Ironic that this book came out in the same year, 1934, as James M. Cain's breakout novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice. Cain's charge was the launching pad for hard-bitten, tell-it-like-it-is, choppy dialogue, a style that is still much in vogue today. ##### Although Brande's style is distinctly that of another period, which unlike Cain's did not carry through to our present day, it nonetheless retains a certain charm which should be forever recognized. Her intermixture of pathos and purity side-by-side with an indefinable restlessness--a never-say-die pursuit of truth--is indeed endearing. What I liked best about this book is its in-depth probing of rest / work balance, an aspect of writing seldom examined. In my writing career, on the work side of the equation, I found that chewing on a narrative problem late at night, right into the alpha state of sleep, would produce answers first thing in the morning upon awakening. So often I would scramble out of bed and hasten to my old IBM Selectric typewriter to immediately get down on paper, pound into print, those wonderful ideas and phrases that came together in my head overnight. ##### Many of the thoughts so eloquently expressed in this book, outdated as they are, should come through like a telepathic echo. To any young writer still at the front end of his / her writing career they should appear like a down payment on a dream.

This is an excellent classic (1934) complete with stilted sentences from a bygone era. Dorothea Brande presents a philosophy of how to create original and truthful writing. To help you she presents several exercises which you would expect from a book written in the 1980's. I have started on her recommendations -- most of which revolve around increasing your creativity and originality and applying them to your writing.

Highly recommended for anyone who writes. This book is a true gem. I'll read this book many times.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

I adore this book - it was like going to my favorite elderly neighbor's house for a cup of tea and finding out all her best secrets about her area of giftedness.

The language Miss Brande uses is reflective of her time - she uses phrases I would never think to use... and I delighted in each turn of the letter, each loving bit of guidance and suggestion.

"Becoming a Writer" reminded me of "So You Want to Write" by Brenda Ueland, though this book feels more structured to me and less conversational. Her ideas are echoed in the modern works of writers such as Julia Cameron.

She offers many exercises and manners of stretching yourself as a writer, offered to make your uniqueness more pronounced and aid in your quest to do exactly what the title says, become a writer.

Her concluding chapter: "In conclusion: Some Prosaic Pointers" is flawless and timeless, even as it speaks of the necessity for two typewriters (substitute computers).

I am so glad I finally read this book, one I had heard referred to for such a long time. It is truly a classic to be loved, to be returned to, and to be treasured for all times.

This book continues to be available long after its original publication in 1934 because its advice remains pertinent for the most part. Brande tells how to make information known about the two hemispheres of the brain work for you. The advice she offers is very doable and is something that might be overlooked otherwise.

A proper balance between acting and planning is stressed. She writes, "The man of genius...acts...he creates an event." Creativity is the essence of writing. Ideas come from a fruitful mind and that is a prelude to production. Rest is a significant part of the process. As she puts it, "This freshness of response is vital to the author's talent."

The discussion of balancing work and rest relates to tapping the unconscious, which must have rest if it is to contribute. She notes that "any art must draw on this higher content of the unconscious as well as on the memories and emotions stored away there." A lot of good insight from someone who has done already contributed a significant work.

Brande's timeless classic is the mother of writer's inspirational books and still in print. I swear other writers steal from her exercises to fill their writing books.

Brande covers nearly every tangible aspect to the writing life - working, creating time, friends, trusted readers, finding good books, etc. This advice echoes through the journals and diaries of authors small and large. (I'm not kidding. Check how many times this is mentioned in the National Archives of our most beloved authors.)

In the early 1900's when this book was first released, writing was modern and reaching new heights. The fact that this book could be put in a contemporary cover and sold as new is a testament to its validity.