Good advice. Clear, concise, great tips on getting the creative juices flowing.

With NaNoWriMo just around the corner, it's time to get some inspiration - and what better way than with the bluntly named "I Should be Writing". My internal monologue reads this as *screams* "I SHOULD BE WRITING!!!" in a harried, overly-caffeinated way so quite why there isn't an exclamation mark on the end of the title is (spoiler alert) a mystery that is unfortunately left unresolved within the pages of the book. Perhaps I equate a different level of stress to the knowledge that I've wasted two hours looking at videos of puppies vs stairs when I know that I SHOULD BE WRITING!!! - and is possibly the reason that Mur Lafferty has a book and I... well, I know all the ways that a puppy can fall down the stairs. So cute!

I digress...

I Should be Writing (bet you screamed that in your head) is part self help book, part constructive guide to get you to, well, write. There's a big focus on motivation ("You're a writer. Get over it" (seriously, what does Mur have against exclamation marks?)) with plenty of tips for avoiding common mistakes, improving your manuscript and a brief discussion on the different ways to sell your work. There's also lots of writing exercises to spark your imagination, should you be a bit stuck. The book is pretty brief, but it's the sort of guide that you can dip in and out of to get an overview on a particular topic, because, you know, you really should be writing...

I found the actual advice given in the book to be pretty useful, if a bit basic (my favourite thing that I learnt was if a character can be replaced with a sexy lamp, you need to make her have more agency). There was some good stuff on character development, passive language and plot devices that helped me to think about the structure and direction of my work (I say that as if I have actually written something - I haven't - but I do have ideas) which again was quite useful. I'm sure that if I do actually sit down and write something I will become immediately sidetracked by the pretty shiny on Pintrest so knowing that I have some constructive advice to fall back on is quite comforting.

I found that when I was reading the writing exercises at the back of the book I was immediately trying to answer the prompts in my head. I think it was the way they each headed a blank page - it felt like I was in an exam and I had to draw a spider diagram to get all of my ideas down before I forgot them. I might still get a mark even if I don't get round to writing about them! After all, I've only got an hour! Aargh! How many points is the question worth? I'm going to need extra paper! Why is Clara using a highlighter pen? It never leaves you...

I could easily have smashed out a few hundred words for each of the writing exercises so I'd recommend this book on the strength of these prompts alone. I think they could definitely help authors with writers block as they were all clear, non-repetitive and easily relatable; no weird shit like "you look out of the window and there's a dinosaur in your garden. Write about what happens next" (Answer: you die from the seizure which initiates such bizzare visions) or "A horse opens its mouth and..." which makes you churn out such nonsense that you question your integrity as a person, let alone a writer. Top marks for Mur. They probably used highlighters too.

The only thing that this book was missing was advice on literally how to write; where you should start, how you can plan a novel out, how to remember which character is which etc. I would have liked some input on these topics over and above "just start writing". For me that way madness lies but I guess I just enjoy having a proper structure to stick to. To each their own.

Overall, I enjoyed reading "I Should be Writing" (punctuation optional) and I think it would be a good, basic guide for the aspiring novelist. It's a fun, quick read that avoids all of the dry, textbookyness (I know that's not a word but Mur said I'm a writer so I can do shit like that) of other writing guides. The focus on motivation and procrastination could be really useful and the writing exercises gave me some great ideas. All in all, a great introduction to writing and a useful book to have around.

A (very) short, sweet book for the beginner writer. Lafferty's tone is lovely, full of support and encouragement. Would be a good companion to Chris Baty's 'No Plot? No Problem!'.

I created a vlog here...

https://youtu.be/40xdxn3gfiU

A great book for aspiring or fledgling writers, would highly recommend. Great, real advice and honest look at the publishing industry, tips and ways to cope are especially helpful. The book is very well laid out, with chapters that you can read as standalone pieces. The design is excellent and the content has a nice mix of serious advice and fun statements. I would definitely recommend this book if you are thinking about writing!

Really well laid out and contained solid information. It's a really short book though. I didn't expect that.

I found the bully/muse conversations really odd and a little annoying. Otherwise it would be a nice a gift book for a writer.
I did enjoy doing the writing exercises at the end. Probably my favorite part of the book.

Before I started reading, I was under the assumption that I would already know everything the author wanted to teach the reader. And I was right. Only, it was brought in such a great way that the information felt fresh to me. It motivated me. Sometimes you need a reminder that you are not alone when suffering from self-doubt, distractions or believing in writing myths. Most writers are the same and the author of this book gives helpful tools and advice to deal with these common pitfalls.

The last third of the book contains writing exercises and prompts that are useful in so many ways: dealing with writer’s block, coming up with new ideas, creating more rounded characters and so on.

The writing is fluent and enjoyable. The layout of the book is really pretty. I read it in a couple of hours and didn’t feel the need to skip anything (as I sometimes do when reading craft books). I would recommend it to any aspiring author.

This is a super useful resource for writers. Full of encouragement while remaining realistic, I had a hard time putting it down. I've churned out more pages since I started this book than I have in some time. I definitely recommend it!

