‘Writing with cold feet’ is short, but excellent. The subtitle, ‘Secrets of how to write when you are not writing’ is one that appeals to me strongly, as I often find myself ‘not writing’ when I had planned to write. Rather than just addressing procrastinating tendencies, Kathrin Lake understands that many people feel a sense of resistance, or reluctance to get started, even when circumstances are ideal and time is allocated to writing.
Chapter One examines the fears that sometimes lie behind resistance to writing: of judgement, of negative feedback, and so on. I can relate to these, although on the whole I have moved on from there. But they are very important concerns to address for those who want to write but are afraid even to start.
Chapter Two, however, looks at the idea of ‘resistance’ and the anxieties and fears that can lie behind it. I am relieved to learn that this is a common problem for writers; perhaps for others, too. This chapter is the key to the book, and gives ideas for overcoming resistance. The most obvious, that of sitting down and writing for three minutes even if it’s rubbish, is one I have come across before - but then forget. It’s worth doing regularly.
In one sense there’s nothing new in this book. I had come across most of the concepts before. However, it was very encouraging to have them all in one short book, written in a friendly style, addressing concerns which can strike any writer at any time. It’s the kind of book to re-read regularly, and at less than 100 pages it doesn’t take much time to do so.
The price is a bit high for such a short book, but if it works (and that remains to be seen, in my case) it’s more than worth it. Highly recommended to anyone feeling ‘stuck’ or ‘blocked’ in their writing.
Review by Sue F copyright 2017 Sue's Book Reviews
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