Reviews

How I Write: The Secret Lives of Authors by Philip Oltermann, Dan Crowe

_jokaiser's review

5.0

As many people have noted in other reviews, the style of this books is very much on the 'coffee-table' front; it's appealing to and easy on the eye with playful colours and images that suit the perceived character of each of the writers included. The stories so beautifully presented in this book are numerous in number and nature; no two are the same though many are similar, as can be expected for they talk of the same matter: writing. As a writer, it's inspiring to read these accounts however I can see how it would be a fascinating read for someone who doesn't write and isn't exposed to many writers. It's a book well worth a read, even if you only get through a handful of the pages.

slcrow's review

4.0

Revealing little glimpses into the writing lives of a wide variety of writers presented in a beautiful coffee table type book. I was very happy with the layout and how each writer's pages reflected their personality as referenced in the passage submitted. I do wish that there was more to it, but then it really wouldn't be a coffee table book, would it? Still, definitely worth purchasing, and certainly a book experience that can't be effectively reflected in an e-book. Buy the paper version of this one, folks!

canadianbookworm's review

5.0

What a great idea this book is! The editors asked a number of authors to send information, including photos of objects, about what inspired their writing. The responses vary widely, which makes it all the more fun. The book design by art director Vince Frost enhances the responses and adds to the knowledge, especially for readers like me, who are very visual. Some entries are only one line, some run to extra pages. The authors reply candidly for the most part and I found many fascinating insights into their work. For many the responses made them more human.
Will Self's post-it notes remind me of a colleague's workspace, but so many gave me ideas and inspirations for my own workspaces (both home and office).

srenee213's review

3.0

Some of the contributions were interesting. Some made me want to write. Some were just descriptions of objects (and of those some, many were boring and most were skimmed or skipped).

izzorizzo's review

4.0

Even though it's intended to be a coffee table book, I found myself caught up in the lives of these authors - some of who I've never heard of - and their little obsessions about writing. Little rituals and objects that seem to keep them going, even though they feel ready to give it all up, but they won't, because they genuinely love it.