Book Description
So succinct are the author's insights that these writings have outlasted the dissolution of the samurai class to come down to the present and be read for guidance and inspiration by the captains of business and industry, as well as those devoted to the practice of the martial arts in their
modern form.
Customer Reviews:
A spiritual book for the swordsman........2007-10-10
I would suggest this book for Kendo and Kenjutsu practitioners for spiritual reasons.
Soho was the spiritual teacher of a famous Swordsman Yagyu Munenori. In Yagyu¡¦s books his strong Zen background is evident. Soho was not an excellent swordsman himself. However he pioneered the spiritual aspects of chopping someone¡¦s head off. He was more of a cook than swordsman. As is evident by his now famous pickle.
So buy a jar of Soho pickles to munch on before reading this book. º
I like Takuan's Zen..........2005-11-04
...I'd like to meet him. But not in a duel. The title of the book is appropriate. Do not park your mind. Zen is a no-parking zone. It is alright to park your tail on a cushion, though. To understand this book, you need to be a bit of a martial artist, and a bit of a zennist to begin with. Not for beginners, or for those who like their gruel thin.
the unfettered pickle.......2005-10-30
i know this is completely unhelpful and i'm going to be berated for this review, but i think it's funny. in japan there's a kind of pickle named after takuan.
also (on the horrific side of things), the idea of combining buddhism and warrior values is kind of scary to me. really what it leads to is "mindless" killing. ideas along this vein were used during WWII to encourage just that.
hate me if you want.
Neither zen nor sword.......2003-05-11
I got interested in the book because of its references to swordsmanship and Buddhism, two seemingly incompatible subjects. I knew for a fact that the Japanese used Buddhism as a vehicle for training the warrior class, and learning that the book consisted of letters from a Zen monk to a swordsman, expected the book to contain reasons why Buddhism and swordsmanship were compatible.
I found no satisfactory answers. Instead (within the first and second letters) was Soho's (the Zen monk) teaching to swordsmen to fulfill the master/servant contract. "...Therefore it is better not to inquire who this lord or that might be, but to simply think 'the lord,' and consider right-mindedness towards him without mentioning his name." I found Soho's such Confucianism-oriented(!) teachings puzzling.
For those of you whom are approaching this from the spiritual (Buddhism) side like myself, there are parts of the book that touches the five skandhas (things of temporal existence), how consciousness arises, and the importance of not fixating one's mind in any one thing (this became the Sino-Japanese title of the book), but there are much elaborate and better Buddhism references available. For those of you want to approaching from the business side, I suppose you may gain some insight about the Japanese way of viewing the world, but there are too few maxims in this book that you could ponder over. This is no Sun Tzu.
There might be misunderstandings on my part, but to me the importance of the book seems historical.
A Great Translation.......2001-09-08
This book contains a collection of three letters/essays from Takuan Soho to masters of the sword arts. They contain some incredible gems. This book should not just be read; but reflected upon.As another reviwer said, "The ideas of the interval between striking flint and steel to the production of the spark, or the visual and mental image of the glint of light on the blade of a sword become captivating and even revelatory." I could not have said it any better myself. This is a must read book.
Amazon.com
In One Continuous Mistake, Gail Sher applies the teachings of Zen Buddhism to the creative-writing process. Though there are a few writing exercises here, this is less a workbook than a series of meditations on how to be a writer. "When you read Zen literature," says Sher, "you must read each sentence with a fresh mind." And so should you write. "The real work of writing is, day after day, to discover how to maintain freshness." To do so, Sher advises (among other things) a single-minded focus, a daily writing period, sitting with a straight spine, and "letting words fall freely, without editing or censuring." By doing so, says Sher, your body "gives birth ... to what you never expected, predicted, could have thought up." Only then, adds Sher, should you revise. And when you do, revise boldly. "As Suzuki-roshi used to say about getting up when the alarm rings," she says, "'Never make the same decision twice.'" --Jane Steinberg
Book Description
Based on the Zen philosophy that we learn more from our failures than from our successes, One Continuous Mistake teaches a refreshing new method for writing as spiritual practice. In this unique guide for writers of all levels, Gail Sher-a poet who is also a widely respected teacher of creative writing-combines the inspirational value of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way with the spiritual focus of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Here she introduces a method of discipline that applies specific Zen practices to enhance and clarify creative work. She also discusses bodily postures that support writing, how to set up the appropriate writing regimen, and how to discover one's own "learning personality."
