Buy This Book: "If You Want to Write" by Brenda Ueland

I hope I don't undermine my recommendation of If You Want to Write by putting it in the vicinity of my writing. I bought the book today, so it cannot justly be held responsible for my lack of artistry. Not yet, at least.

It was written by an old Minnesotan woman who was knighted by the King of Norway. If that isn't enough for you: she set an international swimming record for people over 80! I assure you, whatever you think she looks like is so much less cool than the picture of her on the frontispiece of this book. I want to say: pirate wearing a bowtie, but that would be uncharitable. True, but uncharitable.

Here are some of the actual chapter titles (I inserted the bracketed exclamation point):

V. "Sooner strangle an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires"-William Blake
VII. Be careless, reckless! Be a lion, be a pirate [!] when you write.
X. Why Women who do too much housework should neglect it for their writing
XIV. Keep a slovenly, headlong, impulsive, honest diary
XVIII. "He whose face gives no light shall never become a star."-William Blake

There is a lot of Blake in this book. I was (am) a little scared of the Blake thing, but the book is too wise to pass up because the author likes a weirdo. This woman has been there, kicked there's ass, and brought it back for us to see.

I don't know who Carl Sandburg is, but he called If You Want to Write, "The best book ever written about how to write." Carl, Poem Master 3000 agrees!