Positive but no nonsense encouragement for those who want to write professionally. Not an in depth discourse, but enough to work with and a bit to grow on presented with wry humor.
No, I have not done the exercises - but I did read through them. ( )

***This book was reviewed for Quarto Publishing via Netgalley

I Should Be Writing, by Mur Lafferty, is a small, concise writing book focused less on the technical parts and more on helping baby writers overcome inner excuses and debunk myths. There are eight chapters, along with a section of writing prompts. The start of each chapter has a nifty quote, and scattered throughout are humorous examples of how the 'muse’ and the 'bully’ might respond to what's being discussed at the moment.

Chapter One looks at the unrealistic expectations new writers may have of themselves, or that friends/family may have. Chapter Two looks at the tools at a writer's disposal, stressing that things don't need to be fancy to be functional. A pad and pen works as well as a fancy notebook and $500 quill pen. Chapter Three is concerned with squashing myths. Chapter Four talks about writing advice, and to take it with a grain of salt. To process advice and test it for yourself, seeing what works for you. Chapter Five is all about getting started, putting paid to excuses like 'no time’, and working through being blocked. Chapter Six discusses the basic ingredients of story. Chapter Seven talks about the editing process, and cultivating the second draft. Chapter Eight, the final chapter, looks at traditional Vs self publishing.

Lafferty's book is great for quick inspiration if you're having difficulty getting started writing. With gentle humour, she dispels the myriad excuses the mind can conjure for putting off writing. Most of the information was familiar to me, but I did find good suggestions for online workshop and critique groups, which I'd been looking for. I really liked that she reiterated multiple times that the only hard and fast 'rule’ for writing is to sit your ass down and write. Nothing else. Everything else is variable, depending on the person’s (and the story’s) needs and preferences.

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Short and sweet, the first half of this book (the writing advice half) is fine but nothing spectacularly new. The exercises in the second half, though, are terrific - a great combination of story-starters and prompts to kick an already-existing story out of whatever rut it's stuck in. This isn't revelatory, but it's a good kick in the pants for new or beginning writers, or writers currently struggling with a crisis of faith. ( )