In the tradition of such classics as Writing Down the Bones and If You Want to Write, One Continuous Mistake will help beginning writers gain access to their creative capabilities while serving as a perennial reference that working writers can turn to again and again for inspiration and direction.
Customer Reviews:
A writers duty well done.......2006-06-05
All writers apart from writing their 'magnum opuses' should make their 'key to their art' available in the form of writing or recors for interested readers who wish to know what writing meant to the authrs, how they went about ideas etc.
Gail Sher has done a good job of letting us know not only the above things but also how other authors like woof,thoreau and so on interacted with writing.
While writing about the four truths for writers, she also tells us how writing a haiku has got her stated on writing, the common fallacies like getting discouraged by feedback,how to deal with the well known writers block and well sated 'writers anorexia' that writers are bound to get stuck with, how much of reading is good or bad for writing, the importance of a making a habit of writing.
Five Pillars of writing is an excellent chapter on how to start with 'flat writing' of everyday events and tring to build something out of it in phases.
Her truths all echo 'write' which is a message well sent across in the book.
Great Book on the Writing Process.......2005-12-25
This book is a great merging of Eastern thinking and Western literature. An unusual and surprisingly cogent inspirational writing help book. Highly recommended for the open-minded thinker!
An inspiring and delicious read..........2002-03-21
I opened this book intending to browse the first few pages. Instead, I finished the book and went right to work writing. I've never thought of myself as a an actual "writer," but now I do! She blows away the concept of "writer's block," inspiring the reader with clear and simple suggestions for writing as a daily process. Even if you are NOT interested in writing, chances are that you will be after reading this book. Her prose resonates like poetry.
so much inspiration in one little book.......2001-11-02
I was so inspired after reading the first couple pages of "One Continuous Mistake" that I had to stop reading to go about the business of writing (of all things).
Gail Sher has merged her years of experience as a writing teacher (who has clearly listened to the issues her students confronted) with her years of practicing, studying and teaching Zen Buddhism to make a very simple demystifying guidebook to a writing life. If you are looking for a workbook, there are wonderful exercises and a very useful guide to writing haikus in the appendix. But even more, if you aren't looking for ideas about the specific "what" or "how" of writing, but are concerned with the continual challenge of maintaining a writing life, this is a great book to have on hand. I plan to re-read this book throughout my writing life and give it as a gift to all my writerly friends.
Inspiration rising!.......2001-01-31
Gail Sher is a master baker, author of the inspirational 'From A Baker's Kitchen', which like the better known 'Tassajara Bread Book' describes less a set of recipes than a way of life.
The same can be said of 'One Continuous Mistake'. With writing as with baking, what is offered is not a set of prescriptive guidelines, for this is not a simplistic 'how-to' manual. Rather this is a highly accessible and attractive collection of insights into what it is to be a writer.
Sher is a member of the San Francisco Zen Center, and her approach is guided by an interpretation of Zen principles. For her, writing, like meditation, is a 'practice'. The path is itself the destination.
I would take issue with the Amazon review posted here, which says, 'Though there are a few writing exercises here, this is less a workbook than a series of meditations on how to be a writer.' Actually there are plenty of 'exercises' if you want them. For instance, the book is particularly helpful in guiding the reader through the writing of haiku (short poems)as a way into writing. Sher's approach is intensely practical. She proposes 'four noble truths' of writing, of which the first is 'writers write'! However, rather than haranguing readers into despair over the paucity of our own written words, she invites us to see how exactly the writing life can become for us immesurably enriching.
Actually, there is another book on a similar theme - writing as interpreted by a Zen perspective - and it's called 'Writing Down The Bones' by Natalie Goldberg. Don't ask me to choose between them. Read them both. After all, writers need all the friends they can get.
