Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life

I picked up this book when I was doing research for my own book about writing - I wanted to learn what other writers thought of their crafts, what pearls of wisdom or insight I might be able to glean for use in my own work.

Terry Brooks has written a gem with this book. The back cover tells us that "in addition to being a writing guide, Sometimes the Magic Works is Terry Brooks's self-portrait of the artist." This is precisely true. The book gives the reader a sense of what it is to be a writer - the excitement and joy of getting swept up in a story as you create it, the frustration of doing a book signing event to which nobody shows up, and the sheer pleasure of doing professionally something that you enjoy so much.

This book is also invaluable to writers - the ideas and techniques that it describes are priceless, and the way in which the text flows with the reader is the perfect example of the concepts that the book describes.

More than anything else, though, the book shows the reader how exciting and enjoyable writing can be. Brooks shows us that - for writers, at least - sometimes the magic really does work.

Danny Iny
Author of "Ordinary Miracles - Harness the power of writing and get your point across!" (ISBN 1-4116-7252-6)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked reading about the transitions Brooks made from a imaginative child to a part-time writer and finally to the celebrated author he is today. There is a lot of autobiographical information in short anecdotes about his family and his friendship with the del Reys (his publisher). Many of the anecdotes relate how some of his novels came together or how his opinions on writing have matured as he gained more experience in the field.

I don't think every fan of Brooks' novels will enjoy this book- only those who are interested in him as a person and his approach and opinions of the writing life. Aspiring writers will find a limited amount of advice. The advice presented is sound, but also should be common sense (You do know you need to use an outline, right?). If you are looking for a more technical book on the subject, check out Orson Scott Card's How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. But if you would like a glimpse into the man behind Shannara, this is a great book.

I'd never recommend this book for those who want to expand their knowledge of the craft of writing, but if you want to know something of the business of it, here's where to look. Sometimes the Magic Works is an excellent biographical account of Terry Brooks' attempts to break into the field of fantasy, and of his struggles to even get past that first book and keep from being a one-hit-wonder. Again, if you're looking for writing knowledge, stay away. This book is a treasure, though, for those who want to know about the business.

If you want to get a bit more of a glimpse into how Terry Brooks thinks and crafts his stories read this book. It's full of insights into what he thinks about the movie Hook, george Lucas, which of his books are his favorites and what he thinks of his work in general. I've gone back and reread parts of this just for a reminder and a bit of humor.

It is important to understand what this book is and what it is not. "Sometimes the Magic Works" is an autobiography of Brooks experience with his own writing. It is not a text on writing itself. Those who are fans of Brooks, or interested in writing speculative fiction will likely find this book worth their time. If, however, you are looking for a book to detail the methods and basics of solid writing, you will likely be disappointed.

The life experiences of Brooks can teach a person a lot about the character of a writer. His behind the scenes stories demonstrate how a writer can and should deal with adversity, failure, and disappointment. I also appreciate the stress he places on the significance of the act of writing. For example: "Writers need their writing; they need their imaginary worlds in order to find peace in, or make sense of the real world" (6). And: "If you think that by having published you will become a happier person, you are mistaken. If you think that the finished book is of greater value than what you learned from the writing process, you are mistaken yet again" (196).

If you want to know about Brooks, "Sometimes the Magic Works" will work for you.