A
Joy Writing: Discover and develop your creative voice
Kenn Amdahl
ISBN 0-9627815-2-5
175 pages, trade paper, first printing Nov. 2005
$12.95 ..............NOTE: New Cover for second printing, same book
Leslie O'Kane (aka Leslie Cain) "Amdahl give sound, practical advice for writers of all levels of experience and he augments his pearls of wisdom with laugh-out-loud quips. This work reminded me why I got into writing in the first place. Joy Writing is a joy to read."
Leslie O'Kane, screenwriter and bestselling author of nearly twenty mysteries including the Domestic Bliss series, Poisoned by Gilt, Death by Inferior Design, Manor of Death, False Premises and many more. |
Barbara Steiner "In this little gem of a how-to, Amdahl offers the same advice I give my students. If writing isn't fun, don't do it. But soon you'll want to share your stories, and Kenn provides sound advice on technique and making your work professional. A must for beginners or anyone who takes joy in writing." Barbara Steiner is the bestselling author of more than sixty books, including many for children and young adults. She also teaches creative writing. |
Francine Mathews (aka Stephanie Barron) “Joy Writing is a joy to read: full of wisdom, pithy advice, and one essential reminder--that writing is pointless when it ceases to be fun.” Francine Mathews, bestselling author of suspense novels including Flaw in the Blood, Blown, Alibi, The Cutout, Death in a Cold Hard Light, Death in a Mood Indigo, Death in Rough Waters and (writing as Stephanie Barron) the Jane Austin Detective series, including Barque of Frailty, Lordship's Legacy, Ghosts of Netley, Wool House, Stillroom Maid and many more. |
Reviewed by Michelle Reale I love this book. Bold statement, I know, but let me be honest right up front. Kenn Amdahl truly writes for the writer in Joy Writing. He is not writing to impress, he's not writing to be fashionably inscrutable, he really is writing as a guide and coach, albeit a tough and often unforgiving one, for those at any stage in their writing career. (read entire review) |
Sadly, George has completed his earthly manuscript and begun his celestial one. |
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“As a successful writer’s coach, I have used Kenn Amdahl’s book “Joy Writing” to help teach my clients the elements of good writing. Kenn’s concise approach to each section makes his book quick and easy to read and his humorous writing style guarantees his points will stick in my students’ memories. Kenn has somehow managed to put together a writing book that is both instructional and entertaining. I now recommend this book to all of my clients.”
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“A little like reading Elements of Style on amphetamines, Joy Writing by Kenn Amdahl cascades over its pages with enthusiasm for writing. I wanted to take up my pen and buy a box of yellow tablets before I finished reading it. Yellow highlights throughout my copy remind me that there are other writers that I want to read. The examples he chooses are engaging and witty. Much of his advice is common sense: "Revising means making choices." Some of his advice is surprising, "Let yourself write badly when you create first drafts..." And some of his advice is phrased in a silly way, "...the poet must distract the Colonel Klink/editor within himself. Simply telling him to wait in the closet isn't enough, we need him in a different time zone." Most of it is practical; join a writing group. And all of it is written in an intimate, conversational tone as if Kenn were talking directly to the reader. Joy Writing is 160 pages of inspiration for budding writers. Reviewed by Alice O'Grady, English Teacher, Wilson HS, Long Beach, CA. for Flamingnet Book Reviews (book reviews and website by and for kids and young adults) |
"Joy Writing, by published author Kenn Amdahl is an expertly presented introductory guide to the artful approaches to creative writing. Covering the major aspects of the writing process, Joy Writing begins with the fundamental question of "why write?" and then presents five major sections in methodical order: "Before You Write"; "Beginning to Write"; "Thinking about Language"; "The Overall Flow of any Work" and "Improving." For its outstanding perspective, interpretation and quite stimulating presentation, Joy Writing is very strongly recommended and "user friendly" reading for both novice and seasoned writers alike, but most particularly those aspiring writers struggling with expressing or developing their own distinctively artistic and creative style." The Bookwatch is published by Midwest Book Review. |
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As a high school creative writing teacher, I know something about the difficulty of talking at a captive, but not necessarily captivated, audience about the joys of reading and writing literature. As a creative writer myself, I know something about the difficulty of finding a helpful text on the same subject. That being said, I found Amdahl'(then again - I already enjoy writing and teaching quite a bit). I found Amdahl's prose to be straightforward and seemingly honest and his examples to be helpful. The key to guidebooks such as this is threefold: organization, relevance and variance of example, and brevity of personal anecdote. Amdahl's text fares well in these areas. The text's sections are well organized (and usually well titled-this is more important than one might think for younger readers/writers) and provides short chapters with relevant and variant topics and examples. For this reason the text applies well to a variety of younger writers with varying tendencies, tastes, and needs. Although Amdahl cannot avoid the personal anecdote (after all it is his book) he does so with some restraint and does keep the discussion interesting. To conclude this and keep it short, I can recommend this book to young adults and teachers of young adults who want to become more effective and more appreciative writers. It doesn't answer all the questions (nothing does), but it can provide the needed push to get more words on the pages, and it can help many begin to solve the problems of the empty page. William Patterson, Lawrence HS, English Department, Lawrence, Kansas (on flamingnet.com, a review site run by and for students) |
Should be called "Joy Reading," because that's what it is. I've read quite a few books on the craft of writing, and there are as many opinions on the subject as there are titles. This book is a unique jaunt through the fields of imagination. Not only does Mr. Amdahl provide us with concrete instruction and samples from famous writers to back it up, he injects the proceedings with an almost narrative style that makes you feel like you're reading a novel. It's both entertaining and informative, and damn funny to boot. Highly recommended for anyone interested in improving their writing or just wanting a rollicking good read.
