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Writing instructors and conference speakers like to discourage writing wannabes. "You won't get rich, you'll get depressed and lonely, and you need a buddy to talk you off the window ledge."

So I was curious to see how Bruce Holland Rogers would address the psychology of writing. As other reviewers observed, this book is not about how to write or how to market your writing. It's about the day-to-day life of being a writer.
Get up. Go to word processor. Stare at computer awhile.

Rejection. Bad reviews. Writing a novel under deadline pressure. And a whole lot more.

Word Work is a collection of Rogers's columns, so each chapter can be read as a stand-alone. That's a plus and a potential downfall. If you open the book, as I did, to a chapter that's doesn't grab you right away, you may be tempted to toss the whole thing aside. I couldn't get excited about "best time to write." The message seems to be, "Whenever you want."

On the other hand, you can read a chapter at a time, in any order, and feel satisfied.

Which chapters are best? I suspect that will be a personal decison. What made the book work for me were "Death and the day job," "in the affirmative," and "advanced affirmations." That's when I realized Rogers was a thoughtful person who knows how to read self-help without getting suckered. And, like Natalie Goldberg in Thunder and Lightning, Rogers really writes about life, not just the writing life.

In particular, Chapter 1 - Hunters and Farmers - blew me away. I had never heard of this metaphor, which apparently comes from an author of a book on ADD. Writers are primarily hunters -- and so are entrepreneurs.

The chapters aren't light reading. You don't need to underline and read each sentence three times to get the meaning, but you won't always get hooked on the first sentence. And Rogers makes no effort to sell the reader. A chapter "The Foam White Bull" would be more approachable if titled "The Minotaur in the Basement."

I would like to see two major changes if Rogers gets to a second edition. First, Rogers needs an opening chapter, describing his own life, to unify the chapters and give us a context. The author of a daily or weekly column becomes an old friend. We see his name over and over again and sooner or later we read and we get hooked. In a book, however, we need bait. And Word Work is a very personal book, so we need more background about the author..

Second, the cover is off-putting. The design shows the back half of a wine-colored iMac and some stacks of paper. That's not the view most writers have of their own computers. I see the front of my computer, rarely the side view. And the cover artist needs to sacrifice esthetics for readability. The front words sprawl over the artwork and the back cover -- yellow on gray? -- presents a real challenge.

This is the book to give your writer friend for her birthday or his Christmas. As other reviewers have indicated, it's not for the raw beginner who is still busy asking, "What should I write and where do I send what I write?" It's really for someone who's committed to writing and wants to hear from someone who's been there. Writing is lonely and Rogers is a good companion for the journey.

I stopped buying writing books years ago when I had a couple of Xerox boxes filled with Strunk & White, Gardner, Burroway, and just about everyone else. But the back cover blurbs for this book -- by Peter Straub ("The most useful, reliable writer's guide imaginable.") and Jean Auel ("Word Work will likely end up on every writer's desk, or it should.") -- made me look. I opened right to a chapter about what I've always thought would make a pretty interesting book all by itself: things to keep in mind if you're in a relationship with someone who doesn't understand the writing life. (Nora Joyce to James Joyce, "Why don't you write books people can read?")

Word Work looks to be targeted at everyone from beginners to successful professionals. I think it will be most valuable to the writer who's made a commitment to the craft but who hasn't yet rocketed to acclaim and success. Do I quit my day job? (Ch. 11: 'Death and the Day Job') Am I getting usuable feedback from my workshop? (Ch. 16: 'The Hazards of Writing Workshops') Am I crazy to believe I'll ever get published? (Ch. 20: 'That's an Affirmative')

The impediments to writing, to writing well, to publishing, and to making a living at it, are myriad. Rogers touches on more of them than any book I've seen outside of Plimpton's Writer's Chapbook. He presents multiple practical and novel strategies for dealing with the psychological, logistical, and social roadblocks writers face. Of the three writing books I keep handy to help me through the rough times (the Chapbook, Gardner's Art of Fiction, and this book) 'Word Work' is the most useful for the dealing with the greatest number of demons. Simply put, it helps me get more writing done.

If you are at all interested in writing, this book is a must-have. It is less about writing technique and more about a writing life. Rogers assumes that you feel it is your "calling" to write, and he shows you how to translate those lofty desires into the day-to-day work of a writer. Excellent read.

