You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams

I need to start this review with a disclaimer - I'm a fan of Elizabeth Sims' work. I've read all of her books, I read her articles at Writer's Digest and I have had the privilege of hearing her speak at a writer's conference. Because I follow her work, as I do many authors, I knew this book was pending. That said, as much as I love her fiction and her articles on writing, I didn't rush out the door to buy this one right away. I have a ton of books on writing and getting published. I've already written two novels and frankly feel like I could write my own book on how the process works - with the small exception that I'm not yet a published author. So when this book was released, I was happy the rest of the world would get to read it, but I didn't jump up to buy it the first day. And you know what? I was wrong! Purchase this book immediately! No matter how many great writing manuals sit on your self, this is a must read. Ms. Sims breaks through all of the tired cliches that tell us we have to labor to write, we have to endure it alone, it's a terrible and torturous process. She debunks those myths and tells us the truth - writing is fun! It's not difficult and it shouldn't drive you to drink copious amounts of liquor (unless that's already your thing). Writing is a wonderful, fun, creative process that we can all do if we shake off our demons and allow ourselves the freedom to enjoy what we're doing. She teaches us how to find the zest in writing, and let our creativity fly. Yes, there are a lot of great things in this book if you've never written a word and dream of putting your ideas on paper but have no idea how to get started. She's great at teaching the technical stuff and I guarantee you if you follow her advice you'll get that manuscript written. But if you read this book and really listen to what she's saying, you'll complete that process with a smile on your face. Ms. Sims has let out the secret - writing is fun. Get the bastard off your back and let yourself write. No matter where you are in the process of being a writer - a dreamer, someone already struggling with a manuscript, trying to get your novel published, or a bestselling author who might be listening to the doubts starting to creep into your brain - this book is for you! Writing won't ever let you down - and neither will this book!

A somewhat short-sighted person seeing the book, "You've Got A Book in You," may think of it vehicularly as a demure well-behaved Ford Falcon parked in front of grandmother's house. But a shrewd soul will sense much more afoot as though a turbo-charged Pontiac GTO sprung from its garage will thunder down the center lane of I-405 north of LAX airport at 2 am in the morning. All in good fun. Stephen King wrote "to write to your best abilities, it behooves you to construct your own toolbox and then build up enough muscle so you can carry it with you." Elizabeth Sims' book offers a plethora of practical actions, viewpoints and writing tools that can help a writer "build up enough muscle" to achieve their best work. Writing a book and then getting it published is considered very difficult to impossible by many successful writers, who were good enough to achieve both. Most of the advice these writers offer in writing advice books is somewhat limited to basics and guarded as though there are many more ways to fail and very few that would assure any success. But the best strategies would result in a lower number of reasons to reject a book and a higher number of reasons tilting towards possible acceptance. A practical mystical karmic quality pervades this book. Karma is commonly thought of as luck, there being good or bad luck. But the original definition is "deeds" or actions one takes in one's life. And then in writing there are writing actions. With particular writing actions that catalyze original thinking and writing, this book is geared towards creation in the free-ist sense of the word. And creative action begets spontaneous creation while fixed ideas spoil, prevent or destroy creation. In his second foreward to his book, "On Writing," Stephen King writes, "Fiction writers, present company included, don't understand very much about what they do . . ." But "You've Got A Book in You" goes a long way towards actually getting you to write the fiction book that popped into your mind. Sims champions the outsider and provides unique ways of thinking about how a writer of fiction or nonfiction can best structure their story without formulas or rules or preconceived standards or requirements. A writer's best chance is his or her own best expression of their idea which they may possibly fully figure out for themselves with the right tools.

