Publisher's Synopsis
Gerald M. Weinberg, author of more than forty books -- including eighteen published by Dorset House -- reveals his secrets for collecting and organizing his ideas for writing projects.
Drawing an analogy to the stone-by-stone method of building fieldstone walls, Weinberg shows writers how to construct fiction and nonfiction manuscripts from key insights, stories, and quotes.
The elements, or stones, are collected nonsequentially, over time, and eventually find logical places in larger pieces. The method renders writer's block irrelevant and has proved effective for scores of Weinberg's writing class students.
If you've ever wanted to write a book or article -- or need to revitalize your writing career -- don't miss this intimate glimpse into the mind behind some the computer industry's best books.
Topics Include:
* learning to care about what you have to write
* exercises in playing with your words
* when is it plagiarism
* the structure of creation versus the structure of presentation
* stimulate your memory
* getting published
* and much more
Insights from the Book
"What would you really like to write? For many would-be writers, this is the hardest exercise of all. They've never in their lives allowed themselves to think about what they wanted. So, put aside everything your teachers told you, your parents told you, your boss told you, your spouse told you, or I told you. Dream your dream. Would you like to write about how to play pinball? What it feels like to canoe a Class Five rapids? Your grandmother's knitting? What's wrong with the design of some computer system? Peace in Ireland? What you'd like your children to know about you? Something to amuse your grandchildren? How you get in touch with God? I can't tell you. This is where you have to find out for yourself."
"Can it be more than one thing? Certainly. Are you allowed to get it 'wrong'? Absolutely. Can you change your mind later? Definitely. But right now, let your heart tell you what you'd like to write. Then write it down -- just the title, or titles. Any more than that is optional."
"Don't be disappointed if you can't identify what you really want to write. Quite likely, you'll find many answers, but none will be the final answer. I knew when I was eight years old, but I didn't know I knew until about forty years later." - from Chapter 1