Joel from book and music heaven(Boulder Colorado) a reader/review on Amazon.com |
Mac McCaskill, BlackDogBooks on LibraryThing.com I always ached to belong to a club. The block where my house stood featured only one other house and few children populated the neighborhood. Without the built in neighborhood gang, I had to seek elsewhere for companionship. Like so many other young boys, I demanded an enlistment in the Cub Scouts. My Dad was too busy, so my mother assumed the awesome responsibilities of Den Mother and I donned the yellow kerchief and funny hat, lasting about a year before the forced camaraderie and endless list of tasks wore me down. At about the same time I abandoned the life of a Scout, I read my first adult novel, Robinson Crusoe, and found admission into a club that would sustain me for the rest of my life. Reading about Crusoe's haunted and solitary existence on a deserted, tropical island freed my mind and stimulated by imagination in ways I never thought possible. He lived in my mind as a friend, a person whose story was a part of my own. Treasure Island and some of the Tarzan stories from Edgar Rice Burroughs followed and I was hooked for life, save for a short period in high school and college where the forced reading demanded by domineering English professors weakened the addiction. I was content for a long time only to offer club membership to the characters on the pages I read, with the occasional honorary membership to other readers whose habits matched my own. It didn't occur to me until very recently, though, that the founding and controlling members of my special club are the people who create the characters and write the stories I read. Kenn Amdahl's Joy Writing gives voice to that revelation, encouraging me, and others like me, to upgrade our membership in this select community. Amdahl writes, “there is honor in being an attentive listener or an avid reader but sometimes we need to speak back. So we write.” Joy Writing is no Writing for Dummies book, laying out checklists and tricks of the trade to follow at every turn while you compose the Great American Novel. And Amdahl is no literary genius, holding forth on the elements of great literature which must be included in any respectable attempt at writing. Rather, Amdahl’s sassy little book is more akin to the Nike “Just Do It” commercials. Equating his own inner muse to Bart Simpson slinging mud around the room, Amdahl encourages aspiring writers to write badly for the sake of writing. Get your thoughts, emotions, and ideas down on paper, no matter how ugly they might first appear, he says. Only then should you permit your inner editor, he calls his Colonel Klink, to take over. And allow your reading life to inform your writing life, closely reading your favorite authors and books to identify techniques on which you can rely and, eventually, expand. Throughout Joy Writing, Amdahl provides simple, down to earth suggestions on writing style, character, story, vocabulary, and so on. Never preachy, Amdahl constantly encourages, insisting that you write what and how you want, aiming only to improve your work and never to alter it. Amdahl’s primary message is to write simply for the joy of writing. Don’t think about publication; don’t think about what your friends or family will say; and don’t even think about you own inner critic. When you sit down at a computer or with a pen and paper, use the opportunity to claim membership in that unique community, communicating in that special way that exists only on the written page. Make your goal to write and only to write. I don’t know if I’ll ever publish a book or even submit a book to a publisher for consideration. But, in a small way, I have already started to exercise the full benefits of my membership in this club. And I intend to write. This book is highly recommended for the reader and the writer alike. |
Joy Writing is an introduction to the process of writing for students and adults. It demonstrates how word choices add vigor and clarity or drain them away. Subjects include active verbs, metaphor etc. as well as less conventional ideas. The author earns his living writing books that make dull subjects fun: if he can explain calculus and electronics in clear, humorous language, imagine the fun he has with his favorite topic.
Ideal for students faced with taking the new SAT or for adults with a literary dream; the author supports concepts with examples from more than fifty writers, including John Steinbeck, Annie Dillard, Dave Barry, William Shakespeare (Mr. Barry insists that his name always precede Mr Shakespeare's) Margaret Atwood, B.J. Chute, Donald Trump, Edward Ormondroyd and other.