Book Description
"Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a land mine. The land mine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces back together. Now, it's your turn. Jump!" Zest. Gusto. Curiosity. These are the qualities every writer must have, as well as a spirit of adventure. In this exuberant book, the incomparable Ray Bradbury shares the wisdom, experience, and excitement of a lifetime of writing. Here are practical tips on the art of writing from a master of the craft-everything from finding original ideas to developing your own voice and style-as well as the inside story of Bradbury's own remarkable career as a prolific author of novels, stories, poems, films, and plays. Zen In The Art Of Writing is more than just a how-to manual for the would-be writer: it is a celebration of the act of writing itself that will delight, impassion, and inspire the writer in you. In it, Bradbury encourages us to follow the unique path of our instincts and enthusiasms to the place where our inner genius dwells, and he shows that success as a writer depends on how well you know one subject: your own life.
Customer Reviews:
Joy of writing.......2007-07-20
This book may be more for the word than the Zen practitioner, but it is for anyone wanting affirmation and inspiration for the craft of writing. Herein Bradbury provides us with the techniques and processes he used since the age of 12 to bring life to words; his deep love of writing and incredible memory, pour from each page making the reader almost drunk (on Dandelion Wine.) After reading this book you too will feel like you can and should write anything albeit with patience and practice.
Whether Bradbury realizes it or not, the discipline of writing is akin to the discipline of Zen as seen in consistent practice of that which we want to achieve, be it a novel or enlightenment. He shows us his method of confronting his childhood fears and shadows while also recommending that not thinking is essential to the creative flow of words that becomes a written product and how wonderful to read of his experiencing the sacred muse.
This book seemed like it would make great high school reading material to encourage young people who so need to express themselves, and it made me feel like using an old fashioned typewriter again, his pre-word-processing tool of hand to paper. It is short and easy to read, full of zest for life and of course the thrill of writing!
a gift that keeps on giving..........2007-04-04
how well do you know your own life? this might just determine how well of a writer that you are..this celebration of writing..a gem of a book..it's a gift from a great writer to all us wannabees, or trying to be's or writers breaking free of the mental blocks..or successful writers..this is a gift that just keeps on giving..inspiring..encouraging..
A Must For Any Aspiring Writer.......2005-12-15
Written by one of the truly great writers of our time, Ray Bradbury encourages and imparts some solid tips for writing well. Definitely a must for any aspiring writer, Bradbury gives advice on how to come up with marketable story ideas and how to approach writing them. It's like being guided along by a great writer who you would never meet any other way. One of the tips he offers is that quantity leads to quality. So his advice: keep writing. He also tells us that fiction can be more truthful than nonfiction. Then he shows us how to write down meaningful words in our lives that could possibly lead to compelling stories. It's definitely worth your time to spend a few hours with a fiction master. You never know what you may take away from it. Great book!
A gift from a master.......2005-11-17
Zen in the Art of Writing is a collection of essays written over the long career of Ray Bradbury. Each essay is like a little gift to the reader. He teaches us about writing on what we love, and what we hate and to always stay drunk on writing, because it saves us from reality.
Bradbury's single best piece of advice concerns, well, writing. He devotes a chapter on the mechanics of writing, the way he learned it. To become a successful writer according to Bradbury, one must write at least a thousand words a day until the process becomes automatic and the hand is no different from what it writes. It is simply fascinating to delve into the mind of one of the greatest science fiction writers on how the craft is done. This chapter alone is worth buying the book which seems to be quite cheap.
I am using this book as a reference for my research essay on fiction at Oklahoma State. It contains anecdotes and wisdom which will make you want to go out and write about everything you see. I couldn't recommend anything better for a beginning writer.
Guidance from a Genius.......2005-10-13
If ever I came across an author who was a master of both the art of writing AND life, it is Ray Bradbury. This small work summarizes where his inspiration, continuing motivation, and love and excitement of life all stem from. This isn't just a book encouraging and goading beginning and long-time writers alike; Bradbury presents his philosophy for life. The two go hand-in-hand and if you haven't figured that out yet.....read the book. That may be the key you're still seeking as a writer.
The very way you choose to live your life affects all of your goals and dreams alike. Take charge of it all, and your writing achievements are limitless.
If only I had the time to read everything this man has written. If only I could shake his hand and say, as just another admirer, "You've figured it all out; thanks for sharing it with the rest of us."