After I had completed a for week seminar at the Euro Center Language School in Alexandria, Virginia, my teachers gave me the best training marks a student ever got there: four `10's. Nevertheless, American native speakers were still able to detect my German accent in my English. Then I found Ann Cook's AAT in a book store in Washington D.C. I started an intense training. Recently I attended an English class in Munich, Germany, where I live. The teacher, an American from New York, wanted me to leave the class room because she thought I was an American who wanted to pull her leg by coming to her class. By the way, it's never too late to start with AAT: I'm 60 years of age. Anybody can do it if he or she tries hard.

(CORRECTION TO VERSION 1) LINE 1: `FOUR' NOT FOR WEEK

After I had completed a four week seminar at the Euro Center Language School in Alexandria, Virginia, my teachers gave me the best training marks a student ever got there: four `10's. Nevertheless, American native speakers were still able to detect my German accent in my English. Then I found Ann Cook's AAT in a book store in Washington D.C. I started an intense training. Recently I attended an English class in Munich, Germany, where I live. The teacher, an American from New York, wanted me to leave the class room because she thought I was an American who wanted to pull her leg by coming to her class. By the way, it's never too late to start with AAT: I'm 60 years of age. Anybody can do it if he or she tries hard.

Better get the second edition, it's muuuuuch cheaper!

There is no doubt that this man is a hero. I am sure he has many heroic deeds and tales that Uncle Sam will not let him tell. That was the nature of Special Forces duty. I have read many books that are better written, and I wish Miller would have chosen a different person to document his story, but I am sure he had his reasons. The stories themselves are fantastic. I had to read the book in one sitting, I could not put it down. Someday I would like to meet Miller face-to-face, buy him a beer and hear him tell the story first hand.

this book held my attention the entire time.frank miller was my first sergeant while i was stationed in hawaii as a young buck sergeant. it was truly an honor to have served with this great american hero,not only because of the medal but alsohis genuine concern for his men.the book is a true reflection of the man.he always had a story to tell and everyone around was eager to stop and listen,usually departing holding their guts from laughter or an apparrent look of awe.irronicly years later i was sent to somllia with task force ranger,where we lost 18 of my friends 2 of whom also recieved the medal of honor (posthumousely)during the battle of mogadishu on oct. 3 1993 in which 2 books have been written about..."mogadishu!herroism and tragedy" and "blackhawk down". first sergeant always said, "tough times make you a better soldier",he was right.

Frank "Doug" Miller and I became friends during my last active duty tour in Korea in the mid-eighties. He would come to my office telling the stories that later became this great book. As his stories unfolded, I could smell the jungle and gunpowder. When I found this book, I sat down with stories that had been like long time friends. Doug's ability to paint the truth in superb word pictures of his life in Nam are almost as good as talking to him over a cup of coffee. With his passing, the loss of a great friend and soldier is somehow eased by reading and re-reading this book. We'll always miss this great hero.

Cay Lang's writing style is wonderfully witty - such a joy reading this book. I loved the quotes interspersed throughout the book, food for thought. It is very informative book, following her instruction can make anyone succeed in creating art and showing it. Her words are always so encouraging, even when I felt the least creative, this book got my art making moving. And then came the creativity. It is mostly practice and hard work, we all can do it!

After being in a creative slump for about a year this is the book that inspired me to pick up my brushes again! I had these horrible thoughts of how difficult it would be to even attempt to make it as an artist but "Taking the Leap" eased my mind. It takes you step by step through everything you need to know and what you need to have ready to start your career. I learned how to properly photograph my art (I can't afford a photographer!) and how to set up my portfolio. There are also inspiring quotes from artists or pertaining to art to help get you through. I credit this book for getting me back out there!

This is a fantastic book that outlines what you need to do to set up and follow through as a visual artist. Every chapter is like a checklist. You can always use it as reference material later, but the book is great whether you read it for the 1st time or 51st time. Bravo, Cay Lang!

That Olsen-Ecker guy is a real crazy kook. The book really puts this whole Y2K thing in a perspective we can all laugh about and silence the hysteria. Olsen-Ecker is one of the great creative minds of the 20th century. It is not just a book but a survival manual for the next millenium. Save those cheese doodles, take the stairs, and cancel that flight to Hawaii. The Y2K hysteria is upon us people! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!

