Review by zarah_ -- The Writer's Roadmap by Leigh Shulman

[zarah_]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Writer's Roadmap" by Leigh Shulman.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Leigh Schulman's The Writer's Roadmap: Paving The Way To Your Ideal Writing Life couldn't have come into my life at a perfect time. Similar to the author, I started writing during my prepubescent days when I would take my frustrations and what not onto paper instead of lashing out. And although I knew I wanted to write for a living, the problem was I wasn't sure exactly how I was going to make that a viable option.

Schulman quickly captured my attention in the introduction of the book as she enumerated several familiar reasons that have hindered writers or aspiring writers to put off their work countless times. The author herself has had her fair share of struggles with figuring out how to fit writing into her personal life and wanted to share how she surpassed that. She has since published in various media outlets like The Washington Post and The New York Times, and now has a book that would inspire others to get back on track with their writing goals.

Throughout the book, Schulman discusses the OGSM, which stands for Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures. It is the process in which people use to identify their objectives and how they can work towards achieving them. There is no complex formula, and instead, she uses an easy to comprehend analogy - imagining the process as a road trip. Driving around without a destination is comparable to taking action without a coherent plan, which is often why people get lost along the way.

A writing exercise, called Free Writing, is included in the book that's straightforward and easy to follow. Readers are given a set time to answer a prompt with the condition that they write without erasures, cross-outs, editing, or second-guessing themselves. There are even real-life examples provided that will guide readers in creating their OGSM. It was a fun exercise that I tried out for myself and in the end it gave me a few things to think about.

There was only one minor error that I noticed in the book; but other than that, everything seemed to be well-polished. Readers can easily finish the book in a few hours as Schulman is not only a great coach, she is also a great storyteller. At the end of the book, I was more aware of what I can and can't do and I was asking myself the real and important questions that would help me kickstart my writing career.

This book deserves a 4 out of 4 stars because it got me excited about writing again. Now that I have established my OGSM, I am more motivated and focused on fulfilling my objective. I highly recommend this book to those who want to get back into writing, those who want to start making a living through writing, and anyone who is struggling to figure out what exactly they want with writing, or in life in general.

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The Writer's Roadmap
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