Lars Van Tol, a Goodreads member, recently posted the following review of Nate Hendley’s book, Motivate to Create: a guide for writers.

This is the first book I received or won from the Goodreads giveaways, and hopefully not the last… thank you Goodreads.
Nate Hendley, in Motive to Create, has a simple message for those about to write: if the writer isn’t motivated, the writer will have to be content with mediocrity. That’s just what can be inferred from his epigraph, and while it is not the most surprising piece of advice, it is nevertheless the kind of thing that needs to be said.
Hendley’s approach is self-identified as pragmatic, and it is pragmatic from the outset, when he references the Hierarchy of Needs and how it affects the writer. This approach probably stems from his background in journalism and non-fiction: fiction writers aren’t left in the cold, though. For example, Hendley refers to Orwell’s novel, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, to this end, emphasizing that the ‘hungry artist’ cliché is naive and counterproductive. The book is full of references to various works and authors and their variegated examples of motivation. Hendley also refers to perennial darling Hunter Stockton Thompson as an example of why to avoid/moderate illicit intake.
Hendley’s style is concise and avoids wordiness, however he does use/introduce terms that every writer needs to know. Get ready for informal advice that doesn’t condescend (for the most part), and avoids being sugary or peppy while remaining positive. Hendley has written an honest and truthful book that does not gloss over whatever difficulties exist for novices, and encourages without oversimplifying.
Motivate to Create is a good reminder to those (like me) who at times fetishize inspiration and neglect motivation. Many (overly) familiar pieces of advice can be found in this book, but out of the two self-help writing books I own (the other being J. Lawler’s Dojo Wisdom for Writers) it is the more tangibly useful – including samples of queries, deconstructing personal experiences, and the time-honoured list of websites, books, and organizations the reader should consider reviewing.
 
Motivate to Create: a guide for writers, by Nate Hendley is available in both print and digital formats from online booksellers globally, and direct from Five Rivers.
 
Nate Hendley appears tomorrow, Saturday, August 7 at World’s Biggest Bookstore, 20 Edward Street, Toronto, ON, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
 

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