[Review] Bust Writer's Block Forever by Caryl Westmore

I'm generally a big fan of writing craft book. I usually walk away with tips and tricks from each one, feeling inspired to put those new ideas to use. This book, at least the first 2/3 of it, left me wanting to pull out my hair.

The Good: There are some genuine gems of wisdom in this book. The chapters on self-ego and ChatGPS were both very cohesive and informative.

The Bad: The first two third of this book frustrated the hell out of me. It felt like a sales pitch delivered by someone trying to sell time shares. There was too much talking in circles and too much testimonial fluff. And the writing was inconsistent, with some sections offering a clear strategy for overcoming writer's block, while others offered little to no strategy at all.

The Ugly: Parts of this book felt gimmicky and self-promoting. In the first third of the book, there were far too many mentions of Westmore's other books, her other blogs, the people she's helped, the podcasts she's done, ect. Overbearing self-promotion is gross, and it undermines the authority of anyone who spends that much attention trying to promote themselves.

This book might work for some people, but it wasn't a hit for me.

Note: I received this book as an ARC (post-factum). It was released Aug 19, 2023.

2 stars