Articles by Elizabeth Sims are invariably my favorite in each issue of Writer’s Digest. So, when I saw that she had written a whole book on writing, I had to have it. I was in heaven. You’ve Got a Book in You packs so much valuable guidance into an easy-to-read 277 pages, it’s like having a top-notch writing coach with you every step of the way. Ms. Sims, a very successful mystery/crime novelist, pulls back the curtain on how to put together compelling fiction as well as non-fiction. She begins with inspiration and encouragement, and gets you to dream big about the kind of book you want to write and why. She provides practical advice on making the time and space to write and doing it often: entering “garret mode.” I especially found helpful the sections on brainstorming and planning the heart of the book and mapping out a plot just enough using concepts such as “heart-clutching moments,” the hero’s adventure, and asking “Yes, and– ” and “What if” to head off writer’s block and improve on your first ideas. The book also provides great advice on creating interesting characters, writing dialogue, use of theme, plowing through a first draft, revising, and much more. Tweetable tidbits labeled “Chisel it in stone” are scattered throughout the book with advice such as “if it’s not fun, make it fun,” “stories move forward on change,” and “good writing doesn’t flinch.” The book’s tagline is “a stress-free guide to writing the book of your dreams.” That’s not hype. Ms. Sims makes the process fun and uplifting. I’ve already finished a first draft of a mystery novel in large part due to using this book. I can’t recommend it enough.

You’ve Got A Book In You; A Stress Free Guide To Writing The Book of Your Dreams by Elizabeth Sims covers areas such as Planning Your Book and Setting Off Your Journey As An Author (starts on page 97), A Stress-free Guideline Stormwriting example featuring the characters Zoe, Jim, Lt. Halsey, Senator Carson (pg. 188), Interviewing Yourself About Your book (page 241) and more. This book of You’ve Got A Book In You by Elizabeth Sims is important to me because I strongly believe it is part of my life purpose and destiny to at least write on the side regardless of what others think and what is included in this book helps keep me accountable. For instance, I received a great intuitive idea to write freestyle at least 4 times a week while doing the actual book on the side regardless of what I do as my main job and regardless of when my works are published with little care as to whether my writing generates attention while I’m alive. However, I admit to have slipped up on the 4 times a week this week on my freestyle writing goal and know that it is ok to allow myself a chance to rest from writing until after my birthday this Sunday, but to jump back on the metaphorical writing horse by next week. Books such as You’ve Got A Book In You by Elizabeth Sims are portable forms of spiritual encouragement to me regardless of how my professional life unfolds.

Most books on writing focus on techniques and what you need to do technically to become a better writer while only glossing over or ignoring the fundamental difficulties of actually writing a book, the writer himself/herself. If you're looking for a book about techniques on how to write better, this is a book that will give you the basics, and maybe show you some techniques other writing books don't, but the true value in this book is in Ms. Sims ability to strip away the inessential self-loathing and self-bashing, traits frequently fatal to our dreams, and remind us why we wanted to write in the first place: because its FUN. This is a must have on any writer's bookshelf because it strips away all the self-deprecating garbage, the insecurities, etc., and reminds us to just let loose and have a blast getting stories from our head onto the page in a way that is light and fun. In that sense, it is an invaluable tool not so much as to make your writing better, but to make it fun and to encourage the reader to write from the heart. This is the only other book I would consider (besides Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days ) giving to a friend if I were trying to convince them that the idea of writing a novel is fun and could quite possibly be life-changing. Grand-high kudos to Ms. Sims for writing this advice; it makes the world just that much brighter of a place.

I assume that you are interested in writing a book, but have found it difficult to start or continue. This book is a very pleasant alternative to the more usual lists and recommendations. As the title suggests, the author strives to awaken us to the joy of writing, and bypass the stress of writing. Make no mistake - if you are serious about writing, and feel you do not have the innate talent of Charles Dickens (but I bet all authors, without exception, have struggles and demons to contedn with) then you most certainly need your tools to assist in crafting your masterpiece. This book is a guide to making the process less arduous. It does the trick. I find myself reaching for a pen to continue with my own tome. This book is NOT a "how to write a book" manual. It puts into perspective the items we need in our mental and physical realms to allow the words to flow, to present the task as a manageable sequence that should bring pleasure to the writer. I think it will be a good help to any aspiring autor.