Customer Reviews:
Soul Transfusion.......2007-09-25
This book is like getting a transfusion. Not of blood, but of Ray Bradbury's enthusiasm. His motto was "Exactly one-half terror, one-half exhilaration." Well, this book takes out the terror of writing, and leaves us with pure exhilaration.
Even if you are not a writer, you may want to get this book just for Bradbury's zest.
This book is a tight tapestry of several ideas. It is part autobiographical, with the story of him ripping up his Buck Rodger's comics because his friends (like Job's friends) mocked him. Later he ripped up his friends as he stood strong for his conations and returned to his true bliss.
Bradbury also retells the story of his meeting Mr. Electrico at the carnival. Besides being the basis of "The Illustrated Man" and "Something Wicked This Way Comes," this meeting with the carne was Bradbury's equivalent of First Communion. He was never the same afterwards.
He also has some "nuts and bolts" tips for writers.
1. Let yourself explode. There are two types of explosions. One is the IED (improvised explosive device), where you just go to pieces. But there is also the explosion of popcorn. Be popcorn. Drop your restraints and inhibitions.
2. Write 1,000 words a day. This is not a whole lot, the equivalent of one full Amazon.com review. Trust me it works--it gets the garbage out of system. Practice makes perfect.
3. Follow a weekly regimen. Monday write. The next few days rewrite what you have written. This is crap filtration. Saturday send off the manuscript. Wash, rinse, repeat.
4. Don't think. That is, don't over think. Listen to your subconscious--that shadowy figure in the back of your heart that keeps talking to you. She tells you what is right or wrong. She's the same being who tells you things you had never thought of before. This is the muse. Without it, you cannot write.
This review cannot do justice to Ray's prose and sage advice. All I can do is whet your appetite, and hope you'll bite. The book is delicious!
ACTUNG: !!!BE SURE YOU GET THE EXPANDED VERSION!!!
Care and feeding your Muse.......2007-07-04
This book is a wonderful collection of essays on writing by Ray Bradbury. The essays span about 20 years. They are mostly about the creative process. He provides inspirational advice on how to care for and feed your Muse. He discusses the methods that work for him. He tells us stories about how he came to write some of his more famous short stories and novels - e.g. how he was driven to tears, writing his first great short story "The Lake".
The book is probably most valuable for accomplished writers, because he assumes that the reader has already mastered the mechanics of writing and story structure. There is no discussion of plotting, character development, how to sell your work.
If the book has a fault it is that Bradbury is too talented. In the book, he tells the story of writing the first draft of Fahrenheit 451. He wrote it over a few days at a pay typewriter, a dime at a time, in a UCLA library! What works for a genius such as himself, may not work for other writers. He can sit down at a typewriter, commence a prose poem on a noun and miraculously have a story appear on the page. Most other writers do not have the natural command of storytelling. They need to work in a much more structured fashion.
A Ray of Sunlight; Tapping Spirit Inside.......2007-06-05
This book is the real deal, Bradbury nails it. Call it parapfrasing what we all once knew, or tap into from time to time - but from Rainman it's a recipe, an axion, a reliable methodology! Never (almost never) have I felt connected, validated and understood at every page. Writing, like most of life and learning, is by nature. As we grow older and more analytical, and as we grow more attached to the physical world we move farther from the original spirit of our passions, as we learn, we forget. Bradnury makes it so easy to remember our dreams and live in the world that we as childrem, create for ourselves.
I bought this book and brought it into an adult writing class to show everyone. To my surprise, but not really, the teacher bought the book that same day!
Bradbury Can Write, But He Doesn't Know Zen.......2006-12-30
I've read Bradbury's short stories, The Martian Chronicles, and Farhenheit 451 and as always, I'm interested to see what a famous author has to say about the experience of writing.
The essays in this collection tend to be repetitive with many of the same ideas propounded over and over again: word association, childhood memories, and writing a short story a week. Maybe this is what Bradbury had in mind when he said Zen in the writing -- constant, meditative, mind numbing repitition. Along with the essays on writings, he throws in some poetry, which I found lacking, wishing he'd stuck with prose.
The strongest essay in the book is the title piece, in which Bradbury discloses that he knows almost nothing about Zen Buddhism, but found some parallels in the art of writing and the practice of Zen. To fully flush out the Zen/writing connection, the books of Natalie Goldberg are excellent, particularly Writing Down the Bones.
