Only as Good as Your Word by Susan Shapiro
Did you have someone you looked-up to when you decided to become a writer? Someone who understood your desire to write and nurtured you along the way to become the writer who you are today? I believe all writers had some type of mentoring when they first started to write. Be it their teachers, editors or how-to books written by long gone writers.
This is exactly what the best seller writer, Susan Shapiro wrote in her latest memoir titled, Only as Good as Your Word.
In this book the author documented her experiences with her favorite literary mentors who had been instrumental in her writing career when she started writing at age fifteen until today.
In her book she started to describe her English teacher who asked her to type his poems because she can type fast. He had been like a father figure to her and encouraged her to be the poet she wanted to be. Their mentor-mentee relationship continued when she moved to New York City and until he passed away.
Her second favorite literary guru is her cousin who is also a writer. She found encouragement when connected to him and he became her role model in the writing world.
The third guru is a librarian - her boss when she worked as a typist at a publishing company. She encouraged her to become who she is and pushed her to be more than a typist.
Her fourth mentor happened to be one of the staff writers at the same publishing company where she worked. They both help each other to become the best writers they can be.
Her fifth guru is also a writer who taught her to write only the best things. This guru doesn’t believe in revealing the dirty secrets that happened to you in your life as expressed in the memoir, and despite their differences, this guru adores her.
The sixth mentor happens to be her editor who mistook her once for someone else who was about to write a review about China. Despite telling her that her novel is no good, they both become friends.
The seventh mentor is an editor who she pursued as her poetry, guide, pal and protector.
In this book, the author also dedicates a chapter to describe her relationship with her protégé. She also promises not to get involved with the budding writer who wants everything from her – especially when the next caller is someone who plans to do just that!
The final chapter is about how to find great gurus of your own. She pens down a list of advice on how to approach your favorite literary gurus.
All in all, this book is more like a memoir cum how-to book. As always, I love her story telling style – funny, honest and crazy – all at the same time. When I read her previous memoir- Five Men Who Broke My Heart and Lighting Up: How I Stopped Smoking, Drinking, and Everything Else I Loved in Life Except Sex, I knew she was one of the best memoirists out there and reading her latest memoir about her relationship with her literary gurus is just as hilarious and funny as her other memoir(s). Through the guidance and motivation from her literary gurus, she wormed herself all the way to get noticed by the publisher who published her first memoir and since then she’s never looked back.
This book will motivate you to find your literary mentors if you don’t have any already. For me, I can relate to her struggle and joy when she finally got published.
