Book Review: The Productive Writer by Sage Cohen

Sage Cohen is one of those writers I have longed admired. And who wouldn’t? She has written three books, runs her own copywriting business, teaches writing workshops, is an accomplished poet, writes the wonderful Path of Possiblilty blog and raises a family. In my opinion, Sage Cohen is a phenomenon. So, when I learned that her latest book was called, The Productive Writer: Tips and Tools to Help You Write More, Stress Less and Create Success, I had to read it.

The Productive Writer is two hundred pages of tightly packed information and inspiration. The first five chapters are about getting started as a writer, creating goals and finding ideas. Chapters six through twelve focus on getting organized, developing good work habits and finding time to write.

I especially liked Chapter Eleven, called “Embracing Fear.” Here, Cohen reasons that we all feel fear and since fear isn’t going to go away we should learn how to make it work for us. There are brilliant tips in this chapter on dealing with our inner critic, accepting ourselves as we are now, committing to taking risks and using fear as fuel.

Once Cohen has given you plenty of strategies to be more productive, she turns her attention to helping you build your career as a writer. Topics such as using the web and social media, finding and maintaining momentum, revising your work, getting published, building community, going public and promoting yourself are covered in the last third of the book.

The final chapter is called, “Skipping Down the Hill.” In it Cohen reminds us to celebrate our successes, and ourselves, and urges us to, “Take the Risk to be Happy.” It is a wonderful reminder of what is truly important in the writing life.

In addition to all the great information found in The Productive Writer there are also bonus downloadable worksheets and examples available on Sage Cohen’s website, The Path of Possibility to help get you even more organized!

The Productive Writer is overflowing with fabulous tips and advice that you can begin implementing immediately to see results in your writing life. If you are the type of writer who finds yourself starting projects but struggling to finish them, or you are trying to fit more writing time into your day, I especially think you will love this book. I know I did. Get yourself a copy of The Productive Writer and put yourself on the path to becoming your own phenomenon!