Eric MaiselCritiques

The title and premise of this book intrigued me, but after having read half of it and still not found much of anything that interested me, I decided to cut my losses and move on. This one is not for me.

I've been reading a number of books dealing with the themes tackled in COACHING THE ARTIST WITHIN: artist fears, doubts, anxiety, blocks, stalled projects, etc. Maisel's book is a wonderful addition to my growing keeper shelf of books to reconnect with when the creative life becomes too much to bear, when I wonder why I bother at all, and when I start to think I'd be better off making widgets on an assembly line.

Maisel addresses the issues all artists face with plenty of compassion, but he doesn't sugar-coat the important issues, either. He makes it abundantly clear that hard work is needed to succeed, and he's not afraid to give artists a good kick in the behind to get them moving again. Perhaps most important of all is the way he encourages each of us to become our own creativity coaches. Empowering and motivating, COACHING THE ARTIST WITHIN is a must-read for anyone struggling to find meaning in his or her creative work. (A)

I really didn't like this book. I read it for a class. He just rubbed me the wrong way. Not sure why. Different kind of rubbed the wrong way than Sark. I think he made me grumpy because he thought he had the pipeline to getting around artist's block.

I have had this book on my shelf for years, waiting for the right time to pick it up. It was given to my husband and me before our first trip to Paris. Neither of us read it then, but I just felt like now was a good time since we have had to cancel our current (and fourth) Paris trip due to COVID-19. Would this short book substitute for a trip to Paris? Actually, it was a fun way to virtually visit one of my favorite places. And to make plans for the next trip. In some ways it's a "how-to write" book without containing writing technique tips. But it's really more of a motivator with Paris as the setting. The writing style is upbeat and humorous. I found myself laughing out loud many times. What I especially liked was the lists of museums, bookstores, cafes, and day trips. So it's also a travel guide with lots of illustrations, fun historical facts, tips about various things to do on a budget and also encouragement to get you to write, if that's what you want to do when visiting the City of Light.

As the the title implies, this book contains a lot of pointers and techniques for solving all kinds of problems (and therefore reducing stress), change personality traits and awaken your creativity. How? by guiding, training or simply letting your brain do what it naturally does best: problem-solving. Even if this book might seem to be focused on thinking while sleeping, it also gives tips and exercises for solving problems while you are awake. If you have read about NLP, reframing, lucid dreaming or cognitive psychology (to name a few) then the contents of this book might feel familiar to you at one point or another.

This book consists mostly of case examples of people using sleep thinking to solve an issue. Eric Maisel presents a 18 steps program to facilitate the natural sleep thinking process of the brain. There are so many examples, that I would expect that you can identify with at least one of them or with their problem (problems about roomates, changing jobs, socializing, teenager doing drugs, dealing with step-kids, artists, writers, etc). In my case, I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting a more factual approach focusing on the method, background and troubleshooting without using so many case examples that, at some point, started feeling more like positive testimonials or as a way to convince that sleep thinking works (which I know it does, because I have intuitively done it, and therefore got bored at most of the story parts, which were a lot). However, I did find the method and tips given of great help in general, specially the six anxiety-management strategies, think in 20s exercise and 12 tips for upgrading your personality. As you can see, it gives advice for happiness and well-being in general, not just sleep thinking, so it suits best those who want an easy to understand self-help book, specially if you are new to this subject. However, If you are looking for a scholarly/ scientific approach, I wouldn't recommend this one, this is more a hands-on practical book. So, if the latter is what you are looking for, by all means read it. I got my eArc from NetGalley

Maisel's book is not as good as I thought it would be. He promotes finding meaning in one's life but presents a world view that is dreary and depressing. Not to my liking.

Has some very good ideas but it is wordy.

wow! sad! tons of abstract words; didn't work for me at all.

Really enjoyed this book and expect to go back to it again and again. My one quibble is that the affirmations don't seem up to the latest research on self-affirmations; but this is an older book and that's easily overlooked. There's lots of good stuff in here. I especially loved the chapters Creating in the Middle of Things and Becoming an Anxiety Expert.

The first chapter of this book is so interesting I’m finding it hard not to quote the whole thing. Maisel, who holds degrees in philosophy (B.S.), psychology (B.A.), creative writing (M.A.), counseling (M.S.), and counseling psychology (PhD) discusses what a personality is, the traditional psychologist’s theories, clinicians and experimenters, and how little is actually known or provable from a scientific stand point about personality.

