Scribechat~A Book On Writing

On Twitter there is a fabulous chat every week called Scribechat and this week they were discussing The Forest For The Trees by Betsey Lerner, a book on writing. Though I hadn't read the book I was immediately drawn into the chat and was inrigued by what I heard people saying. It isn't a new book by any means but it sounds like a must read for any aspiring author. Here's a quote about the book from the publisher's synopsis:

Lerner is a knowing and sympathetic coach who helps writers discover how they can be more productive in the creative process and how they can better their odds of not only getting published, but getting published well.

Better yet, here's what people on Scribechat were saying about it (the @ symbol before the name is an indication of their Twitter name. The tweets in quotes are straight from the book):

@editorialdept "the reader doesn't care what you went through to produce your work"
@LiaKeyes For me, the first chapter, on ambivalent writers, struck a lot of chords.
@editorialdept The most important take-away, for me, was advice to keep working on your next book before/during debut novel's release. So impt!
@LiaKeyes The most important take away for me was to make peace with one's neuroses and let them fuel the writing!
@editorialdept Also important - "Never do anything just because an editor tells you to"
@nathanhenrion you need that second or third book in the works, midlist pubs may even ask for a partial second work if considering a debut.
@teetate Best and simplest advice in the book: patience, patience, patience.
@editorialdept Another good takeaway - write your proposal in voice/style in which you have written or plan to write.
@paulgreci "Writing is nothing if not a long distance race." Forest for the trees.
@editorialdept "The best editors call attention to those parts of the book that have been bothering the writer, if only on an unconscious lvl"

You can read the Scribechat review of the book by Lia Keyes, Scribechat creator here. Normally I don't recommend a book before I read it but that's how much I trust my Scribechat buddies. If they recommend it this highly then I know I have to get it. So grab a copy and read it with me, then we can discuss it!

~Heather