Rachel´s Random Resources Tours: The Write Balance by Bonni Goldberg

 

Most of the books I´ve read and reviewed aimed at offering inspiration and guidance to writers do have some very general common lines of advice. First and foremost, one has to keep writing no matter what, maintain a healthy balance between writing and documentation, being persistent and refusing to give up in fulfilling his or her gift of wordsmithing. Personally, I think that at least most of those advices are right. On the other hand, though, treating writing like any kind of work may be misleading sometimes. Discipline and time management are indeed vital for building a successful writing career, any kind of career in fact, but sometimes there is something else left behind in this list of recommendations.

The Write Balance by Jewish educator, author, speaker and coach Bonni Goldberg adds a very spiritual holistic touch to the general literature about how to write better, faster, insightfully etc. It is aimed at helping and explaining ´How to Embrace Percolation, Revision&Going Public´. Each of these steps are very important and are approached in the book on a very serious and detailed manner.

I´ve found that these three stages are rarely followed in sync in the dedicated literature on this topic, but after seeing those mentioned for the first time, I realized that in fact those stages are very important in shaping the book: first, one needs to consider the process of creation before the first draft takes shape (percolation); second - what the writer shall do after the first draft is ready (revision); third - how to follow the right strategy to share his or her book with the world (going public). Is there anything else that really matters? Don´t think so.

Each of this stages is explained by Bonni Goldberg through various personal examples but in a way that offers a generous space to build the right balance between the body and the mind (including through recommendations of exercises to practice in this direction). Cloud watching when you are out of inspiration or just putting on hold for a day your writing plans belong to those kind of advices one may refuse to consider seriously but in fact are so simple and inspiring. 

Goldberg´s book accompanies the reader and eventually writer-in-the making with a lot of care and dedication. Therefore, The Write Balance can be considered a good companion to first-time writers, but also a source of inspiration for more experienced onces. After all, book after book, one may need to refine his or her skills and writing techniques as well as habits. This book is generous in nourishing creativity, including through specific exercises - including of the yoga type.

The Write Balance is a resource of spiritual strength when writing does not go in the direction one may expect, but also helps to overcome (self-)doubts and writer´s block with the grace of someone who knows that he or she has a mission that will be fulfilled with diligence and distinction no matter how hard it is. You just have to look at the clouds and follow their changing shapes. Similarly, your words can get together in an infinite number of ways to create your books, one after the other.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour, but the opinions are, as usual, my own