Shelving: A Year of Writing Dangerously by Barbara Abercrombie

An online acquaintance once told me that writers either have "it" or they don't. And if they don't have the "it" they might as well quit right now. You can't teach "it," and you can't learn "it." I asked her to define this literary umami, this "itness," but she never got back to me. Years later someone else me that if you have to read a book on writing, you're probably not a writer.

Needless to say, I quit associating with these people.

Barbara Abercrombie's A Year of Writing Dangerously: 365 Days of Inspiration and Encouragement is a short collection of anecdotes, prompts, and general butt-kicking for anyone who dares call herself a writer. If you're looking for a scholarly tome on the craft of writing, this isn't it (but those books are kind of boring). If you're a fan of Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird, you'll find lots to love here.