A teen’s life is complicated.  Add an overworked dad, a distraught mom.
Enter an old man from the wrong side of the tracks.
He knows things.  He’s there when you need him.
 
This happens to someone; it’s not a maybe thing.  People get hurt.  People die.  There’s a dad who loves his kid but works all the time.  When he doesn’t work, he drinks.  When he drinks he’s out of control.

There’s a mom.  She knows dad is overworked, a good man carrying too much responsibility. 

The kid turns to the handy man to learn a man’s skills.  In the old man from the wrong side of the tracks, the kid finds unusual skills and terrible—but true—lessons.  He finds that his own safety comes at a cost to his unfortunate friend.  He finds growing up comes at a cost to himself.  This is the story of such a kid, told by himself after he has lived much of his life, come to terms with his parents’ weaknesses, and learned that seemingly insignificant people carry more pain than he can imagine, though he has already seen plenty.

What are the drivers of creative writing:: passion, drive, and fear of rejection? What is the cardinal rule: honesty (to a vision, a voice)? Armbrust, an editor and creative-writing instructor, argues that the struggle to write is reflective of the deeper spiritual consciousness of the writer. 

He challenges writers to address their inner demons, being honest to their truest selves, and to wrestle their eepest doubts in their quest to produce the best literature. 

“One semester, my creative mentor William Packard asked me to teach his poetry-writing course at New York University’s School of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. He did so because I had taken the course, he considered me a good poet, and knew I was teaching a professional-writing course of my own at NYU. Each time I’d walk in to instruct his poetry-writing class, I’d scratch on the chalkboard two brief sentences: Go Deep. Take Chances. These two suggestions represent, I believe, the keys to creativity.” Many nutsand- bolts pointers (gleaned from decades of writing and advising others) benefit writers of all experience levels. 

This book leads writers to better understand and execute the extremely focused work of creative writing, while at the same time enjoying a fuller sense of self, serenity and fulfillment.