THE ICE PICK

Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life, by Terry Brooks. New York, Ballantine Books, 2003. 197 p. $22.95.

One of the joys, for me, in reading many books about writing in order to try and pick the best to review, is finding a book like this one.

And I think that whether you are a Terry Brooks fan or not, you will find his book an informative one and a fun read.

More than an autobiography and less than a how-to-write book (although he offers much advice and a few rules along the way), this book is an invitation to learn how Terry Brooks went from wannabe to best-selling author. He tells of his frustrations and successes with movie adaptations, of how the element of luck played out in getting Lester del Rey for an editor, and of how he learned from his son to be willing to look for “the possibilities” and allow himself to be surprised by what he found.

Written in an easy open style, the book made me feel as if I were sitting and talking with him. He gives tips on how to “show,” rather than “tell” your story, and how you can make your characters come alive, just as he does. He talks about the importance of daydreaming for an author and how to get your emerging story down on paper.

I am not a fan of outlining--it doesn’t work for me--but even so, I was envious as I read how his system of outlining a novel allows him to do one draft, one rewrite, and be finished. It made me want to try it out.

Brooks gives warnings too. “If you do not hear the music in your words, you have put too much thought into your writing and not enough heart.” “If you don’t think there is magic in writing, you probably won’t write anything magical.” “If you do not ever wonder what happened to your characters after you stopped writing about them, you didn’t care enough about them in the first place.” “If anything in your life is more important than writing, you should walk away now while you still can.”

I think the book’s price is a little steep, but I’m glad I bought it, as I loved reading it and will probably re-read it many times. I recommend it very highly. (Maybe you can get someone to give it to you as a Christmas present.)

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Sept. 2003.}