I have to admit to being a bit scared of self-help books, so I did approach this with some trepidation. But its forthright yet approachable style drew me in straight away. What I like about this book is that it doesn't deal with the nuts and bolts of writing (the craft, if you like) - it tackles more fundamental issues of personal motivation and making time in your life to be a writer. It also doesn't shy away from uncomfortable truths about the artistic life - you might discover that you actually don't want to be a writer after all! But this is not a negative outcome - the reader is encouraged to see this as freeing them from an aspiration that may well have been placed upon them by someone else.
The second half of the book deals with practical strategies for avoiding procrastination, becoming more creative and avoiding writer's block. Even if you're resistant to the "getting in touch with your inner writer" stuff, the book is worth buying for these latter chapters alone. If I have a criticism of the book, it's that there is actually too much information to absorb in one sitting, so dipping in and out is a good idea. But the author backs up her advice with plenty of real-world examples and there are many thought-provoking and practical exercises to undertake. You will absolutely get out of this book what you put into it, but then that's also very true of writing itself!
Full disclosure - I'm a friend of Candy Gourlay's, so therefore potentially biased! But I don't have to recommend Tall Story because my friend wrote it, because it stands alone as a beautifully vibrant modern fable. It's a small book about big things - big in the case of Bernardo, the eight-foot-tall hero and equally large in its themes of destiny and responsibility. I'll have to admit to preferring the voice of Andi, Bernardo's wonderfully sparky sister, but the twin perspectives of the story contrast and intertwine wonderfully. The book reaches a tense climax that has one foot in the real world and another in magical realism, an ending that is very appropriate and very satisfying.
This is a book that I can hold up and be proud to say "I know her!" I will be watching Candy's writing career with great interest!
