"Writer's First Aid" was one of the "Persistent Writer 2007-2008" prizes which I won through the LongRidgeWritersGroup. The present turned out to be a treasure chest!

Writer's First Aid
By: Kristi Holl
Paperback, 230 pages

Looks can be deceiving, but so are titles!

I'd seen the book in LR Writers Bookstore, which didn't appeal to me - I wasn't in need of "First Aid". What I longed for was encouragement and a peek in the kitchen of a seasoned writer, combined with a piece of down-to-earth realism and sound advice.

Kristi Holl gives it all in a format you can tuck in a handbag and enjoy while you're waiting somewhere, or during your coffee break.
The articles are separated into four main subjects:

1. Getting started.
2. Work habits that work for you.
3. Money and other practical matters.
4. Create the writing life you love.

By using everyday examples, e.g. a softball match, car trouble, the hare and the tortoise, Kristi brings home some great truths: the many restarts a writer has to make, where your priorities lie, the importance of finding the true reason for wanting to become a writer, and why you need a deep root system in order to be able to cope with the ‘fame' that you hope one day will come your way.

Through the book Kristi shares the mistakes she made with us, e.g. the time she quit her job in order to write, only having to crawl back to her boss, because she had not thought things through. Or her smug thoughts, when a full-time writer complained of getting so little done, while she, a mother with little children underfoot, had been so productive.

Kristi challenges us to look critically at ourselves in how we handle distractions, delays, and disappointments, and gives tips on how to cope with them in a positive way. We don't have to apply every good piece of advice we hear or read; she advises us to figure out for ourselves what suits us - our writing schedule according to our biorhythms.

Kristi shows us the pitfalls of becoming a professional (= selling) writer, because this often changes our priorities and causes us to become mediocre writers.
We are admonished to live an excellent life, and not lose our passion for excellence in our writing.
This book is a great help for young writers (that's how she calls those of us who are still in our first 3 years of our writing career) to professionals alike.