Wish I had had this book 20 years ago. It is every organizational tool, motivational thought, and cheerleader all in one location. Easy to pick up and reread when one gets stuck. Sims also gives some new thoughts I have never thought of or read before. Again, may I restate...all in one place. As a 50 year old who has helped a husband and three kids reach their dreams while putting mine on the back burner, I don't have much time left to read or reread a plethora of books on writing now that I am ready to finish that novel. She is one published writer who seems to truly want to help a fledgling writer accomplish their dreams or just get better. Many "So You Want to Be a Writer..." books out there are good but also seem like the authors are tooting their own horns and saying how hard writing is. My favorite sentence (and there are many highlighted in my Kindle version)... "When I sit down to write I feel like an otter slipping into water. I love it so much". That is how writing used to feel to me. Life, fear, age, and perfectionism changed that for me. Elizabeth Sims helped me find my otter again along with a cool river with the sun shining down. This book is indeed a cool sip of water to a tired writer's soul! Especially loved the organizational tips for keeping up with all the bits of paper or file chaos that sometimes occurs in the process!!!! Good for you Sims...for being a team player and sharing all that you worked hard to find.

You've Got a Book in You has something to offer every level of writer. This book gives writers, especially, new writers a very realistic view of and the skills for what it takes to become a successful author. You've Got a Book in You is easy to read and teaches writers how to get out of their own way and unearth the book buried inside of them. I've been a published author since 2005. I write fiction and non- fiction and found many helpful hints in this book, especially for my current non- fiction work in progress. Sim ' s chapter on mapping for non- fiction, which included hints like "Each chapter must tell its own story and each chapter should be based on a dramatic moment ( heart clutching moment) were very helpful. Sim's discusses how important flow is to good writing. Sim's, like Hemingway, gives us permission to write crap at first. This is probably the most freeing advice anyone can give a writer. Obsessing over details leads to writer's block. Writing free and easy opens up your mind and helps unearth your story. "It's beautiful to know that giving up control ultimately rewards you with what you seek the most: consistent, insightful work." This book also has a great section on how to write dialogue, how to portray emotion in dialogue, as well as how to give each character a distinctive voice. (Not an easy feat.) I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to write. Whether it's fiction or non-fiction, sci-fi or romance, You've Got a Book in You is full of common sense advice that will benefit the novice as well as the well- seasoned writer.

Moi qui souhaite depuis longtemps écrire un livre mais ne sait pas trop comment m'y prendre, je trouve que les conseils sont pratiques et intéressants pour mettre mon projet de livre en œuvre.

You’ve got a Book in you is a must read, go-to guide to writing your book and developing trust in your own process. With guided, grounded advice, humorous commentary and simple to begin techniques that can be re-used this book has become my new writing Bible. Aimed at those embarking on their first larger Fiction or Non-Fiction project this book is also essential for seasoned writers, both published and unpublished as it offers guidance that you can put into practice to cultivate a fun, easy, and achievable daily writing practice. I found the concept of Storm Writing, Heart clenching moments, and her process for ‘making the book better’ changed my perspectives on writing, and my own practice. Writing is not a chronological process, and the revision state need not be either. If you buy one book on writing on writing your first book – look no further than: You’ve got a Book in you.

A lovely book, written in a very friendly manner. The explanations are easy to understand and don’t need any special writer’s vocabulary knowledge. If you had an excellent Highschool teacher, or if you’ve read a few books on writing already, it might be that you don’t find much new advice though. All in all, a very nice book for first-time writers.

So many of these type of books beat any inclination of writing right out of your system. FINALLY, someone writes about the joy of writing, and takes all the shame out of it. If you want to be continually encouraged, with some very good writing advice to boot, get this book.

Pour évoluer et apprendre à écrire avec style et originalité, il faut absolument avoir lu ce livre et le garder précieusement. C'est un trésor. Je le recommande à tous les aspirants écrivains et les autres... a lire.ABSOLUMENT!