Writer's block? Have some chicken soup

Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul, Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Writers Compiled by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Bud Gardner Health Communications Inc., Florida, 2000 xix and 406 pages Rp 155,000

JAKARTA (JP): Putting words on paper is not as simple as it sounds. It requires hours, days, maybe even years of hard work and contemplation. Even when the article or book gets written, there follows the grueling time of rewrites, rejections, more rewrites and more rejections, before it finally gets published.

It was thus no exaggeration when Gene Fowler, the author of Good Night Sweet Prince: The Life and Times of John Barrymore, said, "writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until little drops of blood form on your forehead".

Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul describes, through the words of more than 75 different authors, the overwhelming task of being a writer.

The authors tell their own stories of how difficult the work was for them, and how they labored to write through the obstacles that life presented them.

They tell of how big their sacrifices were for them to be who they are today -- published and established writers.

All agree on one thing, though, that the result was well worth the sacrifice, no matter how great.

The book is part of the successful "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series, compiled by the trio of Canfield, Hansen and Gardner, which had sold more than 53 million copies around the world and been translated into 31 languages.

It's a compilation of 80 stories, some of which, like all Chicken Soup books, are funny and others touching.

The stories were designed to give inspiration to would-be writers, heart to burned-out authors and perseverance to those hanging on to the profession.

The book is divided into 10 chapters: "How I became a writer," "Living your dream," "Defining moments," "Finding your voice," "Mentors," "Making a difference," "Overcoming obstacles," "A Writer's life," "The power of perseverance" and "Insights and lessons."

Each chapter has from six stories to 10 stories by different authors.

People become writers for many reasons, with some, like Gordon Burgett, taking up the profession by chance.

He would probably have not become a writer if he had not gone to the Des Plaines Theater one Saturday.

It was pure chance that his friend walked by and told him about the position of a high school sports writer at the Suburban Times, a local newspaper. He went on to write more than 1,600 articles and 18 books.

Others write because it was natural for them, because it was what they were, consciously or subconsciously, trained to do since childhood.

Ernest J. Gaines' mother told him to write letters for old, illiterate people in his neighborhood. Cheewa James learned the art of storytelling sitting on the lap of her great-great-great aunt Jennie who was a Klamath Indian.

Some got there through pain and hardship, and found they could ease some of the pain by writing about it.

The story of Josie Willis is an especially touching one. Battered and abused during her childhood, she went on to become an author and poet. She was finally confronted, at the age of 43, to write about the abuse she experienced.

She wrote a letter to her father which was so powerful that she was faced by "a sea of crying faces" when she finished reading it in front of a church support group.

Every once in a while, even the greatest writers need a little push to keep on going.

John Tullius was the author of 10 books and used to receiving six-figure advances (dollars, of course) when suddenly no one wanted to buy his stories anymore. He thought he had lost his touch.

Eventually he lost his car, his home and his self-respect.

He was about to give up when his uncle, who had become a Buddhist monk in Bangkok, reminded him to live for other people as well as for himself.

Very philosophical, but it worked for him. By helping others become writers, he himself could write again.

Being a writer is not only about talent, it is really all about perseverance.

It's about putting experiences onto paper and spreading it around the world. Arguing that one has nothing to write about is no excuse because, as Philip Barry Osborne puts it, "there's a story in every one of us".

What if the publisher says no? Then rewrite it and send it off to another publisher.

What if the other publisher does not want it, either? Well, improve it and send it off to another.

Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul gives us the comfort of knowing that the experience is common and has happened to every writer.

The book serves its purpose very well, especially for this writer.

It opens the heart and rekindles the spirit, compelling people to pick up a pen or switch on the computer, and start writing.

The spirit of a writer is summed up very well in the words of Isaac Asimov: "If my doctor told me I had only six months to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type faster."

-- Tantri Yuliandini