The Productive Writer - A Review

I've always admired Sage Cohen. She's a poet first and foremost, but she juggles that right-brain/left-brain conundrum with little effort, which is evident in her nonfiction and comnmercial websites, classes and publications to include her newest release The Productive Writer.

Not long ago she asked me for my input on a topic or two in The Productive Writer. I'm honored she quoted me in her chapter "Writing in the Margins of a Full-Time Life," choosing my spin on how family factored into my early writing career.

This little book (it's almost pocket size) from Writer's Digest Books, is quite the practical guide for the new writer, for the struggling writer, for the writer coming back from time off. It's level headed with enough fancy to keep it light, enjoyable and pleasantly palatable while tackling a reorganization of your writing career . . . your life . . . your passion.

Sage talks about planning, coordinating and such, but then she'll tell you to "Write a letter to The Universe that gives thanks for every single detail of your imagined, future writing life - as if you are already there, experiencing all the rewards." Who hasn't imagined the tastes of being successful in something as gloriously rewarding as writing? But then she'll ground you, but in a Pictionary way. "A tomato plant does not spontaneously appear out of the ground bearing ripe fruit...You are cultivating the ground of a fertile and multifaceted life, and inviting it to bear a very specific type of fruit."

This isn't a one-way how-to book. Sage has a softness about her message, and she encourages you to try this and try that, one lesson, task or concept at a time, until you've mentally shifted into a better place. She makes platform simple. She convinces you that you have everything you need to write in your hands, at this moment. I love this focus.

This is a wonderful book to start off a new year, especially if you feel you're spinning in circles or fuzzy in your vision for a writing future. The Productive Writer is just what it purports to be - a productive writing tool. Very recommended.