Book Description
The Artist's Muse: Unlock the Door to Your Creativity is one of the most innovative ideas and concepts about painting on the market. Its contents are dual, for it contains a treasure trove --exceptional articles on creativity accompanied by creative painting challenges, and in addition, the kit contains a creative card game, which will show artists, fledgling or experienced exciting and different ways to express themselves by approaching their subjects "Out of the box." All in all, this package will inspire, provoke, and educate because it presents literally thousands of ways to create individual paintings. And, it combines traditional wisdom and modern approaches from some of the top watermedia artists in America. It's a winner.
Customer Reviews:
Great Ideas!.......2007-10-10
I recently bought this book and my first few look-throughs have shown a fun book with lots of ideas to spark your creative muse. I am looking forward to having time to play with the ideas presented. A good book that will actually get used!
Inspiring!! Delightful. Gorgeously written. .......2007-06-11
This artist writes about art so that you cannot wait to paint.
She gives vivid examples of what she is talking about in her own works
and the paintings of others. I was moved to immediately sign up for one
of her workshops. Tbe book is a great read whether you're a would-be
painter or an already-am. As if this colorful book isn't enough,there
are also "inspiration" or "idea" cards that can help guide you to paint
creatively. It's GREAT! Inspiring. Delightful.
The Artists Muse.......2007-05-16
You have to take this book and it's challenges in slow, deliberate sections.
It stirs the imagination and makes you think....and can seem a bit confusing/overwhelming until the reader slows down and doesn't read ahead. I've been able to translate the challenges into fabric.
I'm lucky enough to study this book with an on line group. For me that works best and is how I'd recommend it be studied....either on line or at a local coffee house.
A kit for ongoing inspiration........2007-04-19
THE ARTIST'S MUSE: UNLOCK THE DOOR TO YOUR CREATIVITY isn't just another book on the topic: it's an actual tool kit that pairs a book with three decks of cards with creative prompts for ideas. By mixing and matching the deck, artists will find about 15,000 inspiring ideas for better art, from paintings and new subjects to new color ideas. Any with a creative block will find THE ARTIST'S MUSE the perfect toolkit for unlocking the block - and while the card/book combo may not lend to library lending, it will provide working and aspiring artists with something they can't be without: a kit for ongoing inspiration.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
The Artists' Muse........2007-01-15
I liked the physical format of this book- the spiral binding allows it to lie flat. Interesting and inventive ideas are provided by author.
Amazon.com
Musicians practice. Athletes practice. And so, too, argues Judy Reeves, should writers practice. Her Writer's Book of Days provides a "writing prompt" for each day of the year, and then some: "Write about a time someone said yes"; "Write about leaving"; "Something seemed different." The more you practice, says Reeves, the more you write. And writing from a prompt, she adds, is like having "someone provid[e] the music when you want to dance." The prompts are the backbone of this book, but its pages are fleshed out with advice, inspiration, quotations from writers, encouragement, and a profusion of literary tidbits. Write from the sense, Reeves recommends. Audition words. Take risks. And when all else fails, amuse yourself with these astonishing tidbits from literary lives: T.S. Eliot, we learn, preferred writing with a head cold; Flaubert kept his lover's slippers and mittens in his desk drawer; and Friedrich von Schiller liked to invoke his muse by sniffing rotten apples. --Jane Steinberg
Book Description
Playwright and editor Judy Reeves has taught writing, led creative writing workshops, and participated in writing groups for years. A Writer’s Book of Days is a compilation of all that she’s learned from getting together to write with other people. She says, “the book came about because I saw the difference ongoing, regular practice could make in a writer’s life.” Practice makes perfect, and this book makes practice easy by providing writers and would-be writers with stimulating topics, helpful instruction, monthly guidelines, dozens of inspiring quotes, writerly lore, and tips for special writing sessions such as marathons, cafe writing, and other ways to make the work of writing more creative and fun.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding book.......2006-03-14
This is wonderful for kicking of thoughts or story ideas with a suggested topic for each day. Fantastic!
