Starting From Scratch
A Different Kind of
Writers Manual
By Rita Mae Brown
Bantam, March 1989
Trade
Paperback, 272 pages
ISBN# 0-553-34630-x
$19.00
By Anika Logan
This was the first writer’s book that I read when I first embarked upon my freelance
writing career, and it remains one of the best that I’ve read to date. It is a unique book in that it doesn’t so much tell a writer step by step how to write but instead it demonstrates the conditions that are necessary for a person to become a good writer. It takes a personal approach without being preachy. This book is all about how to handle and master the tools of the trade. Brown talks about why every writer should learn Latin; why it is essential to read the classics to see “what works” (and what doesn’t); the importance of taking care of one’s body and understanding how vocabulary and speech affect our perceptions of the characters we create in our work.
Rita Mae Brown is honest and upfront but also gutsy and funny as she works in some humorous and some not so humorous anecdotes from her own life. She begins the book with a very personal and in depth look into her own beginnings- from her days as a young poet with a book no one wanted to touch, to her success with Rubyfruit Jungle and all the books that followed, to her experiences and adventures as a screenwriter in Hollywood. Her outspoken, candid no nonsense advice is as helpful as it is refreshing. It is delivered in a manner that makes you feel right at home with her words. She talks about having the energy to write while still managing to earn enough money to pay the rent; the need to sacrifice one’s social life in order to build a writing career; and the need to set priorities and guidelines (and stick to them). She discusses methods of dealing with agents, publishers, critics and what it is really like to be in the public eye. She warns fellow
writers to do their best to avoid the “hard-drinking” genius that brought about the downfall of a host of successful writers from the past.
This bestselling author and former teacher of writing examines the essentials of a writer’s craft. She discusses language, plot structure, characters, symbolism and provides exercises for writers to try out for themselves. What is extremely impressive is the annotated reading list that is to be found at the end of the book. It is a chronological listing, spanning works from the seventh century to the late twentieth century, of approximately four hundred books that Brown considers to be the most important books in English. The fact that it would take a person many years to read everything on the list should not be a deterrent to undertaking the task.
Rita Mae Brown writes in a spirited tell-it-like-it-is kind of way that enlightens and entertains. Starting From Scratch is a winner all the way- for writers at all stages in their careers, novices right up to seasoned pros. No matter what kind of writing you do, this book will provide assistance in making sure the job gets done properly.