Kenn started writing this book in 2001 primarily for his sons. All three of his grown sons have written at least one book-length manuscript, including fiction, nonfiction and screenplays. So, of course, Kenn talks about writing with them. Once when Joey called from New York with a question about point of view, Kenn realized that he had spent an hour on the phone with Scott the previous week discussing exactly that. A mini lightning bolt lit his brain for a moment and he thought, hey, I'm a writer, I ought to save us all some time and write down my thoughts on the subject as they occur to me. Make three copies and we'll save a bunch of long distance charges.
So, he started a file on his computer and called it "Joy Writing" which was a twist on the phrase "joy riding" which means stealing cars, but doing it cheerfully. He listed it on his website as a future title, assigned it an ISBN for the fun of it and wrote on it whenever something occurred to him. The title was intended only as a working title. He checked to make sure there were no other books with that name and saw that the ones that were similar were out of print. It was a great working title because it reminded him to stay focussed on the fun aspects of writing. But his marketing side thought it would not be the ideal title once we had to sell the things.
Then he upgraded his Mac's operating system, and suddenly Dreamweaver, the program he'd struggled to learn to create a rudimentary website, no longer worked. He had other priorities, some health problems, and could not justify purchasing a new web program. So his website remained unchanged for several years.
Unfortunately, during that time someone noticed the title and ISBN on that website and somehow it got listed in Books In Print and Amazon and the big book wholesalers. Then he started getting orders for the book, even though he had not even finished writing it yet. Google found it, and all the online bookstores that get their data from the big distributors started listing it as for sale on their website ("Usually ships within 48 hours!") and it wasn't even typed up yet. There were several hundred references to the book on the web
So he got more serious about finishing it. Once it was ready to go, he discovered the concept of "fair usage." Fair usage means you can quote someone else in your work if you follow certain guidelines. Unfortunately, no one has written those guidelines yet. In fact, when the issue has come before the Supreme Court, they held on at least two occasions that it was cool to keep the rules vague. If you only quote four words out of an eight hundred page book, that's probably fair usage. But not if it's the last three words of the book, and they are "the butler did it."
So then he had to track down the authors AND copyright owners of all those fifty quotes. Obviously, they represent fifty different definitions of "fair usage." It took some time, but we finally got them. Some of the copyright owners were jerks and we removed their quote. Almost all the authors were a delight. Margaret Atwood does not give blurbs, for example, or else that would be her full time job. But her assistant sent a very nice note. Same with Annie Dillard, who signed her permission with an inside joke that made us all smile. Reg Saner, George Garrett and Edward Ormondroyd volunteered blurbs. Please buy their books, they are uncommonly virtuous men.
While we were getting the permissions and fooling around, someone else came out with "The Joy of Writing Sex" And I think they re-released an old book called "Joy of Writing" which had been long out of print when Kenn chose his working title. So now, if you google Joy Writing, you may well find Joy of Writing Sex and Joy of Writing. Sorry about that.
As to the cover: The review copies had a very edgy collage of Kenn's paintings. Very hip, but a bit disturbing and disjointed. One of our largest customers hated it. She said, "it's an elegant book, it needs a more elegant cover." But the book had already been sent to the printers. We literally called them and told them to stop the presses.
That afternoon, Kenn took his digital camera up to the Park 'n Ride bus stop near Broomfield and snapped the cover shot. As you may have guessed, he is not a guy who is asked to do "elegant" very often, and it does not come naturally. He cobbled together the new cover that afternoon and sent it to the printer. It is not disturbing, but it may not represent the fun quality of the book. Honest, the book is not about ritual sacrifices on the plains of Colorado.
Although that might not be a bad idea for a book...