The strength of Bradbury's essay though isn't on the comparison of writing to Zen, but on the observation that the writer yearning for commercial success and the writer yearning for acceptance in literary circles are still both yearning and that desire affects their ability to create art. I've always struggled and felt torn in my own writing between my desire for a literary masterpiece and a commercial success. Bradbury suggests that you forget about either and focus on the craft and in creating something that is uniquely you and if your talent and your work ethic are sufficient, then you may just achieve both. Bradbury, himself, has done this on occasion with his work, transcending pop science fiction culture into literary realms, which gives his argument validity.
A different Zen book.......2006-11-18
His writing does come across as something that results from the way he wakes up with a thought explosion in his head each morning.
Reading about how he wrote many of his stories shows how he learnt his skill and how he enjoyed doing that. His way of writing doesnt associate with isolation or tiredness or block. In this sense its a different Zen.
He writes down all the situations that he found inspiring and leaves the reader there to start off writing.
Book Description
This unprecedented and unparalleled volume offers essential guidance—from the most influential Buddhist masters, and from many of modern Zen's preeminent teachers—on one of Zen's two most central practices. The second edition contains three new translations by renowned scholar-practitioners. This is essential for readers interested in meditation or Eastern religion. There is no other book devoted solely to the very important Zen practice of Shikantaza (literally, "just sitting").
Customer Reviews:
Thomas Cleary removed from the 2nd Edition........2006-05-24
The book is identical to the First Edition, with the one difference being that all of Thomas Cleary's translations have been yanked out and replaced with versions by other translators. I assume there is some doctrinal or sectarian infighting going on that made such an editorial decision necessary. But if you're buying the book because the Editorial Reviews section on Amazon mentions Cleary's name, AND you are a Cleary fan, then order a copy of the First Edition, still readily available.
Both editions are impeccable and adamantine of course. One is just Clearyless.
A shining collection of writtings from various masters.......2004-12-13
For those who fear being crushed under the weight of John Daido Loori's arrogance - fear not. This book is a fasinating display of writings from various masters. While the theme of each essay is the practice of Shikataza we are also offered a smorgasbord of other insights. The excellent editing of this book provides the reader with an assembly of some of the best Zen writings to be found under one roof.
A nearly compleat treatment of shikantaza.......2004-01-20
This is certainly not a book for somebody looking for a general introduction into zen budhism. But for those more accustomed with zen writings there is really much to find in this book. Everybody will enjoy to find new aspects of "shikantaza". The classical writings are welcomed, too, although not all are about the art of just sitting. So the book looks just compleat. Or is it? One point left me slightly annoyed: not one of the numerous modern authors comes from Europe. Seems like the Bush administration, J. Daido Loori is fine with the US and the old Europeans do not count. But there is a large and active school of Soto Zen in the tradition of Dogen in Europe, thanks to many years of teaching of T. Deshimaru Roshi, a disciple of Kodo Sawaki. A pity that none of his successors from Spain, Italy, France or Germany was invited to participate. Future editors of such books should do better.
A Collection of seminal teachings.......2002-11-06
Roshi John Daido Loori has assembled the single most comprehensive treasury of writings on the subject.
Often misunderstood, the practice of shikantaza is authoritatively presented and carefully examined in two dozen essays by Chinese, Japanese, and American masters, along with an appendix of six seminal classic texts.
This volume, spanning the centuries since Shakymuni Buddha to the present day, will prove indispensable to meditators and scholars alike.
John Daido Loori has given us a rare treasure.
Book Description
Sell Your Ideas While Achieving Peace of Mind
Sick of the frenzied whirlwind your life becomes when a deadline looms? Stressed about relying on that
last-ditch overnight service to squeeze your proposal in under the wire? Does even thinking about writing a proposal or making a presentation freeze you in a crippling panic? Help is here.
Whether you are requesting a raise, laying out a radically new marketing concept, pitching a book, or seeking a grant,
The Zen of Proposal Writing provides solid advice, tangible examples, and the keys to remaining calm and in control.
