Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction and Other Dilemmas in the Writer's Life

“In the spirit of Annie Dillard's The Writing Life, Friedman...gives heartfelt counsel to those who need to be coaxed into the creative process."―Washington Post

An indispensable guide for writers that explores the emotional side of writing and offers insightful advice on overcoming writer’s block, procrastination, guilt, and more. 

Charting the emotional side of the writer's life, Writing Past Dark is a writing companion to reach for when you feel lost and want to regain access to the memories, images, and the ideas inside you that are the fuel of strong writing.

Combining personal narrative and other writers' experiences, Bonnie Friedman explores a whole array of emotions and dilemmas writers face―envy, distraction, guilt, and writer's block―and shares the clues that can set you free so that you can write the book you’ve always dreamed of writing.

Supportive, intimate, and reflective, Writing Past Dark is a comfort and resource for all writers.

Bonnie Friedman's essays have appeared in The Best Writing on Writing, The Best Buddhist Writing, The Best Spiritual Writing, The Best of O., the Oprah Magazine, and have twice been selected as Notable Essays in The Best American Essays.  Her bestselling first book, Writing Past Dark, is widely anthologized.