The Writer’s Compass by Michael Mammarella: book review

The Writer’s Compass: 50 tips to help navigate your storytelling journey (2025) is written in 10 parts, including: writer’s mindset, writing process, motivation, techniques, balance, advanced skills, style, reader engagement, editing, writer’s block, writing pitfalls, and moving the story forward.

I particularly liked the overwriting section (i.e. removing excess writing) with examples, including “how to fix it.” Keeping the story intriguing and converting the passive voice into the active voice are also good sections. The author also provides helpful apps for organizing manuscripts and editing.

This book is well presented, with clear, insightful, and useful advice and tips, covering everything from the importance of taking breaks, freewriting, and overwriting.

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MARTINA NICOLLS

MARTINA NICOLLS is an Australian author and international human rights-based consultant in foreign aid evaluations and audits, education, psychosocial support, resilience, peace and stabilization, and communication, including script writing and voice work. She lives in Paris. Her latest books are: If Paris Were My Lover (2025) and Innovations within Constraints Handbook (2025). She is the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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