The Writing Method
That Works for One of Our Most Popular Authors
About the Book
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
Reviews
"Don't
write your book -- build it with Weinberg's Fieldstone Method. Keep the project
moving by breaking the project into easy-to-attack chunks; gather your ideas one
at a time. Then stack them as you would stones in a wall."
-- Dan Poynter author of Writing Nonfiction and The Self-Publishing
Manual
"It wasn't until I participated
in one of Jerry Weinberg's writing workshops that
I was able to take my writing to the next level.
. . .
"I'm
proof these techniques work. I've published three books, over 100 articles, and
am working on my next few books. Next few books, you ask? Yes. One of the techniques
Jerry suggests is that you have many fieldstones, chunks of work in progress.
In progress may mean you've written two words. It may mean you've written several
chapter-like things. It may mean you've written 50 words. Fieldstones allow you
to make progress on any piece of work, which can allow you to finish more writing
projects than you could imagine.
"If you want to start your writing
career, or if you want to write better, or if you want to revitalize your writing,
buy this book. "
-- Johanna
Rothman author of Hiring the Best Knowledge Workers, Techies &
Nerds
"Part memoir, part how-to, Weinberg on Writing
dispenses with the mysteries and misconceptions of craft and shows any writer
how -- and how not to -- hone their skills. Weinberg's method of finding fieldstones
with which to build your writing strikes me as one of the more effective metaphors
for the writing craft I've ever seen. Weinberg also rightly places the emphasis
on writing about what matters to you rather than perpetrating the old saw, 'Write
what you know.' Writers of any stripe will go far following Weinberg's method."
-- Jennifer Lawler
author
of Dojo Wisdom for Writers
"Jerry Weinberg's lessons in writing are smart, funny,
memorable, wise, engaging . . . and, most important, it is all stuff that works,
it's practical. What more would you want?"
-- Howard S. Becker
author
of Writing for Social Scientists
"I
suppose the strongest praise of a how-to writing book would be to say it's changed
the way I intend to organize and write my next book. And it's true! I'm now beginning
to gather information and think about the structure of my next project, and I'm
going to adopt Jerry's Fieldstone Method. I think Jerry has made my writing life
easier. This book is a gift to writers at all levels from a true pro with sterling
credentials."
-- Penny Raife Durant award-winning
author of nine children's books, including When Heroes Die and Sniffles,
Sneezes, Hiccups and Coughs
"Weinberg on Writing is a strange
little gem: part writer's guide, part personal philosophy, and part autobiography.
As such, it has something to offer for writers of non-fiction and fiction alike
-- and would also be a good read for anyone who has ever wondered where writers
get their ideas."
-- Jane Lindskold author of The
Firekeeper Saga
"After 40 plus years of writing
books articles and web postings, I finally understand what's been going on. Jerry
Weinberg has encapsulated in this book why I love writing. I guess I've always
followed his first commandment: Never attempt to write something you don't care
about.
"Sometimes it's hard, but as he pointed out that's
usually because I'm trying to write the wrong thing. Sometimes I feel self-conscious
throwing myself into my writing, but I'm not going to do that any more.
"Thanks
Jerry!"
-- David C. Hay author of Data
Model Patterns
"Two friends and I argued over the pains of
writing while watching a magnificent sunset over the Pacific in Ocean Beach, San
Diego. . . .
'"I read this book by Gerald Weinberg,' I replied, 'in which
he described convincingly how efficient it is to gather fieldstones throughout
life (snippets of anything that carry energy for you) and later use them as needed
in your writing.'
'"Though I do notice fieldstones, I never remember
them later,' Patrick complained, even as I was capturing that interaction -- admittedly
the first time ever I had prepared for such event. . . .
"At that time,
I had no idea how I would use that dialogue until four days later I decided to
write a review on Weinberg's book. I decided to use that very fieldstone to capture
the reader's attention regarding fieldstones. Did it work? I find Weinberg's method
so convincing and practical . . . invest in this book, and I bet it will W.O.W.
you!"
"One
of the best lines of Weinberg on Writing, and one every writer should commit
to memory is, 'I may run out of ideas, but I'll never run out of new combinations
of ideas.' In demystifying the mysterious process of writing through the consistent
metaphoric grappling hook of 'fieldstones' as ideas which float in and out of
our consciousness, Weinberg has written a wise and warm book on overcoming the
perils of trying to write."
-- Gabriele Rico, author
of Writing the Natural Way
"Weinberg on Writing is a combination
of tales from Jerry Weinberg's long writing career
and hands-on exercises. I particularly resonated
with the tale he tells in the beginning, about how
writing classes in school almost killed his desire
to write. School almost did that for me too. Jerry's
method is different. Collect what gives you energy,
play with your collection, organize when you're
ready.
"If you have an interest in writing,
want to try another style, or find your fun back
doing it, I find Weinberg on Writing worth
checking out."
--
Willem van den Ende works as programmer/trainer/coach,
writes a weblog. Would like to write more.
"If you're thinking about writing
a book, Jerry Weinberg, author of more than 40 books
and 400 articles, has just published an entertaining
reference for writers, Weinberg on Writing: The
Fieldstone Method. It's a great resource for
new and veteran authors."
"In his new book, acclaimed consultant,
teacher, and author Jerry Weinberg introduces his
approach to writing called The Fieldstone Method.
