| Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 26 reviews)
Sales Rank: 480123
Category: Book
Author: Terry Brooks
Publisher: Del Rey
Studio: Del Rey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
Label: Del Rey
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 5.5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0345465512
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345465511
ASIN: 0345465512
Publication Date: February 3, 2004
Release Date: February 3, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In Sometimes the Magic Works, New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks shares his secrets for creating unusual, memorable fiction. Spanning topics from the importance of daydreaming to the necessity of writing an outline, from the fine art of showing instead of merely telling to creating believable characters who make readers care what happens to them, Brooks draws upon his own experiences, hard lessons learned, and delightful discoveries made in creating the beloved Shannara and Magic Kingdom of Landover series, The Word and The Void trilogy, and the bestselling Star Wars novel The Phantom Menace.
In addition to being a writing guide, Sometimes the Magic Works is Terry Brooks?s self-portrait of the artist. ?If you don?t think there is magic in writing, you probably won?t write anything magical,? says Brooks. This book offers a rare opportunity to peer into the mind of (and learn a trick or two from) one of fantasy fiction?s preeminent magicians.
Amazon.com
In Sometimes the Magic Works, author Terry Brooks mixes advice on writing with stories from his personal experience in publishing. A seasoned fantasy writer with 19 books under his belt, including the New York Times bestseller The Sword of Shannara, Brooks began his second career in middle age when he gave up his law practice to pursue writing full time. His move was fueled by an obsession with writing, ("If I don't write, I become restless and ill-tempered"), inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien, and constant encouragement from publisher Lester del Rey. Some of Brooks's advice is specific and useful, such as the chapter he dedicates to the importance of outlining. However, the lessons he tries to tell through his own adventures tend to be self-serving. Still, Brooks's experiences could be particularly interesting and valuable to fans of his fantasy novels--and aspiring authors of their own. --Lacey Fain
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 Great insights June 30, 2008
Brooks gives an insightful look at being a fantasy writer, both in regards to the craft and the business. If you're a fantasy writer or interested in the process, this is a nice title to read.
Easy to read, insightful August 7, 2007
I find most of Terry Brooks's work to be hit-and-miss, but this one was a definite hit. He lets us in to his head during the creating process. While there is nothing particularly ground-breaking here, his style is very conversational and easy to read. He doesn't get bogged down in mechanics but tries to convey that writing is a process and a craft, not just a hobby.
Wonderful Book! February 7, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Sometimes the Magic Works" is a wonderful book for aspiring authors and fans of best-selling fantasy author Terry Brooks alike. Mr. Brooks has created a truly delightful blend of personal memoir and writing guide that offers a rare peek behind the curtain at the life of a successful writer. In revealing what it takes to "make it" in this incredibly competitive field (discipline, perseverance, creativity, and LOTS of luck, among other things), Mr. Brooks provides the kind of invaluable advice and insight that any young writer would consider themselves lucky to happen upon.
 Not all there. January 2, 2007
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
Five or six chapters in, I doubt I'll finish. It's probably interesting to Terry Brooks fans, but...
The opening chapter goes into some detail about how he's "not all here," explaining that his attention is usually in the world of his writing instead of on his "real" world surroundings. Unfortunately, he's not all here in the book, either. It feels amazingly superficial, like Brooks was severely distracted while writing it. I can barely remember each chapter by the end of it.
Several pages, I've simply skimmed, looking for something worth reading and coming up empty. I expect I'll "finish" it that way, if at all.
By contrast, I found King's "On Writing" to be inspirational, instructive, informative, and engaging. I sincerely wish I could say the same for this book.
Sometimes the magic really does work June 1, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I picked up this book when I was doing research for my own book about writing - I wanted to learn what other writers thought of their crafts, what pearls of wisdom or insight I might be able to glean for use in my own work.
Terry Brooks has written a gem with this book. The back cover tells us that "in addition to being a writing guide, Sometimes the Magic Works is Terry Brooks's self-portrait of the artist." This is precisely true. The book gives the reader a sense of what it is to be a writer - the excitement and joy of getting swept up in a story as you create it, the frustration of doing a book signing event to which nobody shows up, and the sheer pleasure of doing professionally something that you enjoy so much.
This book is also invaluable to writers - the ideas and techniques that it describes are priceless, and the way in which the text flows with the reader is the perfect example of the concepts that the book describes.
More than anything else, though, the book shows the reader how exciting and enjoyable writing can be. Brooks shows us that - for writers, at least - sometimes the magic really does work.
Danny Iny
Author of "Ordinary Miracles - Harness the power of writing and get your point across!" (ISBN 1-4116-7252-6)
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