Jami Attenberg (All This Could Be Yours; Saint Mazie; The Middlesteins) offers up a kinetic, atmospheric river of inspiring words designed to help writers keep churning out prose in 1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round.
It is often said necessity is the mother of invention, and Attenberg took the phrase to heart when she started a kind of writer's boot camp after feeling stymied with anxiety over a blank page. In 2018, the author was facing the stress of a deadline and a lack of creativity. She decided to reach out to a friend for help. They agreed to push each other into producing 1,000 words daily for two weeks. The simple pact proved to be a successful tool for smiting writer's block. And the idea ballooned from there, eventually becoming the online movement #1000WordsofSummer, a literary project and support group for writers and would-be writers to create and maintain creativity throughout the year.
Attenberg offers a challenge to anyone willing to take up the gauntlet: write 1,000 words without judging the words produced. Even nonsensical words and disconnected sentences are acceptable. The pressure is off; there isn't a fee involved; and there's no shame--only encouragement from more than 50 other successful wordsmiths sharing advice gleaned from their own trials and tribulations. A completed novel may result from following the guide, but making something (anything) is the ultimate goal. This verbal kick-in-the-butt guide offers a path to inevitable results, completely self-defined by 1000 Words. --Paul Dinh-McCrillis, freelance reviewer