Hayley’s Review of “Fire Up Your Writing Brain” by Susan Reynolds

By: Hayley Green

This book combines two of my favorite subjects: neuroscience and writing. Some of it can be hard to understand due to use of the proper terms for things, but overall it did a nice job of explaining things in a way that it could be understood and how it applies to writers.

It takes you through the whole process of writing throughout the book: the idea, planning, writing, and editing. It gives you proven ways to train your brain at each stage to be more productive and keep up brain health. It promotes finding what works for you and how your brain works.

The most lengthy stage of the book is the writing stage. It tells you how to craft a story in the beginning chapters, gain motivation or dedication to work through the middle, how to have the courage to end your book, and when to edit and what to look for.

At the end of each chapter are action steps you can take. They also have quotes from famous authors on process at the end of each chapter. The quotes are relevant to the chapter topic. The chapters are split up into easily digestible headings and subheadings, as well as information boxes with interesting facts on how the brain works and studies done to prove the theories.

There are sections where you train your brain to write for longer periods of time, eating and exercising habits to promote brain health, how to find the planning and plotting method that works best for you, and processes to figure out which time of day, where, and under what circumstances your writing is most productive.

Overall, a wonderful resource I will come back to again and again to help me refine my writing process with neuroscience and become a better, more productive writer.