Drawing on the techniques and wit of Zen, Kitta Reeds shares her secrets as a seasoned professional—illustrating the stages of proposal writing with classic Zen parables coupled with on-point advice and practical instruction, including:
* One Hand Clapping: The Sound We Make When We Forget to Connect with Our Readers
* Zazen Meditation: How to Write that Proposal in Spite of Yourself
* The Simplicity of a Zen Garden: How to Grow Strong Verbs and Clean Up After Yourself
* Right Speech: How to Give a Sweet Pitch—and Win Over Your Audience
With an expert at your side, learn to eliminate stress, hand-wringing, and procrastination while you calmly compose an effective and winning proposal, the Zen way.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2006-03-16
This was a wonderful approach to writing business proposals. I thought it provided a holistic view of the writing process and very helpful pointers.
Average customer rating:
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Zen Enlightenment: Origins And Meaning (Buddhism & Eastern Philosophy)
ASIN: 3907070623 |
Amazon.com
Twilight Zone and Playhouse 90 veteran William Froug gives indispensable advice in that the Zen encourages you to be true to your voice, write what you want, and dispense with all those books that straitjacket you into a formula. Think of the money you'll save! (Unless, of course, you have an urgent need to write a Speed or Die Hard sequel.) Froug also reinforces my Northern California bias (my home turf): two of the interviews that pepper this book are with screenwriters who live there--Bo Goldman and David and Janet Peoples.
Customer Reviews:
Not really about Zen at all........2002-09-13
I thought that this book was going to be about getting in touch with your own creativity. It wasn't. It was basically a book about "tricks and tips of the trade." That has its uses too,
but it wasn't what I was looking for. The title of this book is so misleading that I feel I did not get my money's worth. I would highly recommend "Writing from the inside out" instead. Sometimes you have to go through several books before you find one that really is useful. ...
Best Of The Best!.......2000-06-12
Through the years many how to books have been written, not only on screenwriting but just about every subject imaginable. William Froug's book is more than a "How To" book. Zen and the Art of Screenwriting is a journey into the writers soul, and Froug is the guide that leads you there.
It has been said before and I will state it again; This is the only book you will ever need to read on screenwriting! All others are obsolete and should be dispensed of at once. Screenwriting is an artform born of individual expression and intuion, not a technique. Great writing comes only from the heart!
This wonderful book of insight and interviews will help the reader abandon conventionality and follow thier own unique intuition. I highly reccommend this book to all serious screenwriters from beginers to the advanced professional. Zen and the Art of Screenwriting is a writers best friend. Get it, buy it, read it... then read it again!
A Screenwriter's Treasure.......1999-02-02
I read this book because I just finished William Froug's other book, "Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade", and I was loved and resides on the top of my list of the best/helpful books I've ever read about screenwriting. Both are geared more towards the advanced screenwriter and those who've had essays of structure and characterization up to the gills and are now ready to write something good.
One caution here: If you are looking to teach you zen, forget about it. Go buy a book on zen. If you are looking for more advanced thoughts and exploration on screenwriting, this book is it. William Froug is a wonderful teacher with much wisdom and experience to share.
Similar to another book of his, "Screenwriters on Screenwriting", you see writing through the eyes of the accomplished screenwriter, which can be very helpful for the aspiring writer to pace their careers, goals, dreams and life accordingly. Maybe that's where the zen comes in.
Somewhat Disappointed in the Content.......1998-08-24
After reading the rave reviews by others about how Froug tells you to follow your guts, I found maybe two lines in the whole book about following your instincts, and there is NO mention of Zen principles at all in the book. I found the "hype" about the book and the actual content somewhat misleading. The book does give a few clues about structure, following the same old tired format that every other screenwriting book does.
What salvaged the book for me was the excellent
Book Description
This new tapestry of Froug's essays and interviews with top screenwriters, producers and directors is a sequel to his highly popular Zen and the Art of Screenwriting. Once again, Froug proves that he can pull engaging comments from his interviewees and, with his essays, cause both novice and seasoned screenwriters to stop and rethink what they're doing. The essays are wide-ranging, covering such diverse subjects as creating your own talent, getting your scripts read, avoiding story-structure gurus, entering screenplay contests, Hollywood's rewrite panic, Hollywood's ephemeral enthusiasms, the stop-start method for studying films, guarding your surprises, reinventing old ideas, and guilt as a writer's tool. There's also a scene-by-scene look at the film Body Heat.
