Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32017 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
"One Year to a Writing Life offers would-be and experienced writers a treasure-trove of resources in the form of exercises, prompts, and pointed examples, all of which are designed to get writing and thinking started. Tiberghien's advice, encouragement, and wisdom make this an invaluable book for writers at all stages of their writing lives." -- Michael Steinberg, founding editor of Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction and author of Still Pitching

"Example by example, exercise by exercise, month by month, One Year to a Writing Life is a gift of hope to those who know they are writers but can't find a start, a gift of replenishment to those who have been at it for years but are going stale, and a gift of pleasure for those who simply wish to read and enjoy these fascinating ruminations on the process of writing." -- Thomas E. Kennedy, author of the Copenhagen Quartet; Advisory Editor, The Literary Review; International Editor, StoryQuarterly

"Tiberghien provides a clear, affectionate, and truly inspiring window into the world of writing." -- Lee Gutkind, editor, Creative Nonfiction, author of Almost Human: Making Robots Think

"Tiberghien's wisdom sparkles through her eloquence and precision in describing, illuminating, and bringing to life the key elements of great writing, and in leading us through the process of becoming great writers ourselves." -- Larry Habegger, Writing Teacher and Executive Editor, Travelers' Tales Books

"[T]he most illuminating and exciting book I have read about the journey to a life in writing: the awakening of the senses in the realm of self-expression. Each detailed and thoughtful chapter offers inspiration as well instruction on craft to both beginning writers and more experienced writers, encouraging them to explore other forms and most importantly, to read the masters and to continue to read." -- Marcia Mead Lèbre, Director, Paris Writers Workshop

Review

About the Author
Susan M. Tiberghien is an American-born writer living in Geneva, Switzerland. The author of three memoirs, she has also published widely in journals and anthologies. Tiberghien teaches and lectures at graduate programs, at C.G. Jung Centers, and at writers' conferences in the U.S. and in Europe.

Customer Reviews

An enticing and grounding companion for the journey
If you're mindful of how today's extreme pull on your time leaves little room for nurturing a creative life, this book offers a very grounded and realistic way in which to cultivate one. And it shows you how to do it in a way that's methodical, possible, and simple. As you reflect on the author's suggestions, you'll find yourself observing inwardly and outwardly and asking yourself more centered, elegant questions about your life's images and symbols. Susan Tiberghien's book allows those of us with only slivers, not swathes, of time to become full travelers on the inner safari. This is a book that offers a writing process of effective 10-minute sound bytes rather than a list of commands requiring an afternoon. What's more, it's just plain FUN without the feel of heavy lifting. I found myself wanting to go deeper and find the center when I tried focusing on only one image in the journal entry exercises. This is a book about mindfulness as much as it is about writing. Much praise and thanks for this book that makes writing so doable!

As informed and informative, as it is inspired and inspiring
Susan M. Tiberghien draws upon her years of experience and expertise as a veteran writing instructor, writers' conference speaker, and graduate school lecturer in "One Year To A Writing Life: Twelve Lessons To Deepen Every Writer's Art And Craft". A gifted writer in her own right, Susan Tiberghien covers journal writing, personal essays; opinion and travel essays; short stories (included the 'Short-Short'); dreams and writing; dialogue; folklore, fairy tales, and contemporary tales; poetic prose and the 'Prose Poem'; memoirs and biography; rewriting; and more. Of special note are her chapters on 'The alchemy of Imagination' and 'Writing the Way Home'. Enhanced with a specialized bibliographies and a comprehensive index, " One Year To A Writing Life" is as informed and informative, as it is inspired and inspiring -- making it strongly recommended reading for all novice writers and aspiring authors.

A great book
This is a wonderful book. I have been using One Year to a Writing Life as a textbook this semester in my Creative Writing course. The book is very well conceived so my syllabus follows the twelve lessons, week by week, with extra weeks for longer in-class writing. The book provides clear guidance, great examples and it inspires! It inspires me to both teach and write and it inspires my students. Before I chose One Year to a Writing Life as a textbook for my class, I surveyed many texts that are on the market and not a single one comes close to this great book. Thank you, Ms. Tiberghien, for helping all of us who write and who teach writing. Jelena S. Bankovic, Ph.D.
Professor of English, Oakton College, Illinois