Reader View Review!

Grit for the Oyster: 250 Pearls of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers
Suzanne Woods Fisher, Debora M. Coty, Faith Tibbetts McDonald, & Joanna Bloss
Vintage Romance Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9780981559223
Reviewed by Valerie A. Howard for Reader Views (10/08)

“Grit for the Oyster” (although I understood the premise behind the name, I didn’t care for it), is a “how-to” manual for handling writing and spiritual issues such as success, rejection, uncertainty,writer’s block and many others. The four authors offer encouragement to writers who may be experiencing difficult or lean times in which they may question their writing gift.

“Grit” is targeted toward aspiring writers, however, it is great for all writers, new and established,published and unpublished, young and old, writing any genre, who love God and have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The format of each section of the book is a short devotional piece (1-2 pages, sometimes more) by one of the four authors, followed by a few “reflection” questions, and finally, a few pearls of wisdom (helpful hints, ideas, and theories) from established writers such as best-selling author Gary Chapman (The Five Love Languages).

“Grit for the Oyster” is one gem that I will refer to regularly. I found myself highlighting, circling and placing asterisks by words from authors Fisher, Coty, McDonald, and Bloss (as well as the pearls from the established writers) so that I can refer back to them. This is one book that won’t collect dust on the shelf like some of the other books that I have with advice and tips for writers. Good job, ladies.

This book is a very well-written and attention-grabbing bag of goodies for the creative writer’s soul. There were a few minor editing and formatting issues which overall did not detract from the book.

The book read more like a devotional. Reading one inspirational word for the day will probably be more beneficial to the reader than trying to read the whole book at one time.

Overall, this is a great book and I would recommend it to any writer who attributes their writing gift to God for a daily reminder of why we do this and who we are really doing it for.

This wonderful cheerleading section for writers reminds us that our primary focus in this profession should be to glorify God. “Grit for the Oyster: 250 Pearls of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers” is a very inspirational read.