We didn't invent the Y2K problem, but we do have to live with it. Olsen-Ecker sums up the insanity of it all--the fact that the entire culture can be held hostage simply because some slob programmer was too lazy to use four digits and a calendar--with this extremely funny look at being on the losing end of a losing proposition. Written for those who move their lips when they read, this easy-to-understand, hard-to-put-down book is a great antidote to the predictions of world apocalypse and the end of civilization, which, frankly, probably needs to come to an end based on how we've handled things thus far. This was easily the funniest thing I've read since my insanity commital papers, which provokied a good laugh both in court and out. Be Warned--those who laugh easily could have a seizure. Best read after a few martinis or a bottle of wine and among friends who have the courage and decency to revive you should you pass out from the fun.

Very funny! Hilarious pictures, funny context. Whoever this man is, he is one hilarious, nuttyguy! This is a funny view of the Y2K problem, that everyone who panicks about it should definitely get. Bill Gates, watch out for Brad H. Olsen-Ecker! He can surely make anything funny, especially referring to Lady of the Water. Great Book!

The most significant thing about this book is its clarity and wit. The story is not unique but Scovell manages to find a unique voice to tell it. The voice of Olivia Martin is wonderfully sardonic, a sort of Jane Austen voice brought up to date with modern cynicism and bad language. A superbly drawn character is Joe Lowden, a handsome TA, who professes to love Olivia but has been congenitally unfaithful to his other girlfriends and has a "reputation". Scovell also echoes Anthony Trollope in that she allows her characters to have an imperfect but understandable personality, and then shows how the event and personality combine to form destiny. But in spite of the echoes of serious writers, this book is plain fun and can be enjoyed on its surface as much as on its inner voicings.

I think that by far this has been the best book that I have read this year in the genera. This book is the first book by Claire Scovell LaZebnik and I must say it is a great book.

It is about a girl named Olivia Martin (Livvy for short) who is a very headstrong witty opinionated girl. Her parents divorced when she was young and her father married a really young beautiful woman named Alicia. Her father, Richard Martin, is a successful and brilliant lawyer. She only spends time with them when they get together for special holidays. Richard and Alicia have a young girl named Cecil who is very spoiled and somewhat of a brat. Olivia's mother, Barbara, is very depressed and longs to be back with Richard.

One day after semester finals Olivia finds her mother crying screaming that Richard and Alicia have been killed in a car accident. Soon after that Olivia meets with Dennis, Richards partner and executor of his will. She comes to find out Richard and Alicia have left her to be Cecil's legal guardian.

This book is about how Olivia is having to deal with her changing life in dealing with raising Cecil and having to cope with other things along the way. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves chick lit because it does have a lot of romance in it.

What an amazing story! The characters are reminiscent of Jane Austen, but brought up-to-date. The main characters are well-developed, and the dialogue is intelligent and witty. The moments between Olivia and her clueless, psycho mother are hilarious. This is a fantastic book!

Recovery from Panic Disorder gives strength to all those who struggle to get from point A to B in their daily lives. Daily activities such as carpool, school, pets, driving and friendships can be interrupted by the crashing waves of panic. Those with panic disorder know how difficult it can be to accomplish and even function on a day-to-day level. Eileen McPhillips Portner, therapist and the author of RFPD, knows all too well what it feels like to be hit by this mentally debilitating disorder and has written a book from the point of view of both patient and healer.

Unlike other books written by therapists, Recovery from Panic Disorder is user-friendly and an easy read. This book speaks to you as a friend, giving you the knowledge and comfort and tools that you need to take the steps to recovery. Through personal stories and real life examples, Eileen McPhillips Portner bridges the clinical distance that is felt between therapist and patient, and her book creates an emotional bond between reader and author by beginning with the author's own experience with panic disorder.

Recovery from Panic Disorder offers the realistic hope of recovery for the many people who suffer from overwhelming, frightening panic disorder. It also offers practical and useful advice for those who suffer from general controversy and stress resulting from everyday life.

Recovery from Panic Disorder: A Therapist's Transformation as both Patient and Healer by Eileen McPhillips Portner is unique in that it covers a disease that afflicts thousands of people, but approaches it from the viewpoint of a sufferer and a therapist. Having family members and friends who suffer from this terrifying and debilitating disease, I know how important it is to have all the critical information on handling the disease that Ms. Portner imparts in her book. Her approach of using techniques that are both traditional and holistic makes this an excellent resource for both patients and therapists.

This book is written with compassion and humor that comes across through her very personal anecdotes. I especially liked the chapter written by her husband, as it emphasizes how everyone in a family is deeply affected by the family member with Panic Disorder.

