Courage & Craft

Courage & Craft
Barbara Abercrombie
New World Library
ISBN: 1-57731-601-0
Non-Fiction, Writing, Creative Writing
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

Whether you are a want-to-be writer who needs a little push in the right direction or are starting a journey of self knowledge, Courage & Craft is a good place to start. This book advocates regular journaling. I write in my journal on a daily basis. I find that not only do these entries serve as a good historical record of my journey but also get me into the practice of writing. Therefore, when I sit down to actually write, I don’t find it quite as intimidating.
In the past few years I’ve read several books on journaling. In my mind, Courage & Craft is set apart from the rest for a number of reasons. Each portion of information in this book is followed by practical to do exercises. The exercises I found most useful were questions or ideas that got me thinking and wanting to express my opinion which naturally drew in me to begin writing.
I liked that the author’s cues interspersed descriptions of everyday things with deeper subjects of the past. I love the notion of self knowledge but frankly trying to find something profound to write each day is rather overwhelming. Just knowing that I can write about an object in the room or what the weather is and still be moving forward in the process is very freeing.