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Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction, and Other Dilemmas in the Writer's Life

by Bonnie Friedman

A companion for confronting the emotional obstacles to writing

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Regular price $27.94 USD Sale price $17.88 USD
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Paperback New English

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Awards & Recognition

  • Editorial selection

    Selected as one of Poets & Writers’ “Best Books for Writers”

    Named one of The Best Books for Writers by Poets & Writers.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A companion for confronting the emotional obstacles to writing

Bonnie Friedman centers the often private difficulties that can interrupt a writing practice: envy, fear, distraction, guilt, procrastination, and writer’s block. Blending personal narrative with the experiences of other writers, the book treats these struggles as part of the writer’s life rather than as simple failures of discipline. Its guidance is oriented toward helping writers reconnect with memories, images, and ideas that can feed their work, while making room for the doubts and conflicts that arise along the way. At 176 pages, it is positioned as an accessible companion for returning to the page when creative momentum has stalled.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Writers working through procrastination, guilt, distraction, or writer’s block
  • Aspiring authors seeking reflection on the emotional side of a writing life
  • Creative-writing readers interested in personal narrative alongside practical counsel

Themes

Writer’s blockCreative anxietyEnvy and guiltDistraction and procrastinationWriting practice

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Named One of "The
Essential Books for Writing" (The
Center for Fiction) and One of "The Best Books for Writers" (Poets
& Writers
)

"In the spirit of Annie
Dillard's The Writing Life, Friedman...gives heartfelt counsel to
those who need to be coaxed into the creative process."--Washington Post

An indispensable guide for writers that explores the
emotional side of writing and offers insightful advice on overcoming writer's
block, procrastination, guilt, and more.

Charting the emotional
side of the writer's life, Writing Past Dark is a writing companion
to reach for when you feel lost and want to regain access to the memories,
images, and the ideas inside you that are the fuel of strong writing.

Combining personal
narrative and other writers' experiences, Bonnie Friedman explores a whole
array of emotions and dilemmas writers face--envy, distraction, guilt, and
writer's block--and shares the clues that can set you free so that you can write
the book you've always dreamed of writing.



Supportive, intimate,
and reflective, Writing Past Dark is a comfort and resource
for all writers.

"Friedman has saved many a writer's career with this one, and as my thank-you to her for writing it, I mention it to any and all readers and writers. Get a copy of this for your bookshelf." -- Literary Mama

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