The interviewed filmmakers are Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon, The Omen), Scott Frank (Get Shorty, Dead Again), Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Payback), Nicholas Kazan (Reversal of Fortune, Fallen), Frank Pierson (Dog Day Afternoon, Cool Hand Luke), Eric Roth (The Horse Whisperer, Forrest Gump), Lauren Shuler-Donner (Any Given Sunday, Bulworth), Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The American President) and Robin Swicord (Little Women, Practical Magic).
Customer Reviews:
Good book, poor attention to details.......2006-06-20
Like the interviews, especially with Pierson, although the filmographies are terribly inaccurate; the dates don't match at all. Weak attention to details there.
Excellent insights from some great screenwriters.......2001-11-27
Having read about every screenwriting book that I can get my hands on, I find that these books typically fall into three categories. One, the book that promotes a certain formula for successful writing (see Syd Field). Two, the book that tells of a writer's experiences with the Hollywood scene and/or his/her take on the job of a screenwriter (see William Goldman), and then lastly, there is Bill Froug whose books decry the use of formulaic approaches to screenwriting and enthusiastically urge young writers to follow their muse and let the creative juices flow. Somewhere in the middle is my favorite, Linda Seger, who stops short of advising formulas but gives extremely practical advice for improving scripts.
Nonetheless, Froug's books make for an enjoyable read, although he does aim squarely at the Syd Field crowd and makes no bones about it. Froug's stance on rigid structuring (for example, the 3-act structure) of screenplays has evolved over the years. In his book Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade, he expresses some skepticism about the use of such one-size-fits-all approaches to screenwriting. Well, here we are years later, and he has become not just annoyed at the purveyors of the fill-in-the-blank structure forumulas, but downright hostile toward them. He shreds Syd Field, calling into question his qualifications to have made lemmings out of an entire generation of screenwriters. It is a theme that Froug can't shake througout his book. He interviews several exemplary writers, Pierson, Sorkin, to name a couple, and his questioning is frank and yields some wonderful commentary from the writers. But he does clearly have an agenda to shout to the whole world that the great screenwriters themselves don't adhere blindly to writing formulas. Curiously, however, I found that about half the writers that he interviewed in the book, did adhere to certain structural conventions. Despite Froug's baiting, and to their credit, they were honest in discussing the need to have turning points at key points in their scripts. This is not a book to use as any kind of a reference on screenwriting, but merely to see how the pros really approach their endeavors. I must agree with Froug that too many of the gurus of screenwriting today don't actually write screenplays themselves. If they've got these fundamentals mastered, why not go for the big bucks? I like this book because it helped me resolve where I stand on the issue of structure formulas. If you're unsure where you stand on the debate, you might find the answer in this book as well.
Book Description
"Davey uses words with clarity and simplicity to describe the non-word realm of practicing these arts."-
Publishers Weekly
The three works anthologized here are essential to understanding the spiritual, meditative, and physical basis of all classical Japanese creative and martial arts.
Living the Japanese Arts & Ways covers key concepts-like
wabi and "stillness in motion"-while the other two books show the reader how to use brush calligraphy
(shodo) and flower arranging
(ikebana) to achieve mind-body unification. Illustrated with diagrams, drawings, and photographs.
Books:
- The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 2nd Edition
- Thought and Language - Revised Edition
- Tools and Tactics for the Master DayTrader: Battle-Tested Techniques for Day, Swing, and Position Traders
- Ultimate French Beginner-Intermediate (CD/Book) (LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed)
- V Puti or Russian Grammar in Context
- Visualizing Data
- Ways with Words: Language, Life and Work in Communities and Classrooms (Cambridge Paperback Library)
- Webster's New World Pocket Spanish Dictionary
- Wheelock's Latin (Wheelock's Latin)
- WORDS THAT WORK: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S WHAT PEOPLE HEAR
Books Index
Books Home
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Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri
Bushido: The Way of the Samurai (Square One Classics)
The Life-Giving Sword: The Secret Teachings From the House of the Shogun
The Book of Five Rings
The Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinshu of Taira Shigesuke