Great Help to Young Writers.......2006-01-29
This book is an excellent tool for the young writer. It gets you writing every single day with all kinds of helpful prompts. Also in this book are helpful hints, looks at how other writers work, quotes, and exercises. This is by far the most useful book on writing I have bought thus far. I highly recommend it for writers who want to write everyday, but struggle with it and don't want to keep an actual journal. Through these exercises, I have had more story ideas this month than I did all of last year.
like an old friend...........2005-04-14
This book is one of my favorites. The author has such a friendliness about her writing, as if she is holding a conversation with you over a cup of coffee.
Her writing prompts are creative and lively, and will get you writing.
I love the quotes. Just about every page has a quote from a well known writer about writing.
Judy has plenty of advice in this book. She also fills it with hers, and others writing experiences.
Although the book is arranged so that it follows the twelve months, it doesn't have to be read that way. Many times I've just flipped to a page and started reading. I always came out of it inspired and ready to write.
Fantastic for the Writer in You!.......2005-01-26
Every writer should have this book in their Library. The prompts can be used in any way but I like them as they are planned out by date. If you enjoy prompt writing or are just in need of extra support this is a fantastic book.
I do not recommend buyin her Kit as it is very similar to this book. And this book is the Gem to complete your Journal topics.
The Perfect Writing Buddy - Lots of Ideas and Inspiration.......2004-12-08
I am always on the look out for quality writing books which will inspire me as a writer and that I can recommend to others to inspire their writing as well. Judy Reeve's well received book is successful on both counts - exceeds my hopes and expectations in every way (except, perhaps for the unusual color choice of orange for a highlight color in the layout of the book.)
The book is simple to understand and implement. Each month of the year has a guideline, some interesting content with fun facts like James Michener started writing at age 40 and easy to follow tips of the month.
There is a writing prompt for every day of the year. No writer would be lost for ideas with this book close at hand. I can see myself using it and re-using it and re-using it.
Reeves comes across as a writing buddy sharing thoughts and guidance in perfectly reasonable and re-readable doses.
Customer Reviews:
Haunting.......2007-07-19
I really enjoyed this book - I felt it was particularly haunting at the end when I realized it was based on a true story (afraid I never took art appreciation). To me the story was appealing partly due to the "Ugly Duckling" beauty is in the eye of the beholder theme but tragic at the end in a sort of Gone with the Wind way too. I felt that the story was believable and interesting at the same time. I noticed that the cover art didn't match the content but just goes to show you once again that you can't judge a book by its cover.
Wayward novelist.......2007-05-20
Perhaps because the actual lives of the Pre-Raphaelites were so over the top, most attempts to create their lives in fiction have been failures. Nonetheless, having spent decades of my academic career teaching Victorian literature and art, I ordinarily welcome any attempt to give fictional life to Rossetti and his circle. I had thought that Nerina Shute's "A Victorian Love Story" was destined to be the nadir of these failures, but Hickey here out-nerinas Nerina. "The Wayward Muse" reads like the worst of romance novels. The situations Hickey sets up are ludicrous: Rossetti deflowers Jane high up on the scaffolding in the Oxford Union, in full sight of the other painters; Morris in bed doesn't know where to put "it" and pokes around for awhile before finding Jane's "most sensitive part"; George Eliot asks about Morris's table manners. I find no evidence that Hickey read the many, many, many available primary sources (not to mention such secondary sources as Violet Hunt and Hall Caine): they might have helped her better plot this silly novel. Hickey additionally messes with the facts. For instance, she screws up the exhumation of Lizzie's body. One of Hickey's basic problems is that she doesn't seem to know who her audience is. She drops surnames with neither first names nor identification. She hints at the founding of the Kelmscott Press and meanders around the highlands of Scotland with Ruskin and the Millais'. For better use of your time read "The French Lieutenant's Woman" or watch Ken Russell's "Dante's Inferno."
