“Is it any wonder that any writing task fills so many people with dread? It’s about time we brought them in from the cold and let them find fulfillment in writing from inside themselves,” writes Thomas C. Foster, professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan–Flint, in the introduction to this approachable guide on developing a voice and maintaining a writing practice. The book is organized into three sections (Why Write?, What to Write and How, and Soaring Practice) and is written with a combination of personal anecdotes and lessons with exemplary writing from authors such as Joan Didion, Robert Frost, Malcolm Gladwell, and Ernest Hemingway. Topics include how to sharpen one’s sense of description, revision on a structural level, and development of one’s personal style of writing. Although primarily focused on memoir writing, the book’s lessons, writing exercises and prompts, and sentiment to “write like you mean it” can prove useful for writers of all levels and genres.
