best seller that you are inspired, but all you need to do is find the time to write this epic book.
Well, before you commence this incredible novel, and if you are a rank beginner at placing words on a page, or even if you have been dabbling about the edges of the craft for some time, by following the many, many tips and hints offered by John Birmingham, you may be the next Stephen King, possibly ‘smash those dreaded deadlines, crush editors under a torrent of words and maybe even live in a solid gold hovercraft’! Who knows until the final word has been written, the editing done and the book released!
John Birmingham started his craft as a ‘freelancer’, grubbing out a meagre existence writing columns and articles for a range of magazines. Freelancing sounds like a glamourous way to write and earn a living but the reality is a bit more sobering; it is hard work, your words may or may not get printed, your money is not always guaranteed and in today’s world of rapid information, internet and so forth, freelancers have a very torrid time selling words.
Birmingham rose to acclaim when his first novel, He Died With A Falafel In His Hand, was published in 1994, quickly rising up the best seller list. He has gone one to become a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction books, several of which have been turned into plays, movies and graphic novels.
So when he writes a book like How To Be A Writer, sit up and take notice.
As you read your way through the chapters you will begin to realise, in amongst the various language styles used, there is so much fact, so much information, that has been road tested by Birmingham, as he too was learning his craft, that if you are serious, you will take this information to heart, study it over and over again, then spend the time honing your skills.
The topics covered may be considered Ho Hum, but the reality is they are anything but as they look at getting noticed, establishing a routine to write, which by the way is very necessary, regardless of what you are writing, using technology to your advantage, promoting and pitching your skills, tenacity, which is most essential as you will get more putdowns than accolades, the ability to keep on going even when the cause looks hopeless, he calls it bravery and it is, and most importantly write, and keep on writing. And so very much more.
As Birmingham says, success cannot be guaranteed, but by putting yourself at the ‘very centre of the human story, it is there the storyteller lives’ (sic).
So if you are serious, are determined to crash through the obstacle course to getting published and actually selling and making money from your craft, treat this a little like the bible of how to, treasure it and wear out the pages as you refer to that hint or tip over and over again, but most importantly, learn to never, ever give up!