Book Review: The Train-Of-Thought Writing Method
January 1, 2007 by Laura | Trackback URI
Author: Kathi Macias
Publisher: Authorhouse
Title: The Train-Of-Thought Writing Method
Genre: Nonfiction
Many aspiring writers have no shortage of great ideas. Kathi Macias asks, “How do you effectively take those ideas and convert them to saleable manuscripts?” and tells us “what successful writing is really all about - the rewriting.”
The Train-Of-Thought writing method is free of jargon, simple and easy to follow, and the perfect way for a beginning writer to learn to hone his skills. Each of the seven chapters contains a critical concept that must be mastered in order to write effectively. Not content to just tell us what to do, Macias includes extremely helpful short exercises to show us. This book is great on its own, but it would also be a great tool for members of small writers groups to work through together.
I’ve read “how to write” books before and ended up more discouraged than when I started. They seemed to elevate writing to a high and unattainable art form that I could never master. Ms. Macias’ nearly twenty years experience at teaching creative and business writing comes through - the Train-of-Thought writing method uses train imagery to get the critical concepts across, and that imagery makes it easy to retain it and utilize the method. She not only makes it clear, she makes it enjoyable.
Kathi Macias has authored or coauthored fifteen books in various genres, and has edited, rewritten or ghostwritten more than 100 other books. She is also a popular speaker at writer’s conferences.
There is a first time for everything, and for the first time, I’m rating a book a 5 out of 5. The Train-Of-Thought Writing Method is brief (78 pages) but it perfectly achieves what it sets out to do. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to aspiring writers, and especially to any writer serious about getting published.
Laura Curtis is a web developer in New Orleans. This book has been reviewed for Active Christian Media.
I am here simply to learn. Damn I have already shown my ignorance as learning is never simple and in most cases impossible. Let me restate that and say I am joining this blog to hear writers ideas and viewpoints. I have been the tormented victim of writers block for some forty years. Yet I shall not surrender until my pen goes dry, my desk is eaten by termites or I am officially declared brain dead. You see I have a living will and my appointed plug puller and I are not on speaking terms. A rather amusing situation as it leaves me in the care of a young intern who cares absolutely nothing about me as a person, but a “save” to ad to his hospital action log and will count as at least 6 head doctor butt kissings during rounds Monday morning. Nice to finally do something purely altruistic.
I know what you mean about writer’s block… I’ve written two novels, the first fairly crappy, the second less so. Nothing I wanted to send in to an agent or publisher, but I did enjoy the process. The third time may be the charm. We’ll see.