Pre-Raphaelite Entanglements.......2007-04-29
Hickey is to be commended for trodding a road less traveled, focusing on the seldom-talked-about-in-popular-culture painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his favorite model, Jane Burden Morris. Told in third person from Jane's perspective, Hickey's story is well-paced and well-researched. She does what good historical novel authors should: start with the facts but veer into fictional territory in order to flesh things out. Her prose is lean and spare, which suits Jane's character. Most importantly, she does these colorful characters justice by capturing their essence. The fictional characters mesh convincingly with what we know of the historical ones.
I read Painted Kiss last year, and thought Wayward Muse better. The author seems to have really found her groove with this one!
Not the author's fault at all, but the publisher should have put a Rossetti painting on the cover.
terrific historical biographical tale .......2007-04-29
Jane Burden knows she is ugly having heard that from her mother as well as family, friends, and neighbors. She is too tall, with a freakishly long neck, arms and legs that belong on someone even taller, which leads to clumsiness and dresses that just never fit right. Adding to her being considered the ugliest female in the Oxford slums is that at seventeen she has no breasts. She expects to wed physically abusive Tom Barnstable as her mother reminds her that he is the best she will ever have.
Everything abruptly changes when noted artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti sees Jane and thinks she is a rare beauty he must paint as his Guinevere in a mural. Her mother agrees to allow her to pose because of the fee Rossetti provides. Jane enjoys her short time each week with the painter and his colleagues. She soon realizes she loves Rosetti, but is heartbroken when he weds his ailing fiancée Lizzie. Jane accepts wealthy William Morris' proposal mostly because he as Rossetti's friend and protégé will enable her to remain near her true love. Over the next few years Jane gives birth to two children, but when Lizzie dies, Rossetti makes it clear how he feels about his Guinevere, which upsets her spouse William, who has always known he was a second choice.
The key to this terrific historical biographical tale is the ability of Elizabeth Hickey to bring to life four real people from the latter half of the nineteenth century. The story line is driven mostly by the heroine who thanks to the artist turns from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan considered the ideal of pre-Raphaelite beauty and the muse for her spouse and the artist. Fans of period pieces will enjoy this deep rich Victorian Era tale starring real persona.
Harriet Klausner
Rich writing well worth reading.......2007-03-20
(Historical fiction)
The artiste world of 19th Century London is shown in lush colors, the brush strokes of Dante Gabriel Rosetti and his muse, a poor Oxford girl who is tall, willowy and plain according to her drunken mother. Rosetti discovers Jane Burden, and with the promise of payment, she becomes his model for a painting of Guinevere. His vision is that of Lancelot and the Holy Grail, the knights Galahad, Bors, and Percival receiving the precious Grail and Sir Lancelot in the Queen's chambers.
Rosetti becomes enamored of Burden and takes her virginity while on the scaffolding in the Debating Hall. He proclaims his love and Burden thinks she shall marry him, but he leaves Oxford the next day for London because his first love is ill with consumption. This leaves William Morris to finish the paintings in Oxford. Morris is overweight, but Burden's mother, a town gossip, finds out he is wealthy and receives an allowance from copper mines. Morris falls deeply in love with Burden, but her muse-like powers exert themselves over him poetically. He begs for her hand in marriage and her mother gives her an ultimatum, marry Morris or you will be kicked out of the house.
Still longing for her dark horse, Rosetti, she marries Morris hoping she will eventually love him. After two years they move to "Red House," a stunning brick home that Morris has built for his wife. Her life is full of artists of all persuasions: painters, tapestry makers, poets and others. Burden is the talk of London, designing her own clothes for her figure, and she often sits for Rosetti and his paintings. They begin an illicit affair that whispers its way through their circle of friends and those that find them interesting. But Burden is happiest in the company of Rosetti. As he falls into the throes of mental illness, Burden goes back to her husband, Morris, and takes care of her two children, maintaining a life-long friendship with Rosetti.
A must read for the voluptuousness of Hickey's writing and the casualties of love and desire.
Armchair Interviews says: A richly descriptive book of the life and times of the mid to late 1800s.
