Writing from Life: A Guide for Writing True Stories

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Heather Robertson is not afraid to speak her mind. In this book, she
calls parts of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden Pond “twaddle” and
describes broadcast journalist Barbara Frum as “ambiguous, sometimes
scary.” She also points out the numerous flaws contained in the
personal journals of Canadian literary icon Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Robertson’s outspoken style has earned her more than one lawsuit, and,
on one occasion, even got her hanged in effigy. “Don’t follow the
fashions of political correctness, but if you offend someone know who
and why,” she advises—a maxim that has served her through 35 years
as a professional freelance journalist. Robertson has published hundreds
of articles and several highly acclaimed nonfiction works. In Writing
from Life, she attempts to explain what works for her.

It is not a how-to book for the bashful beginner. Robertson assumes the
reader knows a noun from a verb and provides very little hard
information until the final two chapters, which are devoted to writing
legalities and dealing with publishers. The first nine chapters examine
nonfiction genres and include selected passages from some of the best
and worst examples of each. Because modern nonfiction often blurs into
fiction, Robertson sometimes comes close to contradicting herself. She
admonishes the reader to “not lie” and to “get it right” but
absolves the notorious Farley Mowat for fudging the facts because his
stories—and especially his lies—are so believable. Throughout she
dispels illusions about the glamor of the writing life and stresses the
grunt work.

The fruits of relentless research and constant honing are readily
visible in Robertson’s own prose. She links John Bunyan with Lenin and
Martin Luther King with gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson—and makes
it look effortless. This finely written, provocative book will be
appreciated by anyone who is serious about writing.