Unlocks the key to Writing Today's Novel
933851
Frey takes the key and unlocks the theories of Joseph Campbell [Hero with a Thousand Faces]  and Chris Vogler [The Writers Journey] in making myths work in the modern novel.  This is one of the most lucid books on the subject.  Frey tells you what is expected of your hero/heroine as well as how to construct your villain or shadow character.  Never has it been put more clearly.  If you are working on a blockbuster novel, this book will be of great help.
2049444
I know how to write a synopsis to sell my book to a traditional publisher, but writing the back cover blurb to entice a reader has always been difficult for me. Now, Bryan Cohen has take the mystery out of creating this bit of copy writing, and I am forever grateful.

With tips on what to include and what to leave out, plus a step-by-step formula to create your own description, he helps the self-published author create intriguing copy that will not only succinctly describe their novel, but persuade readers to purchase.

I'm off now to put his ideas into practice.
718079
I was really impressed with this well-written, straight to the point creative writing guide.  There are 57 writing exercises that help you discover the kind of writing you like to do, as well as help you improve your writing skills.  The author, Marjorie J. McDonald also includes a writing assessment tool that will help you establish your credibility as an author, if you choose to publish books, build websites, or blog.  I highly recommend this book!
3703130
There's good news and bad news for modern writers. It's now easy to publish a book and retain full artistic control over your work. The downside is that you have to do EVERYTHING yourself. Publishing and successfully selling a book is a complicated process, and the jungle of options is intimidating.

The book's subtitle, "A Roadmap for Today's Writer," describes its contents exactly. It's short, with lots of pictures and diagrams, and cuts away all the confusing detail to give you a clear view of the varied paths to publication, with their pros and cons.

"Get that Book Published!" also describes, clearly and concisely, each step of the publication process for each path. Again, the focus is on general concepts, which are unlikely to change, rather than on instantly-obsolete details.

After reading "Get that Book Published," I no longer feel like I'm fighting my way through a jungle. It's much easier with a clear set of manageable tasks.

This is an excellent, and inspiring, book. I highly recommend it.
2158270
This book teaches writers how to write about characters in a way that make them REAL!  I highly recommend it to anyone who is about to write or edit a novel.  It will make you ponder and rewrite.
4569429
When Calliope was invited to review an advance reading copy (ARC) of The Writers Field Guide to the Craft of Fiction, I was not overly optimistic that I would gain any new insights into the art, craft or occupation of writing fiction. It seemed that ground had been more than adequately stomped. To my delight, I was wrong. Michael Nolls book will have a permanent place on my writing library shelves.
  The Field Guide has an introduction by Noll that, like a finely crafted story, pulls you in and doesnt disappoint. From these opening pages, we begin to understand how we can teach ourselves many techniques used successfully by 40 of to-days most highly respected writers.
 The next chapter contains the syllabus for this course: How to Use This Book (Or How to be Taught to Write Fiction). The book is divided into three parts, and each part is further divided by topic area. Within a topic, four techniques are presented.
 For example, in Part 1. Tools of the Trade, the first topic is How to Start and Keep Writ-ing, and the first technique, Drop an Elephant in the Room, begins with a 1-paragraph excerpt from The Heart by Amelia Gray.
 After reading the excerpt, never more than a page, Noll gives us The Strategy that makes the example work and then provides exercises that reinforce the technique and guide the reader into writing his/her own story.
 The Writers Field Guide is comprehensive but can be consumed in small bites. Each time you read, digest and then create using the exercis-es, your bag of writers tools expands. Highly recommended for all writers of fiction.

This review was written by Cynthia Sabelhaus and first appeared in the spring 2018 issue of Calliope
3059317
I highly recommend this book, especially to new writers. I've read dozens of books on writing, including the classics, and this is one of the best. In my opinion, the 9 days, 10 days...whatever, is not the point or the value in this book. You can buy this book for the 9 day promise or you can do the wise thing and buy it to learn how to be a better writer. The book is written in an entertaining and conversational style, it is extremely well organized and may be the best How-to guide on fiction writing I've seen. It follows a familiar strategy for writing fiction: Hook, Plot turn 1, Pinch 1, Midpoint, Plot turn 2, Pinch 2 and Climax (Resolution). The difference is this book is fresh and fun to read. I could have finished the book in one day but deliberately slowed down so I could take more notes and re-read key points.

