Welcome to the Writer's Life: How to Design Your Writing Craft, Writing Business, Writing Practice, and Reading Practice

by Paulette Perhach

Overview

Learn how to take your work to the next level with this informative guide on the craft, business, and lifestyle of writing
 
With warmth and humor, Paulette Perhach welcomes you into the writer’s life as someone who has once been on the outside looking in. Like a freshman orientation for writers, this book includes an in-depth exploration of all the elements of being a writer—from your writing practice to your reading practice, from your writing craft to the all-important and often-overlooked business of writing.
 
In Welcome to the Writer’s Life, you will learn how to tap into the powers of crowdsourcing and social media to grow your writing career. Perhach also unpacks the latest research on success, gamification, and lifestyle design, demonstrating how you can use these findings to further improve your writing projects. Complete with exercises, tools, checklists, infographics, and behind-the-scenes tips from working writers of all types, this book offers everything you need to jump-start a successful writing life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632171535
Publisher:	Blue Star Press
Publication date:	08/14/2018
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	37 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

PAULETTE PERHACH's writing has been published in the New York Times, Elle, Slate, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire. She's worked for Health and Coastal Living magazines, as well as various newspapers. Hugo House awarded her the Made at Hugo House fellowship in 2013. She was nominated for the 2016 BlogHer Voices of the Year award for her essay "A Story of a Fuck Off Fund," which was included in the anthology Freshman Year of Life from Flatiron Books.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/01/2018
Perhach (Freshman Year of Life) mines her personal and professional experience—and how they feed each other—to create a kind of freshman orientation for writers. According to the author, neophytes are apprehensive about two things: where to start, and how, therefore, priming readers on how to give oneself permission to write, to fail, to fail better, and to learn through the process. What differentiates Perhach's book from others is its conversational tone, warmth, and presenting elements necessary to success without presuming readers already know the basics. Also touched upon are concepts of self-care and that it's okay to write, "I don't know what to say," than nothing at all. She further maintains a dedicated website that covers the book, updating as required. Running commentaries from a range of creatives are an inspiring bonus. VERDICT This compendious exploration—and tactical workbook—of the writer's path, replete with tried-and-true exercises and behind-the-scenes tips, provides a tremendous asset for aspirants or anyone simply curious about writers, their work, and the challenge of keeping body and spirit together.—William Grabowski, McMechen, WV

Library Journal

07/02/2018
Writers looking for encouragement, specifics, and some memorable advice would do well to pick up this good-humored and highly useful guide from Perhach, a contributor to Elle and Cosmopolitan. While sharing professional successes and challenges, Perhach starts with the basics: finding enough time to write, setting goals, and overcoming insecurities. Along with advice on these matters, Perhach offers nuggets of inspiration (“How hard you work outweighs how much talent you have”) as well as inspirational maxims from other writers, including Stephen King and E.L. Doctorow. Try writing in different genres, Perhach encourages, while also “taking risks” and “reading the best of the best.” And for readers who have never seriously studied writing as a craft, Perhach gives an introduction to the mechanics of storytelling, and lists 12 books to use as follow-up. Lighthearted graphics illustrate points throughout the book, as do simple assignments. Perhach wraps up by examining writing as a business, discussing lifestyle choices, professional role models, and “how to network non-creepily.” This funny, readable, and idea-crammed book is a powerful tool for writers, no matter where they are in their journeys. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Paulette Perhach is a teacher you can trust. She knows the creative writing process from hard work and constant practice, and everything she says about it rings true. Funny and wise, filled with examples of the joys and sweet agonies of the creative process, Welcome to the Writer's Life is a book both veterans and beginners will enjoy.”
—Charles Johnson, author of The Way of the Writer and Middle Passage
 
 
"Welcome to the Writer's Life is an indispensable guide to the literary life. Paulette Perhach offers a wealth of ideas and resources here in a warm and welcoming voice. It's like your best friend is a writer and she's giving you all the inside scoop."
—Theo Pauline Nestor, author of Writing Is My Drink

“Writers looking for encouragement, specifics, and some memorable advice would do well to pick up this good-humored and highly useful guide…This funny, readable, and idea-crammed book is a powerful tool for writers, no matter where they are in their journeys.”
—Publisher's Weekly 

"The book’s interactive approach and dynamic format coupled with Perhach’s warm, encouraging tone make this a multi-faceted guide that’s a delight to read."
—The Writer magazine

“A panoramic view of what you need to know most and what you need to know first...Paulette Perhach’s introductory guide is a comprehensive volume containing hard-earned wisdom and organizational ideas, covering everything from writing and reading habits, to craft and editing. Full of helpful writing exercises and prompts, lists of prizes and literary journals, strategies for social media and financial budgeting, and inspirational anecdotes from poets and prose writers offering insightful advice gleaned from their personal experiences."
—Poets & Writers

"This compendious exploration-and tactical workbook-of the writer's path, replete with tried-and-true exercises and behind-the-scenes tips, provides a tremendous asset for aspirants or anyone simply curious about writers, their work, and the challenge of keeping body and spirit together."
—Library Journal

"The book is a great practical guide to the craft and business of writing for aspiring authors, and it also serves as a wonderful cross-section of the Seattle writing community."
—The Seattle Review of Books

From the Publisher