Still Writing

The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life

By: Dani Shapiro

Narrated by: Dani Shapiro

"Still Writing offers up a cornucopia of wisdom, insights, and practical lessons gleaned from Dani Shapiro's long experience as a celebrated writer and teacher of writing. The beneficiaries are beginning writers, veteran writers, and everyone in between." (Jennifer Egan)

From Dani Shapiro, best-selling author of Devotion and Slow Motion, comes a witty, heartfelt, and practical look at the exhilarating and challenging process of storytelling. At once a memoir, a meditation on the artistic process, and advice on craft, Still Writing is an intimate companion to living a creative life. Writers - and anyone with an artistic temperament - will find inspiration and comfort here. Offering lessons learned over 20 years of teaching and writing, Shapiro shares her own revealing insights to weave an indispensable almanac for modern writers.

©2013 Dani Shapiro (P)2020 Random House Audio

Reading her book, the author assumes an off-putting "priestess voice."

Some good advice, interwoven with way too much personal story.
And reading her book in this Audible version, the author assumed an off-putting "priestess voice."

Practical, heartfelt encouragement for the writing life

This book is a collection of short essays focused on various aspects of the experience of being a creative writer, from a celebrated novelist and memoirist. She generously takes us inside her daily writing process, her thoughts about writing, advice on how to approach and capture memory, the emotional ups and downs of writing, and how all of this is interwoven with daily family life. If you are trying to write, this book will help you to understand why it is so challenging and how to make it easier and more rewarding. It is also a love letter to creative self expression and to practitioners of the writing craft. Meditative, candid, grounded, and inspiring. Highly recommend.

Phenomenal book on writing

Great book that cuts to the heart of why we write and how to improve our craft.

Excellent account of the writing life

An inspirational account of the writing life, and a useful guide for any aspiring writer. Dani Shapiro is a writer I’d like to meet in a coffeeshop, and talk more about what she wrote, but I’d probably be a bit awestruck. No matter, she’s not full of herself. She wants to help us. Fail better, friends. Recommended for any aspiring writer, especially the Audible version, narrated by Dani herself.

Like permission to just be. To just write. Thank you.

This book soothed the voices of doubt and inspired me to keep practicing, keep writing, keep living as present as this human body is able to. The flow of thought, story, memory feels just right. Real, deepening, vulnerable, and practical.

Expansive!

So generous and specific! What a treasure trove of story and hard won advice from a dynamic american storyteller.

Beautiful, useful and encouraging

I loved this book - particularly the meditations - but then come to think of it- the whole thing is a meditation

An enjoyable audiobook

Narration by the author works well. Feels intimate. I enjoyed Dani Shapiro's life stories and her journey as a writer and published author. The last chapter is "gravy"! 👏🏼

A solid memoir about doing the work

Dani Shapiro gives it to us straight: do the work, maintain good habits and consistency, get out of your own way, and don’t fall in love with your own work. She’s just the person to write this.

Wonderful, from her heart with kindness

Wonderfully written, interesting, wise, and informative. I will restart this at the beginning and listen again. There is plenty here and I want to hear all this again.