This is not a book about grammar or style, but about
*getting things written* -- and cutting yourself
some slack in the process. In today's world of blogging
and "agile publishing," Weinberg's evolutionary,
non-linear method is especially welcome. This excerpt
explains how Fieldstoning can break the cycle of
writer's block."
"A frequent pastime for all writers
and aspiring writers is to read books of advice
on how to write. . . . Weinberg has produced 30-plus
books and 100s of articles over his career. He has
also combined a career that started out dealing
with technology and transformed to dealing with
organizations and the behavior of the people in
them. That mixture leads to a view about the practice
of writing that is among the most actionable and
most aligned with the world I find myself in than
anything I have yet encountered. Weinberg is not
concerned with the mechanics of writing or particularly
with the low-level details. Instead, his focus is
on how to integrate the process of writing into
the rest of your daily world in a way that makes
each better.
-- Jim McGee
consultant and author of the weblog McGee's
Musings
". . . this is a fun, interesting
book which takes a perspective which is unusual
and stimulating. . . . 'The Feldstone Method starts
with gathering, not with organizing.' This is, in
a nutshell, what makes the concepts in this book
different from most other books on writing."
-- Maggie Ball The Compulsive Reader
"Building a fieldstone structure
requires gathering the right stones in a step-by-step
process, as fieldstones vary in size, color, texture,
shape and density. Similarly, writing a book requires
the gathering of ideas or as Weinberg succinctly
reminds us, "snatches of writing, photos, diagrams,
quotations, pictures, and references that you find
interesting. . . ."
"Weinberg has written a clever
writing manual. On one level it is highly readable
and on another it is packed with excellent insights
into how to effectively perfect the writing process
with less pain and much more enjoyment."
". . . an informed and informative
instructional reference to the process and skill
of effective writing. Weinberg introduces the reader
to forty-four exercises and offers many insightful
tactics. Weinberg On Writing is an excellent
detailing of all the necessary steps to be taken
amidst the attempts and struggles of writing a book.
Weinberg enlightens the readers to many original
and particular strategies rarely recognized or pursued.
. . . very strongly recommended to all aspiring
authors particularly oriented or favoring the presence
of nature in their writing."
-- Diane Donovan
Editor, Bookwatch
"Weinberg on Writing describes
the actual process a real person goes about when
coming up with ideas for a piece, how he organizes
those ideas, and little things like transitions
and word choice. It will be especially helpful with
people trying to get published in a magazine for
the first time or people who produce technical documentation
for a living.
". . . I've never read a book
so specific, down-to-earth, and approachable about
the writing process. Most of what I have learned
about writing was learned by finding *bad* writing,
learning the symptoms, and trying to avoid them.
This book actually provides positive, specific steps
to improve the quality of your writing, along with
exercises. . . .
"As for the actual process of
writing, this book is far and away better than anything
else I have ever read. Five Stars. Buy it today."
-- Matt Heusser Software Developer
"As a writer, I was very excited
about the prospect of learning from Weinberg himself
his thoughts on the writing process. I was not disappointed.
This book set me free as a writer. The fieldstone
approach gave me the freedom to use many of the
articles, quips, replies to e-mail questions, and
other smaller writings as a basis for books. The
basis of the approach is that instead of working
from an outline or trying to write something from
beginning to end, you approach the project like
someone building a structure from natural stones.
. . .
"I firmly believe that one of
the best and fastest roads to success for anyone
is to write well. The better you write, the more
exposure and credibility you get. I recommend this
book to anyone who writes, who may aspire to write
and also to those that are intimidated by the thought
of writing."
"It's the closest thing to being
in a Weinberg workshop . . .
"I wonder how different my writing
life would have been if my freshman English teacher
in college had had access to Jerry's book as a text.
I can't answer that question, but I can say that
my writing life has been changed by Jerry in person
and by Weinberg on Writing, for the better
in each case!"
"This is THE book on writing.
Short and sweet: in a thin paperback, Weinberg covers
the entire spectrum from mechanics of organizing
paragraphs to how to gather and integrate your ideas.
Weinberg comes from the software field, but knows
how to write a book I couldn't put down. It has
automatically become one of my "toolkit" books --
one of a few I'll keep on my shelf to refer to regularly.
"You don't just work on one thing.
You work on many different things and there are
many different kinds of activities you can do when
you 'slow down.'"
"I've taken much of his book to heart
. . . Let this book work its magic on you. The changes
seem obvious and subtle. However, they've seemed
to work well for me."
". . . a thought-provoking book
about how to write using the metaphor of building
a fieldstone wall. Jerry Weinberg addresses the
problem of writer's block by showing how metaphorical
stones can be continually collected. . . . The process
of collecting stones typically contributes to ongoing
work on a number of potential finished books, articles,
reports or even blog entries. . . . Of the many
lessons in this book worth heeding my favourite
is Jerry's first: "Never attempt to write something
you don't care about". After all, a fine stone wall
is built by a master craftsman with passion. Writing
should be similar."
To
order this book by credit card directly from Dorset House in New York,
please call (800) 342-6657 or (212) 620-4053, weekdays, 9am to 6pm. Alternatively,
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and fax to (212) 727-1044.
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We'd
like to make it easy for you to order, so please contact
us at any time for help!
DORSET HOUSE PUBLISHING CO., INC.
353 West 12th Street New York, New York 10014 USA
1-800-DH-BOOKSor 212-620-4053, fax 212-727-1044
