A Great Book about the Writing Life

OK, I love this book: A BROOM OF ONE'S OWN by NANCY PEACOCK. This woman/author is a housekeeper in her day job. And she writes about how her housekeeping fits in with her writing life. She has so much grace and wisdom in her book A BROOM OF ONE'S OWN - that I almost feel gauche reviewing her book. Now, don't dis her writing, just because she is a maid (as some people wondered if I, as a Flight Attendant could ever have anything to say...). Her Novel, LIFE WITHOUT WATER was a New York Times Editor's Choice. And her book on writing - well, let's just say it's a classic. If you are someone who thinks 'if only I had time to write' this book is for you. If you are someone who thinks, 'if I was a writer FULL TIME, then I'd get things done' this book is for you. One of my favorite quotes in the book, and there are many...is when Nancy says, "Every writer has to work with what he or she has and I can tell you, there is no such thing as a perfect writing life." She says later, "We all have to learn to work anyway, no matter what is going on around us.' If you are a writer - and I am the author of several books - so I qualify - or if you are a wanna be writer - as all writer's once were: then buy this book, it will help you get where you want to go - faster and with more confidence!

How to get cadence in your writing.

Good writing has a cadence - a cadence that cannot be found in simple speech. It can only be discovered after we put words down, and move them around, shuffle them until they read with a cadence. But, how does one learn where to move those words, so they have a cadence? The same way a musician learns to play any instrument. Practice. Some musicians are born with a good ear,they can play almost anything by ear. They instictively know cadence, but most people who play instruments must learn to play the old fashioned way, long hours, alone with nothing but practice. And at first those efforts do not produce anything that anyone is going to rave about. They share notes, and screaching noises until one day - usually years later - practice brings them to laud and acclaim. It's like that with most writers, we might be born with a love of words, but the beauty of cadence in our writing, comes only after years of practice.