Customer Reviews:
I'll Tell You What I Can.......2006-04-19
I don't know Ian Peddie The Editor, but I do know Ian Peddie The Professor. So far as I can tell, he's put a lot of work into this edition and isn't the type to lead one of his audience astray. Trust him, and he'll get you where you need to be.
Average customer rating:
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Sunshine Muse: Art on the West Coast, 1945-1970
Peter Plagens
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0520223926 |
Book Description
With a new Introduction by the Author
This book, full of rare illustrations, surveys and documents the work of West Coast artists from 1945 to the 1970s, with glances back to the art schools and movements of the first half of the century. Twenty-five years after its first publication it is still our most trenchant record of that period in American art history. Writing as an artist and critic who observed firsthand the vital and innovative postwar art scene in California, Plagens has provided an invaluable record of the artists and work created in Los Angeles and San Francisco and, more briefly, in Seattle and the northwest.
Amazon.com
Creativity is one of the great mysteries of life. Everyone may possess it to some degree, but why do some people seem completely in touch with their creative powers while others struggle to connect with it at all? How do you unlock your creative potential--or maximize it, if you're already utilizing some level of it? This inspirational book--meant primarily for painters but full of sage advice for other types of artists and crafters, too--teaches how to release your muse by exploring the basics of the language of art and by applying the Zen principles of blending body, mind, and spirit and of following an intuitive rather than purely logical approach. The author's own lyrical, vividly colored paintings (as well as works by other artists) complement her highly readable discussions of self-awareness, instinct, mandalas, harmony, and mindfulness, as both important general concepts and as they pertain to landscape, still life, and figural art. In short, she teaches you how to know yourself as a creator, and to recognize that "creative vision really is your natural birthright" and that "art has something to offer everyone ... as a means of self-knowledge." --Amy Handy
Customer Reviews:
Blow Away!!!!.......2007-05-22
I have recently started doing watercolor paintings since I retired and was lent this book by my teacher. I had to buy it as soon as I opened it. The paintings are absolutely splendid. I think that they are what watercolors should be. And the text sets a mind frame that will enhance any budding artist down the path to great work.
A great way to Watercolor painting Ideas.......2006-08-21
A must to read to start your own ideas on Watercolor painting, using the Zen method.
Strong art - weaker philosophy.......2004-09-17
I like Carbonetti's art and this book is full of it. For that reason it is worth buying. She also succeeds in showing the mental aspects of creative art. However, her seeing of Zen is not so successful. She also wrote books like "The Tao of Watercolor" and "The Yoga of Drawing". I would prefer if she simply explained her own position without packaging it into so many commercialy attractive titles.
elegantdesign.co.nz Book Review.......2004-02-29
The book was very logical yet had many creative aspects. I would recommend it for a mid-range painter.
this book is wonderful.......1999-02-17
for so long art has been has jeanne put it, "left Brained" very logical, in an attempt to teach art so everyone can understand it. but what these artists, teachers, are forgetting is that creativty is a mystery. art is about feelings. even if the piece is very abstract, its still trying to in a sense "say" something. this book gave me a voice on how to explain myself as an artist to teachers who i have had who lean toward a logical kind of art that has shape but no feeling, and does not allow for differeces in style. i love this book, i plan to go into art education and this well definitely be a reference
Book Description
This intimate account of 24 legendary groupies reveals what went on behind the closed doors of rock stars from Elvis to Marilyn Manson. Consisting of Pamela Des Barres's revealing interviews with and profiles of other supergroupies, this book offers firsthand glimpses into the backstage world of rock stars and the women who loved them. The groupies—such as Miss Japan Beautiful, who taught Elvis how to dance; Cassandra Peterson (Mistress of the Dark), who tangled with Tom Jones in Sin City; Cynthia Plaster Caster, who redefined the art of Jimi Hendrix; and Miss B., who revealed Kurt Cobain’s penchant for lip gloss—tell tales that go well beyond an account of a one-night stand to become a part of music history.
