[.ca] Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write (ISBN 0060587180)

What a wonderful surprise:
I was given this book as a gift several months ago - and it's languished on my Bookshelf of the Unread. I picked it up 2 days ago, read it, and figuratively ate it up. Very much a woman writer's book, Fruitflesh uses the growing cycles of flowers and fruits as metaphors for the structure of writing, a unique approach that will appeal to those of us who struggle with the writing muse each and every day. As in other books for writers, yes, there are writing exercises, and yes, there is advice, but here's the difference: Brandeis offers lush and bountiful suggestions for medications that will help bring to fruition the prose we KNOW we have within us. This book is designed to help us find the true sources of our creativity It's a feast, and halfway through Fruitflesh, you can almost feel the juice of a peach running down your chin. Excellent. It's easy to see that the author is also a poet.

The best book on writing I have read!:
I bought this book because I had read some great reviews about it on another web site. Truth be told, I am not even much of a writer - I am a mixed-media artist and visual journaler. The book sat on my bookshelf for a month and a half, waiting it's turn in my reading queue. I started to read this book last night and could hardly put it down. I was hooked by the introduction alone! I rarely can finish an introduction much less will I pull out a highlighter to mark drops of wisdom found in the beginning pages. The language is engaging, poetic and very visual - as a visual artist this is probably a huge part of the appeal to me. If you are a writer, an artist or a woman - I really recommend that you put out the $16 for this book - it is worth every penny and more!

Springboard for Self-Discovery...:
Fruitflesh - Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write by Gayle Brandeis offers women writers a path to understanding their "life-essence" and their true reason for creating. As the beginnings of life sprout from a seed so does a woman writers words as she puts pen to paper. Gayle offers meditations and writing exercises that challenge writers to really go within - into their bodies and minds in search of their authentic selves. Fruitflesh is a springboard for self-discovery and a confirmation of the reasons we as women choose to write. Sheri' L. McConnell, MAOM Founder of the National Association of Women Writers - NAWW

Inspiration for All:
This book is a sensual inspiration to explore our imagination. Fruitflesh is suitable for all readers, even though the author addresses women. English Teachers, Screen writers, poets, novelist and memoir writers such as myself benefit from this juicy book. The flavor of inspiration will be one to satisfy and indulge the wildest of your creative desires.

A refreshing way to jumpstart your writing.:
Unlike many writing books that offer random topics and one-liners to inspire your creativity, Fruitflesh takes your mind into your own life, mind and body from the perspective of a fruit -- organic, raw, growing, changing. On days when I think there is nothing to write about, I open Fruitflesh. If I don't find something new in myself to explore, I at least find a new way of seeing the writing process and how my life is very much connected with it. Fruitflesh sits on my writing desk, constantly waiting to be thumbed through and explored.