This week, I’m falling even more deeply in love with Katherine Addison, an author I know only from reading her incredible book, The Goblin Emperor.
Why am I devotedly in fan-love with her this week?
First, she reads avidly.
Second, she reviews books on Goodreads assiduously.
Third, her reviews are consistent, succinct, and helpful. Especially this week’s polite evisceration of John Truby’s book on writing:
I found this book very interesting, in a no-I-will-not-join-your-cult way, but I cannot say that it was at all helpful.
Katherine Addison, Goodreads Review of The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
If you write, and if you haven’t already read Truby’s book, read Addison’s whole review before picking it up.
It will prepare you for why the book will be such a turnoff (I’ve tried to read it several times and always found myself wanting to stop). She has hit on the main reason why (HINT: Mansplaining is tedious).
Knowing in advance what to expect will probably help you make it through the damn thing if you already own it and are determined to check it off of your list of craft books that you have to have read to prove something to someone (including yourself).
For my part, it was recommended to me, and I own it. I will be reading it (eventually)…but I can now do so knowing that Addison (whose content I trust more than Truby’s) has told me it is OK to glean good nuggets of information and still not like the damn thing for a lot of excellent reasons.
What do you think?