Review for Suck a Little Happy Juice by J. Scott Coatsworth

Between reading and critiquing for prolific writing friends or my own attempts to finally finish a project, I’ve read my fair share of books on the subject of writing. Some have been great. But others, I probably should have just spent my time trying to write instead. Suck a Little Happy Juice is firmly in the first category.

If you are unfamiliar with many of the books in this space, a large number of titles try to narrow down and focus on specific niches within the wider field. Build better characters, evoke more emotion, beef up those plot points at either the beginning, middle, or end (all separate books). Here, Coatsworth achieves a much more robust view, covering everything from cons and reviews to a “wolves under tables” approach toward spicing up dragging scenes.

Even with such a large scope though, Suck a Little Happy Juice doesn’t seem all that long. I credit that to the powerful voice the author employs throughout. Somewhere between coach and friend in the trenches, Coatsworth never shies away from showing what the highs and lows of writing can be. The gremlin in the writing cave gets a spotlight just as much as the fully published author. No piece of advice is given without something from their own experience backing it up. Those anecdotes and the small details, such as exemplifying the very rule the author is trying to describe in the paragraph describing it, made me have more fun than I’m used to in my nonfiction.

I needed a little happy juice as a teacher in the midst of testing season (if you know one you’re familiar enough with, please give them a hug around this time). Reading is my happy place, especially if I get to combine it with learning something new. I highly recommend this title to anyone who feels the same. While I do feel that the newer writer might gain more from it, even a seasoned one will too.

Suck a Little Happy Juice is available to buy on Amazon.