Customer Reviews:
Didnt even finish reading the book.......2007-09-16
I read Pamelas first book and enjoyed it. This one is a different story. Alot of these so called women are nothing but pure trash and they call themselves muses? A few and I mean a few seemed to have some class about them and an intriguing story. The absolute worst was Connie, there are no words to describe this person, just a downright pig and very proud of it. I expected something a little different, a little more classy. Dont waste your money. There are real muses like Pattie Boyd (who's book was great), Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, Linda McCartney, etc. This book was a joke.
I am a fan of Pam's and this book is pretty good.......2007-09-13
I prefer Pam's autobiographical stuff and her own sweet experiences but I enjoy her writing period so I'll give this a thumbs up. Some of the characters profiled were of interest but I found clearly there was a standard- and the book is set up so the older ( original groupies) are towards the front of the book. As we take the trip downward the reader starts to see the decline of the groupie, there simply is no naiivete or sweetness or joy that was part of Pamela's world,just grotesque hi -jinx and girls acting as prostitutes for free.kind of sad.Makes me nostalgic for "the good old days" of groupie-dom
rock music muses, pam des barres.......2007-07-30
This is the third book I've read by Ms Des Barres. Funny and bittersweet as the other two I've read. I would highly recommend this book if you are a fan of this genre. Heck, even if you're not it's highly entertaining and a good read. These gals have some interesting tales to tell!!
"I need you more then ever".......2007-07-23
Angelique XStacy wrote:
A fun read, as are all of her books which inspired me not not atually "be with the band" but to be the band. I only wish I drew the awesome and dedicated groupies this book expounds upon. These are the folks that make playing the music great . Not just the sexual aspects, but the energy they give back to the artist, regardless of how it is chosen between the artist and groupie: an inpirating relationship between artist and the muses that inpire them. Pamala De Barres is one such person for me. having read her first book at a tender age, I longed to experience a time before the Aids crisis, before the 80's music culture of rehash. When things were new and exciting.
Miss Pamala has an easy going style, very approachable. Who cares about the name dropping , we are reading to hear the stories that make musicians a little more human,a little more like us. What someone who was there see's and not what was fabricated about the stars. I especially appreciated the addition of a male groupie, someone so rare!
I have always enjoyed her work , as history and as a not so guilty pleasure, her optimism is catching, thank goodness as we all wait for the next band or muse that inpires us to FEEL.
Hooray for Miss P........2007-07-20
While reading Miss P.'s "I'm with the Band," I fell in love with the GTOs. I loved their brazen nutty bravado and performance art style. I silently wept as the tale unfolded and Miss Christine and Miss Mercy became mired in drug addiction. The GTOs seemed to epitomize a kind of proto-girl power in a far less commercial rock and roll world. I longed for their resurrection. I loved the humor and humanity of Miss P.'s recollections. So I was overjoyed when a good friend of mine sent me copy of "Let's spend the Night Together," autographed by none other than Miss P. herself. .
In terms of editorial decisions, I laud Miss Pam's inclusiveness. She has compiled tales of some very disparate characters. Some are tales of Girl meets Boy who happens to be rock star and the two fall in love. Others like Pleasant Gehman are wild scenesters. Others like Cassandra Peterson and Cynthia Plaster Caster are a clash of performance art meets rock meets more art. GTO fans will be pleased to note that Miss Mercy has been resurrected. Meanwhile, Bebe Buell strikes a note of dissonance with her dour, pious embrace of the word "muse." (Here the reader is forced to stick a finger down his or her throat.)
Of course, encounters with rock stars are the recurring "thread" that pulls this "groupie" narrative together. We get continuing snap shots of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Iggy Pop and David Bowie, most prominently among others. Jimmy Page professing faithfulness to the pitifully dwarfed Lori Mattix. Jimmy Page stone-faced. Jimmy Page tearing at Cassandra Peterson. Robert Plant professes love to all and many & etc. These men have many incarnations in this book.
One issue that I sometimes have with these narratives is the lack of context. In terms of social consciousness, you'd barely know whether it was the sixties, the seventies or the eighties, which is why I laud Miss P.'s decision to include figures other than Bebe Buell and rock wives. Only through Miss Mercy, do we understand that the civil rights movement was going on at that time (although she admits to being less than conscious of it, except when having to duck down while driving through Southern streets with her paramours.) Through Sweet, pathological Connie, we get a taste of the wingnuts' pitiful, sleazy crusade against Clinton.
