Guides the reader through the perils of the solitary writing life: fear, writer's block, and the bad habits of the internal critic. This book also describes the Amherst Writers and Artists workshop method, widely used across the US and abroad. The chapters on fiction and poetry address matters of technique and point to further resources.

For more than a quarter of a century, Pat Schneider has helped writers find and liberate their true voices. Now, Schneider's acclaimed methods are made available in a single well-organized and highly readable volume.

"An entertaining and enlightening book...should prove invaluable to poets, writers, teachers, and workshop devotees of all backgrounds and creative denominations."-- Mindy Kronenberg, poet and teacher, author of Dismantling the Playground and editor of Book/Mark Small Press Quarterly Review