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Walking on Alligators - Book Review |
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Book Reviews -
Writing and Other Creative Topics
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Written by Jennifer Thompson
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 Walking
on Alligators, by
Susan Shaughnessy
The
most marked-up, dog-eared book on my shelf when it comes to writing
is Walking
on Alligators, by Susan Shaughnessy. I absolutely love
this book! ItÌs the book to keep on your writing desk and
flip through every day, every time you sit down to write. ItÌs
the book that gets you to Ïbuckle downÓ, as the author
puts it. This is a must-have book for any writer.
Walking
on Alligators is a collection of 200 meditations for writers.
But these arenÌt sit-on-the-floor cross-legged meditations.
TheyÌre wonderfully real, thought-provoking, compelling thoughts
on the writing life. I have over a dozen of them marked as my
all-time favorites, meditations that speak to me in different
ways.
I love how the book begins: ÏIs today the day you become
a writer? The only way to write is to write today.Ó Ms. Shaughnessy
wrote this book to help writers get writing and to give them a
glimpse of what other writers have to say about the process.
Each individual section begins with a quote from a famous writer,
which is followed by a short passage with the authorÌs thoughts
about the topic at hand. At the end of each passage is a meditation
to be read, read again and kept in mind as you get to the business
of writing. Two of my favorite meditations are ÏIÌll
write today. It is my chance to do what I have said I want to
do,Ó and ÏToday, IÌll recognize that writing is
something of value. It will cost me something.Ó
Walking
on Alligators makes me want to write. It gives me the
courage and the motivation to simply sit down and write, writing
whatever comes to mind, but writing nonetheless. I love this book
for what it gives me, for how it makes me feel about being a writer.
Copyright 2002
This review is available for reprint.
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