Still Writing

Dani Shapiro looks at what it takes to keep writing, day after day, and at what the habit of sitting down to work has taught her about life. The book is non-fiction that works as memoir, reflection on the artistic process and advice on craft all at once.

Shapiro draws on personal stories about the experiences that made her a writer. She adds anecdotes about other authors and a close examination of how she works herself. The material comes from more than twenty years of writing and teaching.

The focus is on staying the course. She names the qualities a writer's life asks for: courage, patience, empathy and openness, along with the ability to be alone and gentle with oneself. She also argues for discipline and risk-taking together.

The tone is witty and warm, intimate rather than prescriptive, and it reads more like a companion than a manual. It suits working and aspiring writers, and anyone with an artistic temperament who wants encouragement in a creative life. It belongs on the same shelf as other books on the writing life, such as Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and Stephen King's On Writing.