Dancing on the Head of a Pen

The Practice of a Writing Life

Non-Fiction - Writing/Publishing
192 Pages
Reviewed on 08/26/2014
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Kayti Nika Raet for Readers' Favorite

Dancing on the Head of a Pen: The Practice of a Writing Life by Robert Benson is a sage blend of advice and inspiration. It reads like a conversation with the author himself as Benson delves into many aspects of his own writing life, from deciding what to write and choosing an audience to how to stave off the dreaded Writer's Block (or Writer's Pause, as Benson insists). Where Dancing on the Head of a Pen differs from other books on writing is that Benson doesn't tell you HOW to write; he doesn't tell you the mechanics of it, no rules of grammar, or pontifications on the proper length of a chapter, or even where to place that pesky semicolon.

What Benson does, and quite well I might add, is lay out his own writing strategy, things he's discovered over the years that work for him. It's told in a way that encourages the reader to look at their own writing habits, whether they differ markedly from Benson's or provide tidbits to be swiped. Sometimes witty, oftentimes wise, Dancing on the Head of a Pen is more for those already writing than for those hoping to start, and sates (at least for a time) the curious hunger in every writer who yearns to know how other authors write. A quick, well put together little book, Dancing on the Head of a Pen by Robert Benson is the type of book to be shared with friends and will make the perfect gift for the writer in your life.