clearwater publishing company publishes Kenn Amdahl books in Colorado. Clearwater Publishing Company publishes educational fun books. Books include There Are No Electrons Electronics <span class="style8">for Earthlings, Algebra Unplugged, Calculus for Cats, Joy Writing: Discover and Develop your Creative Voice, The Land of Debris and the Home of Alfredo. Clearwater also publishes The Barefoot Fisherman: a fishing book for kids by Paul Amdahl. and Economics for the Impatient by C.A. Turner. Our books are about science, math, creative writing algebra, calculus s, economics, fishing, kids, parenting, education. Curriculums like them, and so do home schoolers. Joy of Writing and The Joy of Writing are not our books, but Joy Writing is. Kenn Amdahl is president. He's a songwriter and author in Broomfield Colorado. Electronics, teaching electricity, teaching math, especially alebra and calculus and creative writing. SAT, LSAT, and other test takers may like these books. They are like books for dummies, algebra for dummies, algebra unplugged, math book. kenn amdahl jim loats calculus for dummies, creative writing for dummies, fishing for dummies, parenting for dummies . Or Algebra for Idiots, Calculus for Idiots, Creative Writing for Dummies. Memoir writing or memoir writers may find Joy Writing useful, although it is not The Joy of Writing or the Joy of Sex or the joy of writing sex or the Joy of Algebra for that matter. They are not chicken soup for the writers soul, or algebra for the writers soul, or calculus for the writers soul. They are not strictly speaking Christian or religious or spiritual, but those folks are welcome. Jesus would not disapprove of these books. Jesus might like them. The Rapture of Writing might be a good title. Self-publishers read our books, Dan Poynter is recommended. Top ten bestsellers not on the list. New York Times Bestsellers are loved here. DaVinci Code or Harry Potter fans welcome. Obviously I'm practicing my writing on this web area that you should not be able to see because I need to make thisalgebra unplugged, math book. kenn amdahl jim loatsclearwater publishing company publishes Kenn Amdahl books in Colorado. Clearwater Publishing Company publishes educational fun books. Books include There Are No Electrons Electronics <span class="style8">for Earthlings, Algebra Unplugged, Calculus for Cats, Joy Writing: Discover and Develop your Creative Voice, The Land of Debris and the Home of Alfredo. Clearwater also publishes The Barefoot Fisherman: a fishing book for kids by Paul Amdahl. and Economics for the Impatient by C.A. Turner. Our books are about science, math, creative writingg algebra, calculus s, economics, fishing, kids, parenting, education. Curriculums like them, and so do home schoolers. Joy of Writing and The Joy of Writing are not our books, but Joy Writing is. Kenn Amdahl is president. He's a songwriter and author in Broomfield Colorado. Electronics, teaching electricity, teaching math, especially alebra and calculus and creative writing. SAT, LSAT, and other test takers may like these books. They are like books for dummies, algebra for dummies, calculus for dummies, creative writing for dummies, fishing for dummies, parenting for dummies . Or Algebra for Idiots, Calculus for Idiots, Creative Writing for Dummies. Memoir writing or memoir writers may find Joy Writing useful, although it is not The Joy of Writing or the Joy of Sex or the Joy of Algebra for that matter. They are not chicken soup for the writers soul, or algebra for the writers soul, or calculus for the writers soul. They are not strictly speaking Christian or religious or spiritual, but those folks are welcome. Jesus would not disapprove of these books. Jesus might like them. The Rapture of Writing might be a good title. Self-publishers read our books, Dan Poynter is recommended. Top ten bestsellers not on the list. New York Times Bestsellers are loved here. DaVinci Code or Harry Potter fans welcome. Obviously I'm practicing my writing on this web area that you should not be able to see because I need to make this square bigger and have not learned how yet except to type in words, poetry, prose, language, steinbeck type stuff, No Child Left Behind, that's my motto. Naked books, with no girls gone wild, no bikini models no first amendment problems. Sorry, no Jill, no wagner. no amateur index ladies or lightspeed girls or coeds or women. Just books about electricity, like Tesla or Edison might write, books about Algebra like Aristotle might write. Calculus books like Garfield the cat might write. Cat stuff, feline stuff, study guide type raw material. Books for girls who like to read and boys who know how to. Teach yourself math, science, fishing, in clear water or clearwater economics creative writing and poetry. Sing a song. Release a CD Write a book and self publish it. Groups we like include Book Organizations of Colorado, Colorado Independent Publishers Association CIPA Colorado Authors League Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Pikes Peak Writers Aspen Writers Mountains and Plains Booksellers Independent Booksellers SPAN Small Press Association of North America Publishers Association of the WEst Colorado Library Association Last Note Singers Cottonwood the music group. Edward Ormondroyd and George Garrett gave blurbs to our books </span></div>
square bigger and have not learned how yet except to type in words, poetry, prose, language, steinbeck type stuff, No Child Left Behind, that's my motto. Naked books, with no girls gone wild, no bikini models no first amendment problems. no amateur index ladies or lightspeed girls or coeds or women. Just books about electricity, like Tesla or Edison might write, books about Algebra like Aristotle might write. Calculus books like Garfield the cat might write. Cat stuff, feline stuff, study guide type raw material. Books for girls who like to read and boys who know how to. Teach yourself math, science, fishing, in clear water or clearwater economics creative writing and poetry. Sing a song. Release a CD Write a book and self publish it. Groups we like include Book Organizations of Colorado, Colorado Independent Publishers Association CIPA Colorado Authors League Rocky Mountain Fiction Wri</span><span class="style11">ters Pikes Peak Writers Aspen Writers Mountains and Plains Booksellers Independent Booksellers SPAN Small Press Association of North America Publishers Association of the WEst Colorado Library Association Last Note Singers Cottonwood the music group. Jill Wagner is the actress in the Mercury Mariner TV commercial. Jill Wagner will become a big star and people will google her. That's Jill Wagner, mercuryvehicles.com, TV actress. She's in Vancouver filming a movie.Edward Ormondroyd and George Garrett gave blurbs to our books </span></div>
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