But I could waxforever on Miss P. So here I must end my review and say, "all in all, beautiful work, Miss P.!"
Amazon.com
According to Monica Wood, every writer needs two critics: one who offers unconditional praise and another who tells only truth. Wood's Pocket Muse does both--"on some pages you get a pat on the head, on others a kick in the seat"--and more. Every page of this pretty little book is devoted to helping you "jumpstart a writing session, inspire confidence, or strengthen your resolve." There are intriguing writing exercises, thought-provoking photographs, offbeat quotations from writers, enticing unfinished sentences, mini writing lessons, quirky word lists, stories from the writing trenches, and a generous dose of encouragement. "Write about a noise--or a silence--that won't go away," Wood suggests. "Someone has left a note on a car windshield," she offers. Books of this sort are often forced, or cute, or more about spirituality than writing. Not The Pocket Muse. It is a lively, appealing companion for a writer in need of a good nudge. --Jane Steinberg
Book Description
The Pocket Muse is every writer's key to finding writing inspiration when and where they want it. It includes hundreds of thought-provoking prompts, exercises and illustrations that immediately help them to: get started writing; overcome writer's block; develop a writing habit; think more creatively; master style, revision and other elements of the craft.
The rich variety of exercises will help writers to create entire stories or focus on a single aspect of their writing. It will also encourage them to think about how they write in new and surprising ways. It's truly a unique book, both fun and effective. It will teach, cheer and inspire writers as never before.
Customer Reviews:
Writing Ideas.......2007-10-01
In all honesty, I just basically scanned through this book. It did have some interesting 'prompts' that I pulled out for my own writing, but as writing ideas/prompts are all around us I doubt I would pay for a book that was basically just writing ideas. Although if you are that stuck that you need something to give you that push then there are some spark igniter's in this book.
Treat for writers........2007-08-09
Creative stimulation is what this book is about. Anyone who writes needs books like this on their shelves to grab when they get stuck or need new ideas or inspiration.
Random pictures, quotes, ideas, horoscopes, advice, tips, excercises and writing prompts are what you'll find here. It's a fun, interesting little book. There were many ideas that appealed to me that I'll definately try.
This is a book that you can read through or pick it up and randomly thumb thru until you find something that you feel like trying. Besides that, books like this are just great for writers to have because we get so involved with writing great things that we can forget the basic ordinary stuff that's important. Great gift idea for the writer in your life.
This muse is beautiful, but dull........2006-11-04
It is certainly a beautiful book, with its illustrations, thick and smooth pages, some tips from famous writers. However, as for the ideas-for-writing part, it is certainly not what I've expected.
The content is pretty much the same thing the author has on her web page. I felt like I paid for something that I had already read online. The ideas are fine if you are going to teach a beginners writing workshop and need some ideas for exercises, but nothing else.
It's probably better as a gift than as a tool for a writer.
I guess the lesson here is: nobody, but your own brain and experience, can provide you with ideas. Inspiration does not exist and you are your own muse.
some good ideas.......2006-02-01
I picked this one up and have read it. I did get some good ideas from it but wanted more... I also like that it had pictures because visually it was great.
Some of the excersises were fun and enlightening. But this book helped me write one with added spaces for the reader to make thier own book unique. I found AdmireD Interactive Reading and Writing to be a better inspiration... and gave me away to write as I read!
but this one helped me make it so cheers!
A nudge in the right direction.......2005-08-26
A nice little book - it won't exactly fit in your pocket, but it's small enough to be tucked away in a laptop case. It has the usual 'suggestions for writing,' any one of which generally puts the lid on a grownup writer's imagination, especially if one is actually engaged in writing something. However,they are not intrusive, and the book also has a lot of practical, cheerful advice about the problems of the writing life: time, place, revision,style and so forth. I particularly liked 'you have to be willing to write badly' and the mantra: 'one more sentenec' when tempted to quit. That one sounded like the voice of a good friend encouraging one to go on, go on.I also liked her scheduling of 'once a week,' 'once a month' 'once a year' tasks - I e-mailed that one to my writing friends! This is a valuable book particularly for those lonely moments when one is tempted to pack it all in and go back to teaching drama in primary schools.
Book Description
Composing A Civic Life promotes informed, active citizenship by encouraging the reader to write as a means of inquiry and civic participation.
This text aims to help the reader to be better citizens of all their communities, not just in their knowledge, but in their ability to think critically, write effectively, and live wisely.
Citizenship, argumentation, research and community action
General Interest; Civic Writing
Customer Reviews:
difficult to detect some types of cheating.......2007-07-08
There is a fascinating chapter worth perusing for the university reader. It talks about cheating in American universities. Apparently, many lecturers see or suspect this in papers turned in by their students. But there is little reward in the typical college apparatus for a lecturer putting in much effort into proving that a paper was bogus.
One positive countermeasure is discussed. The anti-plagiarism search engine websites, that have arisen to combat the scourge of paid-for essays. But the chapter points out serious flaws in these websites' techniques. The matching of an essay against a website's databases is often brittle. An all or nothing comparison that can be easily defeated by some trivial, minimal rewriting of a few sentences.
Also, the websites are unlikely to have in their databases high quality [and high cost] essays. Or custom essays that are sold to only one buyer.
Another response has been a trend towards closed book, proctored exams. As opposed to weekly take home essay assignments. One problem is that exams can be far more stressful to some students, compared to writing essays. And that each type of assessment tests different abilities.
The above is scarcely peculiar to American universities. A global problem. But the chapter also describes a variant probably confined mostly to the US. Where some students are on athletic scholarships, but could be weak academically. The chapter cites notorious incidents where tutors working for a university would write papers for those athletes, who then turned these in as their own.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent book!
- The Useless Muse
- The write stuff (especially for first-timers)
- for a reader who does not do a lot of writing
- Inspiring and pragmatic, just like the title
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The Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books
Eviatar Zerubavel
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Book Description
For anyone who has blanched at the uphill prospect of finishing a long piece of writing, this book holds out something more practical than hope: it offers a plan. The Clockwork Muse is designed to help prospective authors develop a workable timetable for completing long and often formidable projects.
The idea of dashing off a manuscript in a fit of manic inspiration may be romantic, but it is not particularly practical. Instead, Eviatar Zerubavel, a prolific and successful author, describes how to set up a writing schedule and regular work habits that will take most of the anxiety and procrastination out of long-term writing, and even make it enjoyable. The dreaded "writer's block" often turns out to be simply a need for a better grasp of the temporal organization of work.
The Clockwork Muse rethinks the writing process in terms of time and organization. It offers writers a simple yet comprehensive framework that considers such variables as when to write, for how long, and how often, while keeping a sense of momentum throughout the entire project. It shows how to set priorities, balance ideals against constraints, and find the ideal time to write. For all those whose writing has languished, waiting for the "right moment," The Clockwork Muse announces that the moment has arrived.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book!.......2007-07-12
This book is short and to the point! I am currently engaged in writing my MBA thesis and I believe that I found the guidance that I am looking for in this book. I highly recommend this book for its basic yet effectual approach to thinking about/writing your thesis or dissertation. The book may be too basic for seasoned writers/scholars but for a novice scholar like myself, I find it extremely useful.
The Useless Muse.......2007-05-23
For a guide to effectively organizing one's writing, it is curious how poorly written and organized this book is. There is some potential here for a practical guide for the academic or professional writer rather than the creative artiste, particularly in regards to scheduling your time or managing multiple drafts of your work. But such possibilities are washed away by the severely padded presentation of this book, with a very loose layout and repetitive prose that are highly evident even in the mere 96 pages of text here. For instance, there are eight different space-consuming versions of Zerubavel's own outline, while the chapter on scheduling is padded to the point of absurdity with repetitive author testimonials and an endless parade of cheesy non-breakthroughs like "learn to identify the best times for your writing." The material covered here could be much more useful and believable in a journal article of less than ten pages in length. But of course, then a publisher wouldn't be able to charge full book price for this ridiculously padded pamphlet.
The most curious thing about this so-called writing guide from a so-called writing expert is its pathetic obviousness. Pronouncements like sticking to your deadlines and monitoring the progress of your drafts will not be enlightening to anyone in the only possible market demographic for this book - practitioners who already know enough about writing to seek out a guide far more advanced than this. Those who might actually be enlightened by this book's shallow and obvious recommendations have probably never written anything in their lives, and hence would never think of buying this book in the first place. Ironically, even Zerubavel recommends here that you should spend your budgeted time writing rather than engaging in pursuits that do not further your goals - such as wasting your time on useless books like this. This insubstantial and ineffective guide is a non-entity. [~doomsdayer520~]
The write stuff (especially for first-timers).......2007-02-27
When you are faced with the daunting task of a major writing project (a book, a thesis) it can be nice to know how others have done it--especially your first time around. 'The Clockwork Muse' offers two things for those in that situation: structure, and examples. The first of these (structure) helps with the practical necessity of breaking the project down into its executable elements: a writing schedule, outlines and drafts, timetables, and monitoring and ensuring progress. The second of these (the examples) are helpful to those of us who, in our own fits of self-doubt, need to know that another human has met similar obstacles and has overcome them.
'Clockwork Muse' manages to do both of these pretty well. It is stronger on the first, the structure. It reminds us that the overall job of a major writing project is taken one sentence, one page, one chapter at a time. In just about 100 pages, this book provides a basic, workable structure that can be modified by most writers to suit their individual needs. As far as examples and anecdotes go--how actual writers fare under the proposed structure, the author mostly offers examples from his own experience. While this is certainly interesting, it is one-dimensional; it would have been nice to have a wide variety of examples of how different authors, grad students, or journalists cope with the day-to-day prospect of writing a book or dissertation or long article. (And really, how helpful--or bizarre--is it to know that the author of `Clockwork Muse,' Evitar Zerubavel, sits in different chairs to write different drafts of a paragraph? To each his own....)
Not all of the suggestions offered here will work for all authors. For examples, some of us do write multiple drafts of a book straight through from start to finish. Others of us write more haphazardly, bouncing around from section to section and chapter to chapter, but still producing a solid, finished product. Zerubavel himself prefers one method over another, but in the end, his practical advice on structuring a writing project is this book's real strength. It offers sound practical help, regardless of one's writing style, and makes a good quick reference to lean upon for some comfort during those late-night moments of doubt when chapter four just isn't coming together.
for a reader who does not do a lot of writing.......2006-01-29
The book is useful for those who often procrastinate, or otherwise need a structured method for writing. The title says Clockwork. I would call it more Cookbook. Rather mechanistic. But for some of you, that framework will provide a necessary self-discipline for writing up a large project or thesis.
Having done a fair amount of writing myself, including a thesis and many provisional patents, I found that this book is personally unnecessary. But for you, it can depend on how used you are to regularly writing. It is a skill that can be honed with repetition. Zerubavel's book is directed towards those who do not do a lot of writing.
Inspiring and pragmatic, just like the title.......2004-06-11
When I was writing my dissertation, a hard-working and prolific colleague recommended this book to me. I borrowed it from my university library. It had an almost instant effect on my work, and I finished my opus quickly and relatively painlessly. Recently, I found myself procrastinating and meandering again, so I decided to buy the book!
Things I like about the Clockwork Muse: it's very short. It gives very specific, pragmatic advice. It is light on molly-coddling psychobabble, unlike Joan Bolker's "Write Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day." The latter is useful in its own way, but it didn't do anything for my work habits.
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- The Dead Boy Detectives
- The Dead Girls' Dance (The Morganville Vampires, Book 2)
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- The First Betrayal
- The Gormenghast Novels
- The Heavens on Fire: The Great Leonid Meteor Storms
- The Ice People
- The Master Cleanser
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