Initial reaction: Very quick read but a very helpful guide to overcoming writer's block. I feel Weiland hit on many interesting points on why and how writer's get blocked, and offered viable solutions to such problems, as well as prompted great tips for being inspired.

Full review:

"Conquering Writer's Block and Summoning Inspiration" is a very short read (my Kindle copy was 60 some pages while the audiobook is just under 2 hours) but packs quite a bit of useful information that I had quite a bit of takeaway from. K.M. Weiland's suggestions are very helpful and encouraging while being aware of the struggles of the writing life. The book first makes suggestions on how to strike inspiration and create productive habits from a multitude of different sources (including being able to dig into details and making writing a priority). Then it follows up with the reasons why writers get blocked (some examples include stressing that sometimes our inner editors get the best of us, that we may hang on to the same ideas and be afraid to stretch out of comfort zones, or that we may wait for "the zone").

I appreciated Weiland's honest feedback and the text itself feels thorough on a number of different issues for writers who are new and also veterans. I definitely think I'll refer back to this to get a dose of inspiration when I need it (though it's not so much that I suffer from writer's block as it is that I need to sometimes rein in my inner critic, as well as try to organize all the ideas that keep welling up in my head and organize them to optimize my productivity.)

Overall score: 4.5/5 stars.

This book was worth the hype and lives up to the title.

It showed me how I could easily rewire my brain to help prevent the freezing feeling when you don't know what to write next, procrastination, and writer's block.

I learned that writer's block is actually a part of the writer's cycle.

I love how this book can apply to ANY form of writing, instead of just fiction.

Initial reaction: I'm actually surprised at how good this was as an expansion on what to do when writers get "writer's block" or otherwise stuck in a variety of different modes. Some of these things I already put into practice, but I never had a name for them until now. Bane explains everything in an easy to understand and logical format. I really enjoyed reading this.

Full review:

I wasn't expecting to pick this book up at all - it was a random buy that I got with an Amazon Gift Card and I decided to go book splurging (I've had a few book splurges lately, and they've been fun - and thankfully within budget). I will confess that I never have problems with writer's block specifically. You will never see me sit in front of a computer or with a pad of paper not knowing what to write. Never, I always have something to work on, whether I'm freewriting or working on a WIP that's developed into a larger project. While that might be fortunate to some, I have almost the opposite problem: too many ideas. And I find myself getting "blocked" in a sense that way, because these ideas spark my imagination and I don't always know which project to do. I'll pick one of my ideas, write on it a while, get another idea and say "Ooh, shiny" - and write on that, saying that I'll come back to the former project later.

And the process continues. There are some projects I end up finishing, others...not so much. This book actually addresses that problem and then some, and gives a systematic reason for it with not only brain science expansions, but also presents constructive solutions through habitual commitments and processes. I have to say that I was really impressed by the way Rosanne Bane organized all of this. It addresses writer's block, perfectionism, excessive critique, distractions among a number of different problems a writer may have that prevent them from writing. I loved the way she deconstructs some of this through process and stages, and makes it easy to understand and follow through specific issues.

The stages of habit for writing that she names: process (writing without boundaries/expectations, creative play), product time (writing with specific goals/aims in mind and projects that further along the actual work), and self-care (sleep, exercise, meditation, etc.) are all important to refilling the creative well and keeping a commitment to the work a writer creates. I think this is not only a process that works for writers, but anyone who works in a creative venture in their day to day lives. This can be really be applied within any profession, and the application for extensions is really nice to see in this.

There are stories of different writerly methods and success stories of those who took on this process, and that was helpful to read about. I guess if there were a bit of a downside to this book, there wasn't as much opportunity for exercising these pieces of information, so the interaction between the reader and the text was few, but it was still a very helpful read. I enjoyed it very much, and it not only gave an interesting look at process and problems from a writerly perspective, but also gave a nice look into the science behind such problems and developing habit. It struck a cool balance, and I definitely see myself coming back to this for inspiration in a different way.

Overall score: 4/5 stars.