Questions Writers Ask: Wise, Whimsical, and Witty Answers from the Pros

Karen Speerstra
Robert D. Reed Publishers (2010)
ISBN 9781934759325
Reviewed by Kathleen Dowdell for Reader Views (11/09)

The 300-plus pages of this book are filled with a collection of nearly 6,000 quotations that author Karen Speerstra saved in pack-rat fashion over the decades. Some quotes are by famous authors, others by people I never heard of (as she calls them “greats” and “near greats”) and nearly all have the work in which they appear cited. “Questions Writers Ask: Wise, Whimsical, and Witty Answers from the Pros” is certainly “wise, whimsical, and witty” - an enjoyment to read.

Consisting of 20 chapters, the author doesn’t just list a bunch of quotes but rather breaks the chapters into categories that make it easy for the reader to peruse the book. For instance, the first chapter “How do I get started?” specifically targets how to begin writing. From the wise statement Ernest Hemingway declares “As long as you can start, you are all right. The juice will come” to the witty statement Andre Gide infers “Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens, we have to keep going back and beginning all over again” this book will certainly tickle your fancy.

As I was paging through the book, my first impression was that it would be cumbersome reading. How would I get through 300-pages of quotes by people I didn’t know anything about? But on the third page I read a quote by Francis of Assisi “Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible” and I knew the book would be challenging, not cumbersome.

“Questions Writers Ask” forces you to think beyond the obvious replies to such questions as “Why do writers write, anyway?” and “Writing is just telling a story-right?” Each of the chapters that address these questions has the opinions of not just one person but many. It is up to the reader to tailor the interpretation of the quote to his or her specific need. That is the best way to fully maximize the information that this book contains.

I think Speerstra was quite fortuitous when she began collecting quotes many years ago. Compiling them into a collage of prose was quite brilliant. As T.S. Eliot claimed when asked if he had a writing method, “there is no method except to be very intelligent.” “Questions Writers Ask” by Karen Speerstra is filled with intelligent information for every writer. If you are an author, I would recommend this book as a bedtime companion to your library of writers’ books. Every time you read it you will stumble upon a quote that may move you along in your writing. And you will also find many people who will commiserate with your sometimes frustration as a writer.

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