He asserts “Fiction writers have a leg up on psychologist when it comes to understanding personality and character. To put it differently: Fiction writers are our real psychologist.” I love this perspective and after reading Maisel’s take on the failing of psychologist to actually define a personality theory, I’m fascinated.

Writers get to make up characters, defining who they are, what motivates them, how those characters interpret and respond to their world. And while what the writer creates is artificial, it is a depth of understanding human motivation and personality that rivals what psychologist have tried to understand and theorize about because we get to be inside the characters head.

Though there are plenty of theories of personality, they don’t hold up to the real scientific rigor of analysis. A real theory is provable and results reproducible, human personality theories are not. Freud, the father of psychoanalysis in the late nineteenth century, led the psychology movement down the path to experiments which led to a plethora of theorist. “...Gustave, Jung, Adler, Horney, Kelly Erikson...” their major ideas have not led to any one conclusive theory. In fact, “...no psychologist, psychiatrist, family therapist, or clinical social worker, could say, except guess, what caused depression, anxiety addiction psychosis or any of the other ailments that befall people.”

Without a concrete theory that explains why we suffer from these psychological maladies, “...health care professionals are left with three ways of dealing with our emotional health.” Medication, clinical methods(psychoanalysis), or behavioral changes. “Or they could do what natural philosophers have done for thousands of years, use their common sense and their understanding of human nature– and a lot of wit and warmth– to affect behavior changes.”

There are plenty of health professional who work this way. “There turned to be all the difference in the world between standing behind a theory and having insight into human nature. The first could be called pseudo-science: the second, wisdom.” To me, it this wisdom of noticing and being in touch with humanity that gives writers the basis for building characters that are alive and real on the page.

Maisel goes to discuss academia, the problems with diagnosis, and testing. Basically he wants you, the writer, to realize that professional psychologist are no more an expert on why humans do the things they do than you are. In fact writer have the advantage of being able to get inside the subjects head and know why a character is behaving the way they do, what exactly is motivating them and their secret wishes and desires. No therapist can do that.

The majority of the book is Maisel’s “personality quizzes for analyzing your characters.” Scenarios are proposed, such as “At the Airport” and questions asked with answers provided. The answer you pick for your character have a small synopsis explaining what that might reveal about your character. The first question about the airport is about waiting, if you chose the answer, “A. Restless?” you’d find out “ Waiting restlessly is consistent with type A character whose appetites, ambitions and high energy level make it impossible for him to relax.” While I found them interesting, they ended up not serve a purpose for me in this study. I was more intrigued by his ideas of personality and the writer than any of the exercises. Though I wouldn’t hesitate to try out the exercise if I ever feel stuck or wanted to do character building exercises for practice.

I read this book while still in school writing short stories for the first time. This is a review I wrote then, eight years ago.

Maisel’s book supports the notion that writers can take control of the process of writing through a series of practical exercises, which allows one to write “...passionately and well about those things that really matter to you.”

One facet of the writing process that perplexed me is how one develops an idea. The second of Maisel’s principles deals with intention. I hadn’t realize how bereft of intention I was till I worked through laying out an action plan that includes Maisel’s TIPS exercise, “Themes, Intention, Plan, Steps.”

Throughout the book he uses examples of five fictional writers to illustrate the different ways one might utilize the exercises. Since I have no writers in my life, I found it helpful to experience these exercise through these imagined writers and how they may be utilized.

I was surprised to find such a practical and sensible chapter on choice. Primarily, the choice of writing for yourself or for the marketplace. He explains the reality of a writers life and points out choices you can make that may be of more benefit to you commercially. And more importantly,that writing with the intention of keeping the marketplace in mind doesn’t make you a sell out or creatively inferior. He points out the perils and pitfalls of writing for both yourself and the marketplace, leaving the choice of importance up to you.

The other principles, Honoring the Process, Befriending the Work, Evaluating the Work, and Doing What’s Required, brings you more fully into the process. I enjoyed working through this book, and developed a deeper understanding of the writing routine.

I’d recommend this book to any writer struggling with taking their work more seriously.

It’s not always easy to explain what being an atheist means, other than not believing in God or religion. Maisel not only explains what it means to be an atheist, free from religious dogma, but how to make meaning and become the hero in one’s own life. How we live, what we decided to invest meaning in, what our values and morals are, he asserts are the true paths to happiness, fulfillment and peace. We do not seek meaning, we make it. We create purpose and passion by deciding to. He affirms that life is a beautiful, amazing and wondrous journey and one does not need gods to explain natural phenomena. Another book that helped me understand human motives and helped inform and reaffirm my own belief system.

