In Fierce on the Page, internationally-acclaimed writing guide Sage Cohen invites writers to name and claim their deepest desires, identify and eliminate the things that interfere with their writing and move toward achieving their writing goals through a series of invigorating contemplations, exercises and prompts. | Just because your favourite author wakes at 5 a.m. every morning to write doesn't mean that you can think or write coherently at this hour. Just because a great teacher once told you that you have to outline the plot before you write the story doesn't mean this is the way you arrive at a fantastic narrative arc. Just because the common writing wisdom is to specialize doesn't mean that you should feel ashamed of being a generalist.
Most writers are avid students of the craft. And this can actually get in our way. Not because striving for excellence is a problem. But because we are trying to cultivate habits and approaches that are non-native to whom we are. The unfortunate fact is that the great majority of writers committed to improving their craft actually run the risk of shutting down rather than waking up to their greatest strengths and potential?because they're following advice that doesn't effectively move them forward.
