Product Description

Do You Need a Kick in the Pants?

You've heard all the rules to get yourself to write--work on a schedule, write in a particular place, always write a certain number of words, and so on ... all rules based on things that have worked for other writers.

But what works for you? What will get your book written?

Psychotherapist and writing coach Bill O'Hanlon provides no rules--just principles and methods that you can personalize to your own style and preferences. You'll learn that you don't have to be a natural writer or a good writer to write; you just have to write--and find out what uniquely motivates you to write.

By combining his experience as a therapist and his own prolific career as an author, Bill shows you how to manage overwhelming projects, while finding the passion to finish what you start. Plus, a DVD featuring an hour-long workshop showcases the best bits of Bill's weeklong bootcamp for writers, so you can fully experience the charisma behind the principles.

It's the literary equivalent of Prozac, cattle prods, M&Ms, and whatever else you need to get moving, get writing, and get it done.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #75181 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review
All the guidance and encouragement you'll need to start writing - and to keep writing. -- Frustrated Writer, September 4, 2007

About the Author
Bill O'Hanlon has authored or coauthored twenty-eight books, including Change 101 (W.W. Norton), Pathways to Spirituality (W.W. Norton), and Thriving Through Crisis (Perigee). He has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show (with his book Do One Thing Different), The Today Show, and a variety of other television and radio programs. Since 1977, Bill has given over two thousand talks around the world, and he was awarded the Outstanding Mental Health Educator of the Year in 2001 by the New England Educational Institute.

Bill is a Licensed Mental Health Professional, Certified Professional Counselor, and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He regularly speaks about writing and offers intensive seminars for people who want to write books and get them published.

Customer Reviews

A caffeine blast of motivation for would-be writers!!
Smash through writers block!

"Write is a Verb" is an effective kick in the butt to those who want to write but find all types of obstacles and excuses. Author Bill O'Hanlon is not only an accomplished writer and a prolific author, but also a licensed psychotherapist. He runs workshops on helping writers and would-be writers overcome psychological barriers and resistance to the activities that would help them meet their goals.

The tone is never preachy, but eminently practical, sprinkled with self-diagnostic exercises. Use this to finish that book or writing project that you've always wanted to complete!!

As a bonus, the book comes with a DVD of the author and various handouts to buttress his suggested tips and techniques.

Great Motivator to Get Off the Dime and Start Writing
This book reminds me in approach to some of the anti-clutter books written by Don Aslett (Clutter's Last Stand: It's Time To De-junk Your Life! and For Packrats Only: How to Clean Up, Clear Out, and Live Clutter-Free Forever!). These are no-nonsense, common sense books that get right to the heart of the matter and most of all expose all the lousy excuses that people come up with for not doing something they supposedly care about. In O'Hanlon's case, it's about the art of writing.

In Write is a Verb, O'Hanlon unmasks and bares all of those exuces and reasons that people come up with for not writing. The bottom line advice is: to write, you have to write, whether it's garbage or mediocre; writing begets writing, but it doesn't start until you put pen down to paper (or fingers down to keyboard) and do something! He is sensitive to where this procrastination comes from (he is a therapist, after all) and he lays down in easy to follow form the ways to overcome our blocks. The book includes worksheets (actually useful) and references from many colleagues that add value to his lessons.

If you want to write, read this book, then start writing.

Especially recommended for aspiring writers.
WRITE IS A VERB: SIT DOWN. START WRITING. NO EXCUSES offers writers an excellent survey of how to overcome common barriers to writing and self-expression. Writers who complete projects write and work through these barriers and while plenty of books admonish doing so, few offer up a program to achieve this goal. Chapters on changing set writing patterns to spark creativity, breaking up tasks, and tackling rewriting and polish present the author's own course, and even includes a DVD workshop which compiles all worksheets in the book in electronic form. Especially recommended for aspiring writers.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch