Description
Book Synopsis"Dennis Palumbo has great insight into a writer s psyche. Every writer should have a shrink or this book. The book is cheaper. " -Gary Shandling, actor, comic, and writer "wise, compassionate, and funny.
Table of ContentsForeword ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Part One THE WRITING LIFE
Writer’s Block 15
Your “Baby” 19
Inspiration 23
The Buddy System 26
It’s Alive! 29
Your “Precious Darlings” 32
Writing Begets Writing 35
Part Two YOU ARE ENOUGH
Simple, but Not Easy 45
What Really Happened. . . . 49
“For I Have Done Good Work” 53
On the Couch 57
“You’re No John Updike!” 61
Part Three GRIST FOR THE MILL
Envy 69
Faith and Doubt 72
Fear 75
The Judge 79
Double-Barreled Blues 82
Myths, Fairy Tales, and Woody Allen 86
The Long View 91
Part Four THE REAL WORLD
The Pitch 101
Rejection 105
That Sinking Feeling 108
Reinventing Yourself 112
Deadline Dread 115
Three Hard Truths 119
Part Five PAGE FRIGHT
Gumption Traps 127
Procrastination 130
Patience 134
Perspective 138
In Praise of Goofing Off 141
Writing about Dogs 145
Going the Distance 148
Part Six THE REAL WORLD, PART II
Agents 159
Home of the Heart 163
The Unknown 167
Lately, I Don’t Like the Things I Love 171
Ageism 175
Part Seven HANGING ON
Commitment 185
News Flash: Writing Is Hard! 189
Burnout: A Modest Proposal 193
A Writer’s Library 197
A Stillness That Characterizes Prayer 201
Part Eight DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT
Phone Call from Paradise 211
The Idea Man 216
I’ve Come a Long Way on Paper 220
Loneliness 223
Larry: A True Story 226
Conclusion 239
