Gentle Return to Writing
By Kathrin Lake
Buddha Press, 83 pages, $14.99
Sometimes writers do not believe in themselves as writers. Sometimes they believe ‘real’ writing happens in one particular form. Sometimes they believe they are stuck in writers’ block. In Writing with Cold Feet: Secrets of How to Write When You are NOT Writing, Kathrin Lake sheds light on the various ways writers inhibit themselves with their self-judgments. She encourages them to redefine their ‘blocks’, a term with which she takes issue as ‘oversimplified’. She shares what she has learned over her years of experience as a writer, writing instructor and coach to help them face their resistances and deal with their procrastination.
“The real reason that I like the word “retreat” is more child-like. It is because it has the word “treat” in it, and “re” in front of it means that you are treating yourself again! I really treasure my retreats; they truly are treats. I don’t struggle. I don’t have to force myself to do my writing, I simply enjoy it. Yes, I go through resistance, but essentially I know how precious this time is and how it changes me, for the better.”
The book is well formatted, beginning with the way writers may feel about themselves, addressing the reasons they may balk in their writing process and providing methods and permission to continue and complete work. Her writing is succinct, clear and to the point. This book is a quick assist for anyone who is wavering in the writing process and wanting to work through it.
Reviewed by Mary-Lynne Monroe
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