Breathing the Page

A written work is more than just letters on a page — it is a complex web of relationships. Some, like the relationship between words and phrases, or story and plot, are obvious. Others, such as the way writers interact with their physical tools, or how storytellers convey meaning to an audience, are less apparent. But to write well, one must recognize, understand, and be guided by all of these relationships.


In Breathing the Page: Reading the Act of Writing, Betsy Warland takes the reader on her quest to articulate the powerful forces beneath the language of craft. In this collection of essays, Warland reveals that it is the manner in which we encounter these forces that makes, or breaks, every piece of writing. Her topics range from the environment one chooses to write in, to the tools on which we depend, to the way we subconsciously structure our anecdotes. A holistic guide for all those passionately involved in the production and flourishing of our literature, Warland’s essays have invigorated writers and readers alike.


In this second edition, Warland continues her quest to investigate the relationships between the writer, the reader, the tools of writing craft, and the unpredictable vibrancy of the narrative. Through nine new essays, she draws awareness to the specific narrative templates we inherit as we grow up and provides strategies for navigating these templates when we meet resistance, contradiction, failure, and lack.