Reviews

To be clear: this is not a guide on how to write a book (Keyes covered that in his last volume, The Courage to Write). Rather, it's a tool for writers who have found their courage and now need hope: that their work is good, that it will be published despite the inevitable rejections, that readers will actually buy it. "Frustration is the natural habitat of writers at every level," writes Keyes, a trustee of the Antioch Writers' Workshop, and his goal here is to lead writers out of the darkness of despair and into the light of reassurance. Keyes offers useful advice on coping with "discouragers" (they "can be dispatched by understanding their motives and by putting them to work as goads"); "exorcising excuses" ("I have no talent"); and "rites of rejection." He introduces writers to the strange habits of the "publishing tribe" (they are, he says, slaves to the opinion of their peers), and offers many anecdotes from the experiences of A-list writers such as Ann Patchett and Tony Hillerman. Writers seeking reasons to hope should get a boost from this gently reassuring handbook.

Publishers Weekly

[Ralph] Keyes, a longtime writer and teacher of writing, is best known for The Courage To Write: How Writers Transcend Fear. In this follow-up, he offers words of encouragement to would-be scribes, inviting them to take charge of selling their own work, to be open to new venues of disbursement, and to consider self-publishing. Similar in quality to Peter Elbow's Writing with Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process and Stephen King's On Writing, this book is divided into three main sections, each offering pertinent information and entertaining anecdotes to which many struggling writers will be able to relate. Part 1 deals with common emotions that writers experience, such as anxiety, frustration, and despair. In Part 2, Keyes reminds writers that publishers and those who work in publishing are just people after all, with personal pressures and company agendas to consider. His point is that rejection letters should not reinforce feelings of disappointment but instead be used to toughen, to motivate, and to teach perseverance, because it is precisely this quality that often proves the most valuable asset. Part 3 promotes seeking encouragement from family, friends, and writers' groups. A solid purchase for libraries where apprentice to expert writers frequent. - Kim Harris, Rochester P.L., NY

Library Journal

Ralph Keyes … has a new guide out this fall. Titled The Writer's Book of Hope: Getting From Frustration to Publication (Owl Books, $13), it is a nice companion to his 1995 book, The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear. Not only does Keyes explore what it means to have hope, he also takes the writer through the fears and the terrible process of rejection. His lucid writing will comfort and inspire any writer - aspiring or established.

Capital Times (Madison, WI) - Heather Lee Schroeder 

More than half of Keyes' book is devoted to helping writers sustain faith in themselves once they being actively pursuing publication. Keyes makes excellent use of hundreds of anecdotes and quotes from well known writers. For instance, Kipling was told he didn't know how to use the English language; Orwell's Animal Farm was rejected for being tough to categorize; The Diary of Anne Frank was turned down by one publisher as being lacking in feeling. Keyes offers multiple examples of writers who succeeded against the odds, who kept hope alive, persisted, and prevailed. Informative and highly readable.

ASJA Monthly ( American Society of Journalists and Authors) October 2003 - Susan K. Perry, Ph.D

Even the most prolific writers need encouragement from time to time. If you’re in need of a shot in the arm, check out [this] inspiring new book …

Writer’s Digest

Writing is never easy, and getting your work published can be harder still. As every writer knows, a thick skin is one of the essential tools of the trade. “Rejection, to writers, is the equivalent of being knocked down as a boxer, being heckled as a comedian, or not getting callbacks as an auditioning actor: something they must learn to endure.” So says veteran writer and writing teacher Ralph Keyes in this wonderfully inspiring book about the difficulties faced by writers.

To say that Keyes understands the pain of a writer’s life would be an understatement. He explores every anxiety, every insecurity, every fear you might face, and then helps you get beyond them. Take writer’s block, for example. Keyes blames it on unrealistic expectations. He urges you to accept the fact that your writing will always be imperfect and tells you to get on with it anyway.

Keyes style is to skillfully describe a problem and then present an alternate view, a way of overcoming the obstacle. The book is filled with useful anecdotes and examples taken from real life. Just had your short story rejected? Keyes tells you how Saul Bellow had his stories rejected, even though he’d just won the Nobel Prize for literature. Can’t sell your first novel? Keyes explains how mega-bestselling author John Grisham was forced to peddle his first novel out of the trunk of his Volvo.

The first part of Keyes’ book explains “internal” obstacles to writing: how we stop ourselves through anxiety, frustration and despair. He wants writers to understand that these negative feelings are normal, even among the greatest writers. F. Scott Fitzgerald, after finishing The Great Gatsby, spoke of being “overcome with fears and forebodings.” Gustave Flaubert was completely neurotic while writing Madame Bovary. Alas, neurosis is probably part of every writer’s makeup, but Keyes shows that you can learn to make peace with it.

Keyes also helps you understand the negative feelings you get from other people, people he calls “discouragers.” These are family members, teachers, co-workers and others who think you’re being “unrealistic” by trying to be a writer—the folks who say, “Sure, you’re a writer, but what do you really do?” Keyes explains the mindset of these discouragers: They’re usually jealous that you’re following your dreams. “I’ll show you,” is perhaps the best response to them.

Keyes is no dummy. He knows the odds are against you if you try to get a book published. What he does, and does brilliantly, is to show you that publishers have been wrong time and time again. Dozens of publishers rejected Grisham and Tom Clancy and most of the writers who are today’s household names. “The truth is,” Keyes says, “that when it comes to predicting which books will succeed in the marketplace, pub[lishing] people are close to clueless.” And Keyes explains why. He describes publishing people as limited in outlook. They mostly live in New York City. They mostly attended the same elite Eastern colleges. They mostly spend time talking to each other, rather than to the general book-buying public.

