Official Review: Questionable Minds by dr george pollard

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psychopathycathy
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Official Review: Questionable Minds by dr george pollard

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Questionable Minds" by dr george pollard.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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I've always loved interviews with authors. It is their way with words, and each of their unique inspirations that makes them all very interesting to learn from. Questionable Minds is a great example; it contains a total of ten chapters that contain interviews with several authors, ranging from the erotica writer Alessandra Torre, to the writer of the Yadda, Yadda episode of Seinfeld, Peter Mehlman. Each interview is sandwiched between a short introduction to the author's inspiration and style and a few paragraphs that summarize their experiences and advice to readers and writers alike.

The book began with a preface, written by the author himself, and right off the bat, I found myself curious. I enjoyed learning about how the author came up with the title of his book, and I also thought that his quick pieces of advice were already invaluable and perfectly expressed the freedom that writing was supposed to have. The short introductions with the authors he interviewed really helped as well, as it allowed me to familiarize myself with them even before their stories began.

Each chapter in this book is engaging and interesting, especially since the writers come from such different spheres in the entertainment world. Some writers wrote comedy, some wrote romance, and some wrote thrillers. The type of writing an author leans towards gives an indication of their personality, and the interview transcripts also very much reinforced this by providing deeper insight into every writer's story. I felt like I gained considerable knowledge about both the world of writing and publishing. The book addresses both mental and emotional aspects of writing, as well as the technical side, such as grammar; Questionable Minds does a fantastic job with expressing the importance of synthesizing both into a complete story.

In addition, the interviews were composed very well; I liked how there was no rigid set of questions—that makes it too general and mechanical. Instead, the interviewer allowed the conversation itself to lead, and the result was a a very eye-opening and meaningful discussion that flowed from one topic to another.

One problem I had with the book were simple some formatting errors, such as a random question mark in the middle of a sentence, or the chapter for Chris Allen, which was abruptly cut-off mid-sentence and mid-word. I also wish that there was a closing conclusion written by the author of Questionable Minds, Dr. George Pollard; I felt like it would have helped with closure, as ending the book right after an author's chapter felt a little abrupt. Nevertheless, I was fascinated by the memorable quotes and helpful advice, which is why I rated this book 3 out of 4 stars.

As a writer myself, I understand that writing is more than putting words on paper, and this book helped me gain a deeper understanding of what the road to publication looks like. Not only that, but the interviews illustrated what writing was all about. Through Questionable Minds, readers can begin to see what it means to be an author; there are your own stories, and then there are the stories you tell, but what they have in common is that they all begin in the same place: the mind.

******
Questionable Minds
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kandscreeley
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Post by kandscreeley »

I myself am intrigued by writers and how they come up with the things that they do. Thanks for the interesting review. Sounds like you pretty well enjoyed the book.
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Emomsalam
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Post by Emomsalam »

This seems to be an interesting book as could be seen from your review. I feel it would also serve also as a primary data into knowing the lives of the said writers especially for the ones who are fascinated in getting some information on these writers from their personal point of view. Great review!
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Jaime Lync
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Post by Jaime Lync »

Wow. I also consider myself a writer (no books published-yet) so I am highly intrigued by this types of books. Your review really sells this book.
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kimmyschemy06
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Post by kimmyschemy06 »

As an aspiring writer, I would love to read a compilation of interviews with writers of various genre. I'm sure I will learn a lot from them. Too bad about the errors, though. Good job on the review.
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Espie
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Post by Espie »

The book's main title is quite catchy and would have really seemed too ironic as it's about people whose works should be convincing enough. Nonetheless, I guess a true mark of a writer is one's ability to transform an initially unthinkable thought into a relatable or plausible one.

Thank you for your well-written review.
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María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
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Post by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda »

I'm such a huge bibliophile and I have to admit, I've made several attempts at writing, so this book is right up my alley. It seems fascinating to dive into the minds of such different but creative persons. I hope the editing mistakes get fixed because this book has so much potential!
Thank you for a very compelling review!
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Post by nooregano »

This book sounds so wonderful! I love learning about the processes of different authors. Their fundamental approaches to writing are so different, and it's so interesting to see what you don't know that you don't know about creativity and the human mind. Thank you for this wonderful review, I'd love to read this book!
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