The Write Way

		Gay Grant
		1.207.582.7766 P.O. Box 4 S. Gardiner, Maine 04359


	Book Recommendations and Reviews by: Gay M. Grant

	"Along the Kennebec: The Herman Bryant Collection"
	Gay M. Grant
	Read Review

	"Bird by Bird"
	Anne Lamott
	Read Review

	"Write Tight"
	William Brohaugh
	Read Review

	"The Artist's Way"
	Julia Cameron
	Read Review


			Along the Kennebec: The Herman Bryant Collection, by Gay M. Grant. Even if you do not live along Maine’s mighty Kennebec River, you will be enchanted by Bryant’s photographs and the stories they evoke. Stories and anecdotes from local elders complement Bryant’s high-quality turn-of-the-century photos.

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			Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. Sometimes you need to know your “as” from your “like.” For these times, there’s Strunk and White’s "Elements of Style." Other times you need a little friendly encouragement from someone who understands how hard it is some days to stare at the blank page or screen. Lamott writes with sincerity and humor and hones right in on the nut of a writer’s worst fears. In the chapter “Someone to read your drafts,” Lamott writes with humor and sensitivity about how difficult it can be to hear critical opinions of your work.

			Yet she still encourages writers to seek the opinion of someone they trust before sending manuscripts out.

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			All writers have their favorite writing references, and on my desk at the newspaper, next to Strunk and White and the "Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual," was William Brohaugh’s "Write Tight." This book, subtitled “How to keep your prose sharp, focused and concise,” is as useful for grant writers with strict page, font and margin limits as it is for journalists. Space is money, and annoying your readers with flabby writing will not win you book contracts, customers, or grant funds.


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			This book, required reading in many college Fine Arts syllabi, has perhaps launched more creative ventures than any other book. Whether you are a writer, artist, entrepreneur, or business person who must think creatively to stay competitive, Cameron’s book should also be required reading for you.

			If you read it when it came out ten years ago, dust it off and start doing those “morning pages” again. If you have long dreamt of pursuing a creative endeavor, Cameron’s “12 Steps” will give you a jump start. Using her “basic tools” inspired me to launch The Write Way. “Stop waiting until you make enough money to do something you’d really love,” she writes. So I did, and now I am.

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