内容简介

Maybe once in a lifetime， along comes a book that makes a real difference in the life of a writer. Chicken Soup or the Writer’s Soul is that book. The mission of this book-- to turn you， America and the world onto the value of writing--has attracted some of the finest authors in the world to share their stories with you. You’ll recognize many of their ames because you have read their work before. However，ou may not know how they began writing， struggled to get ublished， faced rejection， focused hard on their own work，nd finally realized their dreams by becoming published uthors. They have revealed their life stories here for you.
You’ll learn how Sue Grafton wrote six unpublished novels before she sold ‘ A’ Is for Alibi， the first of fifteen bestselling mystery novels. Or read how Steve Allen， a TV personality and author of more than fifty books and 8， 000 songs， was accused of plagiarism；how Catherine Lanigan overcame a university professor’s cruelty to--after waiting fourteen years--publish bestsellers Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile；how Ernest J. Gaines， who couldn’t go into a public library until he was fifteen years of age， checked out his first book and declared “I’m going to be a writer” and is now an icon in American literature；how Barnaby Conrad helped shape the young Alex Haley’s writing career；how Gene Perret practiced writing hundreds of jokes for Bob Hope long before Bob Hope ever hired him；how Hugh Prather， frustrated with his writing career， began writing personal notes that became his bestseller Notes to Myself， eventually selling five million copies；how John Tullius’s uncle mentored him toward a fulfilling writing career；and how Lois Duncan wrote her way through college， tripling her income as she learned.
These and many， many more great stories await you.
As you read these marvelous stories， you， too， will feel their passion and will be inspired to try your own hand at writing. You will begin to find your own writing voice， to experience value moments (“Ahas!”) as you write， to overcome rejection， to gain the courage to persevere， and， by writing fine stories， youll remake a world.
We urge you to read these stories over and over again to capture the valuable lessons， insights and wisdom found within. We believe this book will sustain you during times of challenge， frustration and failure， and will guide you to new levels of seeing， feeling， perceiving and being. We hope Writer ’s Soul will become your life-long companion， inspiring you to open your heart and rekindle your spirit again and again， motivating you to become the best writer you can possibly be. In short， let this legacy of heartfelt stories touch you deeply， enabling you to clearly understand， as writer Jennifer Martin puts it so well in this book， “how sacred is the written word that paints portraits on our souls. ”