I highly recommend that therapists who treat this disease read this book. It will make them better and more empathetic counselers.

This book gives all the aides you need to get through your panic attacks, but does it in such a warm, comforting way, that you know you're not alone and there is help out there.

Recovery from Panic Disorder presents a vivid and candid
first-hand account of the hell one can live through when experiencing Panic Disorder. To the author's credit is the masterful way in which she engineered her own recovery and return to normalcy in her marriage and the successful continuation of her career. I'd recommend this book as a must read for anyone who suffers with Panic Disorder.

Author Anthony J. Alessandra identifies the four basic business personalities: Directors, Socializers, Relaters and Thinkers. As you come to appreciate the strengths of each of these styles, you also learn to put them to use. You will read about the drawbacks of each style and you will see how you can help people overcome them. The book is generally for managers who want to get more out of their employees. The authors include a section on how to apply The Platinum Rule to selling, which makes the book quite useful for anyone in a sales position. We [...] recommend this book to sales or personnel managers, and to other executives who want to understand and motivate people.

This book gives the student of human persuasion something to think about. Although not discovered by the authors, they outline four distinct personality styles. Knowing the style of your customer is a great advantage. They give numerous examples and insights on how to talk to and interact with the various styles. These examples and insights are very useful for a salesperson.

If you want to understand others first understand you. This work assists you in understanding what style personality you are. After understanding where you are coming from, you begin to understand where other people are coming from. This makes you an excellent communicator.

One of the most difficult areas of personal selling is figuring out what the customer really wants. This endeavor needs good communication skills on the part of the sales representative. Opening a window of communication with the customer is critical. And, you don't want the window to close when you have your neck out the window talking with the customer. Understanding how certain customers think about the world and other humans, helps with this window of communication. The authors give specific examples of how to talk to each personality style and what types of behaviors to expect.

The book is practical and the reader is immediately able to go from book to the field and use the techniques. If you are in the sales trade study this book. But we all need to sell ourselves and thinking about the techniques and concepts of this work will benefit anyone.

Over the years there have been many books written to explore human personality, some by academics and some by laymen. This work stands out among them as a superior learning tool written by two academically trained experts who are also actual practitioners of their messages. It is solid material and a downright good read. Dr.s Tony Alessandra and Michael O¹Connor are the leading authorities alive today on the subject of Behavioral Styles. Alessandra is a professional speaker and trainer who has specialized in the application of behavioral science in the business world. As a former college professor he taught sales and marketing for several years. As an individual he has practiced what he preached. Alessandra spent several successful years in sales and sales management positions and now counts among his closest acquaintances the top thought leaders in the worldwide business community. His experience as a professional speaker to over two thousand audiences shows up in the book, it is very entertaining and motivational.Dr. O¹Connor is the brains behind many works on behavioral style, most notably the Performax materials published by Carlson Learning. His scientific mind and technical training make this a well structured and highly accessible work.The book offers readers immediate insight into their own relationships and their personal behavior patterns. Real world examples are peppered throughout and do a great job of keeping the reader engaged. Examples are well balanced among various life situations and industries. Business people will especially enjoy the practical and entertaining nature of the book.The Platinum Rule addresses a basic human truth: the fact that we are all alike in many ways and we are all different in other ways. If we will take the brief time necessary to notice our differences then we will instantly see how to better connect with each other. The book shows how to easily observe the four most common ³styles² of behavior. It goes on to show you exactly how to deal with each style. Readers will instantly know from their own experiences that the suggestions will work. Once you have read this book, solutions become obvious and tension between people disappears. This is one of the most practical and enjoyable books ever written on this topic.Respectfully submitted by:Jim Cathcart, author of The Acorn Principle, Know Yourself-Grow Yourself, and Relationship Selling. President of the Cathcart Institute, La Jolla, CA. Past president of the National Speakers Association.

It is THE book on Bearded Dragons. Two of the world's greatest experts (De Vosjoli & Mailloux) came together to write the only credible, informative guide to the care and breeding of these interesting lizards. Packed with very helpful information and pictures. Highly recommended.