After reading Keyes’ perspective on publishing people, you’ll never again look upon them as infallible judges of your work. This is decidedly a good thing. Keyes urges you to trust your own valuation of your work above all others’. You need to push on despite the inevitable rejections.

The final part of Keyes’ book tells you 10 ways to keep hope alive, especially if you’re feeling low. One way is to keep in mind all the great writers who have been rejected in the past. Your book’s not selling well? Melville’s Moby Dick was a complete commercial failure. You might join a writers group for the support it provides. Keyes also highly recommends doing something you’re doing right now: reading publications such as The Writer.

Other reasons for hope? Keyes believes the Internet is one, since it gives writers direct access to readers. Also encouraging is the proliferation of small presses and the ease of self-publishing.

Keyes concludes with a helpful alternative to the difficulties of publishing: the joys of writing for its own sake. The immortal Emily Dickinson published a few poems in her lifetime, but then discovered that she was happy not to be published. “Publishing,” Keyes says,     “is only one measure of success. There are many others . . . ” This book, with its compassionate understanding of the writer’s fragile psyche, is sure to lift your spirits when you’re feeling blue.

Chuck Leddy

Chuck Leddy of Quincy, Mass., writes reviews for the Denver Post and other publications and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle.

The Writer

 

Reviews from Amazon.com

The Writer's Book of Hope is an excellent antidote to the discouragement toxins that build up in writers over time. Actually, it's a whole medicine cabinet of antidotes. Anxiety, Frustration, and Despair are part of the emotional experience of all writers, from beginners to established professionals, and Keyes offers a wide range of uplifting and motivating perspectives that will help writers to keep doing the work that nourishes them. This volume is every bit as good as Keyes's previous title, The Courage to Write. Both are highly recommended.

Bruce Holland Rogers, Toronto, author of Word Work: Surviving and Thriving as a Writer

 

This book really opened my eyes to the reality of the publishing world. It also helped disapate a lot of anger and self pity I was feeling. Who knew you had to work this hard? Well, now I do. So it goes. I can now forge ahead without feeling so sorry for myself!

Heybubb, New York City

Ralph Keyes' The Writer's Book of Hope manages to be most encouraging to any writer and very interesting to anyone else. This book is well-written, funny, challenging, consoling and very informative. If there is a writer who ever said anything interesting and provocative about writing, there is a good chance he or she is quoted in this book. We read Nobel Prize Winner Thomas Mann's remark that "The writer is someone for whom writing is harder than for other people;" novelist Gail Godwin's reflection about time spent writing with little energy and hope: "I find I have indeed written some sentences that wouldn't have been there if I hadn't gone up to write them;" and a hundred others. Such observations encourage writers as they find their own doubts and frustrations mirrored in those who have overcome them. Perhaps most important, the writer realizes that he or she is part of the great fellowship of writers not because of publishing success, but through the simple act of showing up steadily to write. This is the central theme of the book: stay with your writing; don't give up; don't be stopped by mood, doubt, confusion or fear, and something will come of it. A writer who has this book next to the computer has a most helpful friend as company. Someone who gives this book to beginning, or even accomplished, writers has found a believable way to offer support and useable knowledge.

The book is full of clear information about subtle and direct discouragers of writing and about the availability of encouragers and where to find them. Keyes tells the writer how to get started, keep going, get help and how to finally find and influence publishers to get your book in print. Chapter titles include "Dealing with Discouragers," "Exorcizing Excuses," and "The Publishing Tribe." Ralph Keyes has been teaching writing for over thirty years while himself publishing ten books and countless articles. The writer henefits from the experience and insight of a person who has watched hundreds of writing projects begin and far fewer achieve completion -- and has learned what makes the difference.

Charles J. O'Leary, Ph.D, Arvada, CO

I've read enough self-help and inspirational books, and books about writing, to last a lifetime, so when I spied The Writer's Book of Hope at my public library, I hesitated. But the title caught my eye, and I ended up gulping it down it in a few sessions. I'm glad I did-it's given me a new perspective on my writing practice. I've learned that frustration, cluelessness, and despair are a normal part of the writing process. And while I still encounter the same writing problems I did before, I'm more easygoing about them. It's as if I've adopted a new attitude: "So I'm clueless at the moment-that's OK, it will pass." I'm much more at ease and confident of my abilities, and I've developed a broader perspective on the writing process-all of which is increasing my productivity and enjoyment at my typewriter.

The book is clearly the result of a lot of research. (Check out the photos on Keyes' Web site showing the yards of file cabinets in his house.) Keyes doesn't trot out the tired authors' anecdotes that we've all heard before; he serves up a host of tidbits that were new to me. The quotes by masters (such as Tolstoy) about their lack of "talent" are alone worth the price of the book. I also appreciated Keyes' no-nonsense tone. I was expecting New Age warmth and fuzziness, but Keyes pulls no punches. Take his observation that some people who give up writing do so not because they lack talent, but because they are uncomfortable spending long periods alone. That's not a "nice" thing to say, but it's truthful and important to know.

The Writer's Book of Hope delivers on its promise. It provides practical hope and inspiration to writers based on a clear-eyed view of the writing profession. It gave me a new lease on my writing life.

Adam Schwartz, Bloomington, IN