As a writer keeping a roof over his head currently, and a skeptic in general when it comes to writing advice (there"s a lot of real blather and "expertise" out there telling people how to write and how to make a living at it--if the advice was effective, there would be a lot more writers "making it"), I was able to read this book and compare Nancy Davidoff Kelton"s ideas and advice with what I consider to be the real world of writing based on my experience. My take on it? She"s got it right. This will be a useful book for any serious writer, and could well turn people who"ve never imagined themselves to be writers into real ones.