There are many but here's one major take-away from my notes: Most writing books challenge the reader to set daily word goals. Write 500, 1,000 or 2,000 good words a day are three common examples. That can be a trap and Ive fell into it many (many) times. You see, producing even 25 good words requires switching from Editor to Writer and back again. Thats tricky business because, once I start flipping the switch, its hard to stop. Steve's approach, and challenge, is write 5,000 to 10,000 words a day (he explains how) because, at that pace, theres no time for switching. Its wide-open, full-throttle, words-on-the-screen writing. It seems like a smart strategy and I can't wait to give it a try.
2641726
I found Andrew's book "How to Write a Novella in 24 Hours" super useful and timely. I'm writing more and needed an additional resource for more guidance. It's a relatively speedy read and addresses a wide variety of areas from character development to book covers and promotional ideas. It's giving me additional confidence.

Full disclosure: The author gifted me a copy.
1848745
If you ever attempted to write a book proposal, you know the task feels monumental. This step by step guide takes proposal writing from being a chore to being a valuable exercise for gaining a better grasp of your book, your platform, your readers, and your purpose. The pace and the humor kept me moving section to section. The authors entertain while also sharing insights into the mysterious world of book publishing. Tips, prompts, and suggestions fill the pages (including even a Pitch Template). Links to the glossary allow quick and easy clarification to words often tossed around in literary circles but rarely defined. The book includes a link to a nonfiction book proposal template annotated with guidance and even more suggestions. Loved reading Grant and Starbuck's book!
4541175
Without a doubt, Bring Your Fiction to Life is one of the most in-depth guides for writing that novel than any I've seen in years! This is a book for the writer with that deep, burning desire to get serious in this profession. Not a gloss-over, and not the stale, routine advice found across the web. This is quality advice that makes you dig down and discover the magic that makes a novel marketable and memorable. Karen Wiesner is a writing how-to guru, and this book shows you why. Not a guide I'll be loaning out anytime soon for fear I won't get it back.
745570
This is such a helpful book for anyone writing a novel. Instead of separating plot and character, KM Weiland's approach combines them beautifully and helps you develop the arc of your story easily. Her examples help in understanding exactly how each aspect should work with the rest of the story.

You'll read this again and again as you write and rewrite your novel. I've already been throughout it more than once!
980980
In another great little read from The Authors Quick Guide, the Authors Author Kristen Eckstein delivers another great book to help writers get through one of the most challenging obstacles of getting a book doneShaking Procrastination and Perfectionism. Widely accepted as the two big killers of creativity and flow, this book focuses in on strategies for overcoming and defeating these obstacles so that writers can get more work done in less time by putting aside the perfect procrastinator.

The key topics I enjoyed about this book are:

 Focusing on the writers unique voice as a selling point;
 Delivering your unique experiences and message to make your writing original; how to use your original one-of-a-kind experiences to bring flavour and interest to your topic and story;
 Outlining the 12 reasons Why you are good enough to write a book. A Great section!
 Why Perfectionism is a lie and sets unrealistic and unachievable goals;
 How to decide that you are just DONE your book and that it will never be finished;
 Eliminate the need to compare yourself to other peoples success;

The author also gives readers her own personal story of struggle and triumph that adds great value to the read because it is not just another learn to write better book but has a compelling story behind it and why the material is relevant to writers that are struggling. The author shares her personal story of recovery so that she can teach a valuable lesson to people: I am kind of a big deal. This is an important step because many people, when writing, have a lot of self-doubt and lack confidence during the writing phase; this book succeeds in eliminating a lot of those issues.

There are techniques to engage in too such as 1. The 10-minute Timer Technique for getting started in your writing. And, a great section on AWARENESS where the author talks about Being Aware of what you are feeling and how tapping into your emotions during writing can have a profound impact.

By the end of this Author's Quick Guide, you'll have everything you need to beat procrastination, control your perfectionism, and take action to get your book written. A definite read for getting on with the writing process and getting er finished!
1740852
I like this little writing book. I like the way he laid out his ideas on writing. I like the freshness of his style. Though Im in the middle of writing several books, after reading some of the chapters which held stark reminders about things I must have known once, I went back to my current project and made some changes.

This book explains the many elements that go into writing a novel. No one can learn everything about writing all at once, but as one advances, this book will serve as a handy reference guide for honing those skills. A reread of this book from time to time will remind the experienced writer about things she may have forgotten and will continue to be a teaching tool for the newer writer as she goes about developing her abilities.

The book is divided into five parts, nineteen succinct chapters, with a useful glossary, for those who need to learn the terminology of writing, and an extensive bibliography of writing books, which will be useful for new writers wanting to establish their own libraries as well as seasoned writers who wish to add to their own.