Please read my brief review here: http://realbooks4ever.tumblr.com/post/80746513500

Please read my brief review here: http://realbooks4ever.tumblr.com/post/80746513500

This book was pretty awful. I liked the idea but not when the author did things like equating having racing thoughts with being manic, or saying that depression comes from negatively evaluating life. In that case, I will just FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE!!!1 and be totally cured of depression forever. Awesome! Also, saying that racing thoughts = mania is like saying having a tickle in your throat = having pertussis. No. Just no.½

This book offers an interesting approach to living without God/s. Instead of living according to a traditional set of values prescribed by a religion, Meisel shows you how to consciously make your own meanings for your life based on what is valuable to you.

I had never really thought about morality and living a "right life" in the author's terms, but I think a lot of nonreligious people wind up doing that unconsciously.

This book offers an interesting approach to living without God/s. Instead of living according to a traditional set of values prescribed by a religion, Meisel shows you how to consciously make your own meanings for your life based on what is valuable to you.

I had never really thought about morality and living a "right life" in the author's terms, but I think a lot of nonreligious people wind up doing that unconsciously.

Mooi down-to-earth boek over de draken in de schrijversziel en hoe ze te temmen. Vol prachtige citaten ook.

1/4/2010: With the Word of the Day book, [b:365 Tao|57859|365 Tao Daily Meditations|Ming-Dao Deng|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223648407s/57859.jpg|56368], that I used last year, I felt really good about moving forward in small bits every day. The book worked for me as I had time in transit to work on it. I didn't think much about picking a new book until this year. My sister was kind enough to send me this book, which I have started. It is is not as transit friendly, often requiring technology to complete the exercises. I will reserve judgment until I get a little further along.

1/27/2010: I have to admit that as I read this book I got pretty angry with the author. Who was making lunches for his family while he went up to his study and wrote for two hours? Who was making breakfast and getting the kids off to school? Did his wife, spouse or life partner make this discipline possible? I left the book for awhile and didn't read it, because I was angry.

2/9/2010: I last week I gave myself permission to just read the book and do whatever exercises I could do at the time. I didn't stop reading because I didn't have a computer with me or wasn't in a place where I could write 12 to do lists on big white boards. I gave myself permission to read and absorb and pick and choose. This was a fabulous decision, because it carried over into other books that I am also reading and aren't always convenient. I did some of the exercises once I felt I didn't have to. Life is better!

There is no greater Creativity Coach than Eric Maisel, who understands that we are all our own reasons for not being more productive. Eric is an accomplished and revered psychiatrist, and offers real solutions and activities to help us stay on our best behavior. His centering exercise aids me at my worst of times...but it only works because I refuse not to make meaning in my life due to fear. Eric taught me that!

A very interesting book about the concept "productive obsessions". It has got me moving again.

I love this book. Its not a guide you use daily to write. Instead, it is a book you go to whenever you want to delve deep into your character's psyche. The scenarios help you realize how your character would react in particular situations and what makes them tick.

[See my full review at my Examiner.com column: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-4275-DC-Secularism-Examiner~y2009m5d10-Book-r... . . . Maisel's important mission is to help atheists face the truth of their circumstances, and in his book he gives some guidance as to what to do with once those circumstances are honestly understood. His message, I found, is crucial. His execution, however, is somewhat flawed, if nobly so.This book offers a vital message that I think any nonreligious person needs to hear, even if they don't realize they need to hear it: There is no inherent "meaning of life," existence really is a random, pointless phenomenon, and any meaning for which we may pine must be created by ourselves. Maisel levels with the reader, and insists that we establish our own parameters and values based on our consciences and intelligence, and encourages us to live these to our best ability. . . .More here: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-4275-DC-Secularism-Examiner~y2009m5d10-Book-r...

While there are parts of this book I really enjoyed, there were other parts I did not. Treatment of audience is a little uneven. I have been working my way through this book with a neighborhood friend. I found the first four chapters interesting, the next few a little more exciting, the chapters about brokenness and addiction less helpful or interesting than I hope for, but the last two chapters were worth the price of the book.It uses case studies and suggests resources and exercises. Some are excellent.½

Review located at http://lupabitch.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/facing-north-reviews/