This book is amazing!! I bought it about two weeks before my parents bought me a bearded dragon. It told me everything i need to know. It tells you everything about making terrariums and what to feed them. It also has sections on breeding and general information on the different species. This is a must buy if you are planning to raise a bearded dragon.

what do you expect...this book was written by a man who breeds bearded dragons and it is a book about bearded dragons. It is a wonderful book and tells you everything you need to know about keeping a bearded dragon whether you are breeding them or not. I personally own a 1 year old dragon, and this has been like the bible to me. Whenever something is wrong i consult this book and it will always have the answer you need. All the other books are written by herpotologists who have never actually owned, bred, or loved a bearded dragon. This book is amazingly helpful and comes from a person who knows what he is doing. I would recommend it to anyone who is planning on owning and loving a bearded dragon.

This look at the rise and fall of the original Orioles, and of the changes in baseball that shepharded in the "modern" era is both fascinating and very well-written. Solomon brings the long dead stars of the 1890s to vivid life, while reflecting on the dual nature of baseball as both game and business, and while looking at American life in the same era. This work shows that in some ways little has changed - contraction is a very old idea, as is franchise relocation - and that in some ways the game has benefitted from the end of the reserve clause and the occasional need to reinvent itself.

The reader gets the chance to meet some fascinating characters, such as the young John McGraw, before his days as a manager; Charlie Ebbets, the name behind Ebbets field; and Ned Hanlon, perhaps the father of strategic baseball. Moreover, this book captures the essence of the great pennants races of the past, when winning the regular season title was everything. And it's truly bizarre to learn how much was stolen from Baltimore to build all three of NYC's major league teams.

I highly recommend this to baseball fans of all stripes, as well history buffs.

I used to avoid books about 19th century baseball, fearing that I'd find the game too unfamiliar to the one I grew up with. The rules were often different, the style of play was different, and you couldn't watch it on ESPN Classic.

"Where They Ain't", however, is one of the better baseball books I've read. Ostensibly about the old Baltimore Orioles of the National League in the 1890s, this book is really a micro-history of early baseball, tracing the game forward -- both on and off the field -- through the advent of Babe Ruth. Burt Solomon paints a very convincing picture of those Orioles as the team that had the singlemost impact on the way the game is played today. He chronicles the playing and early mangerial days of John McGraw, Ned Hanlon, Wilbert Robinson and Willie Keeler, and shows how they introduced the aggressive style of play -- the hit-and-run, the double-steal, the drag bunt, the Baltimore chop -- that still wins pennants today.

But more than profiling that now-defunct team, Solomon paints a vivid picture of the economics of the game at large. Playing in ornate wood stadiums, a team would be lucky to draw 5,000 fans (or "cranks", in the parlace of the time) to the grandstands and "bleacheries". The owners fiddled mercilessly with cost-cutting ideas such as contraction, team syndicates, and collusion. Indeed, that these ideas all failed so miserably (forging the birth of the rival American League, a revolution which swallowed its own children so rapidly that within three years you couldn't tell one league from the other) that your eyebrows will leap off your head when you see that today's owners are still using them! Certainly fans of the Minnesota Twins, Montreal Expos, and Baltimore Orioles (we've come full circle) will wince in agony as the old Oriole team was destroyed by league management three times in four years -- by ill-advised co-ownership with the Brooklyn Dodgers; by contraction out of the NL; and then by relocation to New York.

Solomon writes in a rich prose style, and footnotes his research extensively. It must have been fun poring through old newspaper accounts for the colorful game descriptions he ultimately finds. He subtly introduces us to historical changes, such as the three-strike out and the foot-long pitcher's rubber, with a broad "that will never catch on!" wink to the reader. My chief complaints would be that "Where They Ain't" is a slow read -- and one so entrenched in Baltimore geography that it's unfathomable that a map wasn't printed inside the book. I lived in Baltimore for parts of six years and even I frequently got lost in Solomon's directions.

Baseball hasn't changed much over the past 100 years. Players and owners still wrangle with one another with the latter claiming the former are overpayed. This is more than the story of the Orioles of the 1890's. It is also about the beginning of the success of the Dodgers and Giants and the beginning of the New York Yankees when the Baltimore franchise was moved to New York in 1903 to become the Highlanders. Rich colorful characters such as Willie Keeler, John McGraw, Joe Kelley, Hughie Jennings, and others populate this book when you played with injuries because you were encouraged to "take it like an old Oriole." Baseball historian Fred Lieb wrote a book entitled "The Baltimore Orioles" many years back about this subject, and it is with a great deal of thanks that I express to both him and Burt Solomon, the author of "Where They Ain't" for bringing American social history alive for us to enjoy. There is more to American history than wars, treaties, and presidents. Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore and buy this book. You can thank me later. This book is an easy five stars.