I particularly liked the fresh way Klaassen explained things, the words he used.
I recommend this book to every writer.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Susan P. Baker, Author of LEDBETTER STREET
1180386
This book on novel and screen play writing brings a clarity to the fiction writing process I have not found before. In order to make this point, hopefully persuasively here, let me just say that I have been laboring at bringing my novel-writing skills up to publishable level for a number of years, and consequently I have read a lot of excellent fiction-writing how-to books, at least over 30 and took thorough notes from most of them, and also even completed two courses on fiction writing to boot.

This book is essential.  It's rather amazing, really.  Larry Brooks packs into one volume a huge a mount of concentrated but very-reader-friendly and key information for writing fiction, specifically novels and screenplays. What is particularly good about this book is that he doesn't get bogged down in the specific details of specific fiction techniques, like how to write realistic dialogue, how to use metaphors, how to describe emotions by showing rather than telling--all skills that are very important to learn and develop skill at writing.  This isn't the only book you should read to perfect your writing skills, but it is really a good place to start!

But what the novel writer needs, first and foremost, is a game plan for actually structuring an effective novel.  Effective whether you are writing popular fiction or aiming for literature.  Not formulas, but the big picture and what needs to go where and why.  Formulas are rigid. Every principle Larry includes is flexible to a degree and in no way inhibits creativity.  As a matter of fact, creativity is quintessential to apply those principles successfully!

The key points Larry Brooks includes are not all that new, although the in-depth understanding you can find on every page is new, and the potent clarity he brings to each point is new.

Clarity is essential to all of us who write fiction, even beginners, even pros, those of us aspiring to create the "great American novel," or a best seller, or just to get published.  We need to know what we are doing.

If I had to go to war again (I did once) and if I were a commanding general, there would be a lot of things I would need to know and remember.  I would, of course, benefit from a lot of experience in that arena (like for the writer putting words on paper over a period of years!).  But I would need clarity. And I had better be clear on what I need to achieve to get victory and how to go about it, what to do first, then next, and then next.  Fiction writing is a war!

The chapters on theme are among my favorites (although you couldn't pry ANY part of the book away from me).  More clarity there than I have found in any other book, though some came close.

Would you like to publish a novel, would you like to do that in a few years rather than ten or twenty?  I cannot guarantee you'd be published, of course.  But assuming you have that potential, and all that goes into it besides a knowledge of the craft, this book can, to my mind, hasten your victory.

Highest recommendation.
1054842
Quick. The book can be ready in afternoon. Practical. The book gives you specific instruction about where you should being in writing your own short story.

This is writing advice that pulls you in only long enough to get you what you need and then pushes you out onto the paper to do the real work of writing. I'd recommend it for anyone looking to start writing today, not tomorrow, not eventually, but right now.
3900711
Get the book.  Open it at random.  You will find, right there on the page, something you as a writer need right now:  How would my character(s) act at a dinner party?  Do I have to write in chronological order?  How do I find the holes in my plot?  Where do story ideas come from?  Why does everyone say 'show' versus 'tell'?  What's my voice?  I use The Seven Essential Writing Tools before, during, and after I write.  It's like having an inspirational and motivational friend along on a trip to a big playground of possibilities.  Highly recommended.
1371726
A fantastic book and addition to the Now Write! series.
This book (and the others in the series) is like taking a creative writing course. You're given exercises on a number of different fronts: from creating settings, to tackling writers block, to adding depth to characters and creating your characters in the first place (and much more).
Laurie Lamson has once again done a great job of gathering up a plethora of authors and creative writing teachers and organizing all of the information in an easily accessible volume. The introductions to the "teachers" are just the right length. Not too long, not too short. So you can get right to the exercises.
The thing I like so much about this book is that unlike many other creative writing books which seem to be more theory based this one is exercised based. It's sort of akin to trying to teach someone to swim by having them read a book but never getting in the pool. Really, the first thing they need to do is get in the pool. This book does just that for writers.
A few other things I find helpful are...
--While it can certainly be read start to finish it does not have to be. If you want to dive into character development, have at it. Same for world creation, and on and on.
--If you aren't in the middle of writing anything use the exercises to "sharpen your tools". And you never know maybe that writing exercise is the genesis of a short story, novel, etc. (it worked for me!).
--The other part that really helped me is this: I am in the midst of writing a sci-fi/fantasy novel and was stuck on some plot and character development. The exercises in this book helped me along greatly in the process. Great for generating ideas and helping to expand the imagination.
--Lastly, while the book obviously slants towards specific genres there are still plenty of exercises and advice (most actually) that can be applied to almost any genre.

Highly recommended!