Title: The Writer Laid Bare: Emotional Honesty in a Writer’s Art, Craft and Life

Author: Lee Kofman

Publisher: Ventura Press, April 2022; RRP: $32.99

Lee Kofman holds a PhD in social sciences and a MA in creative writing. Lee, who lives in Melbourne, is a writer, mentor, editor and teacher. She identifies as a Russian-born Israeli-Australian writer and has written three fiction books and two memoirs. Lee has also co-edited works and written short pieces that have been published in Australia as well as the US, Scotland, UK, Canada and Israel.

Lee Kofman doesn’t do things by halves. In The Writer Laid Bare, she tackles the big and complicated issues of writing in a way that only an experienced and brave writer can. This book, written in her third language, English, covers themes that most writers at some time or other struggle with. The notion of ‘mastering emotional honesty’ in writing is explored in a depth that makes the book unique.

‘Nonesty’ is a term developed and used by the author to describe a writing process that isn’t honest, integrated or in touch with the complexities of the subject. ‘Artistic writing begins with self-awareness of, and honesty about our psychological landscape — all those messy emotions, thoughts and memories that make us who we are.’

Lee Kofman reads from The Writer Laid Bare

@ writing western sydney: the readings

Further to the above, Lee introduces tenets for the writer in regard to finding their subject. They are: ‘write about what is urgent’, ‘just wait’, ‘write what you need to understand’, and write ‘what makes you blush’. These are challenging and confronting notions for any writer to negotiate but steer us toward the honesty that, I believe, Lee knows so well and is the prelude to writers moving towards an accomplished and satisfying level of writing.

Covering topics in an in-depth manner, this book is structured into four parts, exploring psychological, personal, practical, and external factors that influence a writer’s life. It’s easy to read and relevant to writers whether emerging or established. The author shares and exposes her own experiences with great generosity, which allows a level of authenticity seldom seen in books on the topic of writing. Alongside the personal disclosures are the well-researched inclusions from a wide-ranging field of experts.

This book is a journey into the mind of a writer who has spent time understanding and then understanding again the enormous complexities of writing fiction or non-fiction and how the use of self and self-awareness impacts on all aspects of our writing.

The Writer Laid Bare is a wonderful contribution to writers and the writing sector in Australia and beyond.

Reviewed by: Heather Whitford Roche

Ballarat Writers book Review Group, May 2022

Review copy provided by the publisher