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Review: Inspiring 'The Writer Within You'

By Alice Graves, Special to the Times
In print: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

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Charles Jacobs wants everyone to write.

According to the press kit accompanying his The Writer Within You: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing and Publishing in Your Retirement Years, 81 percent of Americans have a book inside them waiting to be written.

And Jacobs wants to help them get it on paper, between colorful glossy covers, and out into the world. Jacobs, who divides his time between New Jersey and Tampa, is a journalist, editor, author and writing teacher who has received numerous awards. He also maintains a Web site, www.retirement-writing.com, that encourages retirees to —what else? —write.

Retirees have time to write, a lifetime of stories to relate, and family history to document, and they have accumulated vast amounts of knowledge to share with the rest of the world. But the same rules offered here apply to would-be writers of any age.

Jacobs' book is extremely well-organized and packed with essential information. His opening chapter, "Can I Really Become A Writer?" instills the novice writer with self-confidence:

"Once you start, you will be amazed at the ease with which you can place your thoughts on paper. When you discover how favorably readers respond, your confidence will expand exponentially, as will your pride in yourself and your accomplishment."

I want what he's having.

The book's pages are dotted with quotes, such as Dorothy Parker's pithy "I hate writing, but I love having written," and from W. Somerset Maugham, "There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

The "rules'' may be elusive, but Jacobs sees to it that the author's path is clear and unencumbered.

He provides step-by-step instructions on how to begin conceptualizing and organizing your book, whether it's to be nonfiction or a how-to.

He explains the differences between the novel, memoir and everyone's favorite oxymoronic genre, creative nonfiction, defined by Poynter Institute writing coach Chip Scanlan as a fact-based "union of storytelling and journalism."

Our high-tech world enables us to publish in many forms. There's print-on-demand, e-books, various kinds of self-publishing, and the old-fashioned way, getting a six-digit book advance from a major publisher — every writer's dream. Jacobs explains the pros and cons of each of these.

Plus, there are chapters on negotiating a contract, why you need a lawyer and how to set up your own Web site.

Although this book adds to an already huge body of self-publishing manuals on the market, it is the only one I have found written specifically for older writers.

Alice Graves holds an MFA in creative writing and has taught writing in college. Readers may contact her at aliceggraves@yahoo.com.