“I dreamed of a book like a friend also traveling through the night, a friend with a compass, and secrets to share about her own experience,” writes Bonnie Friedman in the introduction to Writing Past Dark, which she hopes will act as a supportive companion for writers. In this essay collection about the emotional side of the writing life, Friedman explores, and offers strategies for dealing with, an array of inner dilemmas that writers face, including feelings of envy, guilt, distraction, and writer’s block. Originally published in 1993, the collection may take on a new relevance in the current digital age, where literary successes, critiques, and debates are regularly shared publicly.
