The writing mentor speaks her mind, makes you laugh, and lights your fire. Judy Bridges is one of the few people who can say "Shut Up and Write!" in a way that makes you smile.

A renowned mentor and coach, she earned her living as a writer before founding Redbird Studio writing center in Milwaukee, WI, in 1993. She taught (and learned from) over 6,000 aspiring and accomplished writers of all ages, helping them write fiction, nonfiction, plays, and corporate communications. As a writer and teacher, Judy shares her wisdom with a no-nonsense, humorous voice that makes writing accessible and listening to her audiobook a joy.

Shut Up & Write! is the winner of four national awards and the indispensable companion of many successful writers. Written for fiction and nonfiction writers at all levels, it demystifies the process of writing with easy-to-access tools, instruction, examples, and inspiration. It includes tips on writing fact and fiction; making characters come alive; selecting a point of view; the "get and give" of critiques; how to keep going when the going gets tough, and how to get happily published.

Encouraging, humorous, straight-talking, Shut Up & Write! is filled with such practical information about the craft of writing and advice about the care and feeding of the inner writer that it's destined to become every writer's best friend.