A fifty-ish man and his fifty-ish wife agree to go their separate ways for a year, he off to Thoreau it in Colorado and she to write her book. Scary and here’s why: My fifty-ish husband bought this book for me, his fifty-ish wife, for Christmas. I’m still worrying a little about the deep psychological implications of this.A pleasant little read, as entertaining as an evening sitcom. ( )

Sally is a woman who deserves a better time of it; she's got a spouse, a college-age son, and a brother, each of whom seems to be just a tad off kilter. The spouse is off emulating Thoreau in a cabin in Colorado. The brother is in the midst of a poorly handled divorce and has moved in with Sally. The son is somewhat vague as to his general direction. Meanwhile, Sally is muddling through menopause and the difficulties of getting her career up and moving again. Fortunately, Sally has good friends, Kate, supportive of Sally's hope of becoming a paid freelance writer, and madcap Wendy. The men in Sally's life (oh, I forgot to mention Iain) are a diverse and exasperating lot as are the editors who accept Sally's pieces, building up her belief in her writing skill and then casually dashing it. It's just too unfair (but very, very true to life).

This is a delightfully humorous book, told through a series of diary entries, letters, and email exchanges. Sally has to navigate the demands of family and friends while pushing herself to achieve her own goals. It's not easy but, for the reader, it's fun. Characterization is solid and the author's blog even supplies photos of the locations for specific incidents in the book.

For more visit,
http://individualtake.blogspot.com/2007/07/title-plotting-for-beginners-authors....