I'm currently toying with an idea for a book and my brain is telling me a lot of "Your idea is stupid." and "You'll never get it done." I loved that Lafferty included a "Bully" and a "Muse" in this book. There was some really good advice for aspiring writers, such as the best way to better your writing is to write. That may seem obvious, but it is nice to be reminded that all you have to do is begin. I found this book to be very encouraging and motivational. I recommend it to any aspiring writer.

So, none of this information is new. None of it. But what is new to me, is the way the information was delivered. This book favours the tough love approach and, initially, this jarred with me. I’m someone who adores self-help books and pins motivational quotes to her Pinterest boards on a daily basis. This begun with the negatives and I wasn’t too sure I liked the approach. Soon, however, I begun to see that this book wasn’t telling the wannabe writer to quit now, but to warn them off any disillusions about the field they are about to enter.

This book has a gorgeous look to it. Full of vibrancy and illustrations, it is aesthetically pleasing to devour. It make you want to learn from it. That’s important. It also alleviated some of the tough love approach that it uses to impart its vital information. And that's important too.

The handy bully and muse graphic speech bubbles were other light-hearted intrusions that lightened the tone of the text. These 'thoughts' demonstrated the degrading thoughts every individual allows their inner-bully to bombard them with and the positivity and light that the inner-muse fills you with. It felt like these inserted thoughts were plucked directly from my own mind and it was often scary how accurate they were.

The style of writing also matched the clean-lines of the artwork. There’s no waffle here. In illustration or otherwise. This is straight-to-the-point writing, which again differs to many other how to’s that I have read. This tells the reader the point it wants to make and moves on. There’s no 15 page explanation and no numerous examples of the point. Just the point. I found this strangely refreshing all round, and packed with knowledge any writer should arm themselves with.

AS an aspiring writer, I thought this book was clear and helped me to learn some things about writing and how to go about it.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to write professionally or just for themselves.

Unfortunately I couldn't review this book because I couldn't read it on the conversion on my computer. I normally read the books on my Kindle but this wasn't an option. Would have been very interested to read because the blurb sounded fantastic. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review. Sorry I couldn't.

Award-winning podcaster Mur Lafferty has plenty of listeners who want to write books. Maybe you're one of them.

PROS:
- Great layout makes it easy to read/skim.
- Nice resources (page 97)
- There's a fun battle between the Muse and the Bully (devil vs. angel).

CONS:
- It's less than 100 pages of meat.
- $17 is a bit steep to pay for little substance (if it were a $3 ebook, then it would be worth 4 stars).
- Mostly targeted to fiction writers, not nonfiction.

There are many pages at the end of the book that provides you a type of workbook.
These pages just feel like filler.

It's a good title, but lackluster delivery.
There are more practical books out there that motivate you to write.

Lots of interesting advice, much I'd not seen anywhere else. Was glad to have been introduced to Mur through this galley and am now an avid listener to her podcast. Really enjoyed this thoughtful, insightful, often times funny book.

This book is a very good guide to writing. I plan on buying a copy for my almost 18 year old daughter, who secretly would like to be a writer. I think this book may be the positive inspiration she needs.

This is a great motivational tool for when you feel like you have lost your writing mojo. The author includes plenty of ways to kick start your writing brain and help you to get past your blocks. I liked that she included plenty of writing prompts and other ideas to help you recharge your batteries.

As someone who goes through phases of solid writing and then becomes a bit of a slacker, I'm always on the lookout for writing books with fresh ideas, and this one has some good ones. I felt better after reading this and it is a book that i will keep around to read again when I start to feel myself slipping out of my routine.

If you are a writer struggling to get words down on the page or the screen, this book will likely be useful to you. It isn't a dull read and the author makes you laugh and see the humour in the life of an author. Well written and helpful.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book felt too simple to have a real audience. Most of the stuff said in this book has been repeated over and over again and there was nothing new under the sun. However, what I did like about this book were the writing exercises included, something to spark creativity.

A wonderful book for would be writers, those at the start of their writing journey or those who have lost their way. Down to earth, honest and straight talking it gives you the kick you need to write as well as the tools, tips and encouragement to carry on. Unlike some writing guides, the writing style means that is easy and quick to take on board what he is saying so there is less time reading and more time writing.

This was a book I picked out of curiosity, since I'm not a writer, however I've 'dabbled' :). Full of great information, after reading "I Should Be Writing", I've realized that I shouldn't be a writer. I'll leave it to the 'professionals'.

A quick read addressing all the major elements preventing you from getting out of your own way and writing. Read like a conversation and I really enjoyed that about this book on a pretty saturated topic. Particularly appreciated the author's personal experiences and the writing exercises.

A desk book for beginner writers. I think it will be good to dip into especially at those times when writing is difficult. It tackles all the main writing problems at quite a high level so will serve as a good reminder or jolt. I loved all the art work and patterned pages (although does make reading it as a digital book a bit more difficult).. Keep it on your desk while you are writing and read a bit at a time. I found the Bully and Muse conversations a little strange, but overall a good book.