Fair-writing & pacing
349553
I always love books where I get to learn something new, so reading about the redwoods & sequoias was a treat. The letter-writing device was a little odd, and felt a little too much like a script, but overall a good read.
2034452
Ill be upfront. This is the 1st book of its kind I'm reading on the subject, so I've got nothing else to compare it to. That being said, it was a < hour read and I now have a hard set of guidelines to assist me in my scene composition. The color coding he uses at the end to show the balance between exposition, dialogue, action, and description gave me a tool that I want to apply to make sure my writing is appropriately balanced.
596723
Along the line of Let's Write a Short Story by Joe Bunting, I'm writing this review in a list format, so that I, too, can be straight to the point, yet include a lot of information.
1.  Accountability. Joe's book starts right out asking the reader to promise to write and submit a short story to a literary magazine. He engages his readers by making them accountable. There is a curious satisfaction in doing that as the reader feels part of the process as she reads.
2.  How-to details are succinctly described and not lost in a lot of verbiage. Sort of like a short story which must be, well, short. "Besides length, one of the major things distinguishing short stories from other literary forms is they usually feature one major event. In this way, short stories are event-driven rather than character-driven."
3.  The book has lots of helpful links just at the point where the reader is wondering how to approach a particular suggestion. These are like footnotes, only better, as the reader has the option to click and see so much more.
4.  He covers the five elements of storytelling in a short but complete list. This is a topic about which volumes have been written. Bunting assumes his readers (writers, after all) can fill in the spaces. Again, he mimics short story style in this way.
5.  Bunting has a way of challenging the reader to be the best he/she can be. He asks "What do you have to complete to die satisfied?" Wow! Talk about a cut-to-the-heart-of-the-matter question.
6.  The book also includes mundane but absolutely necessary notes on titles, correct format, fonts, weeding out weak words, spacing, margins and correct paragraphing for short stories.
7.  Oh, and finally, Bunting gives a concise accounting of rights and their reversion back to the author. He then proceeds to show what that author might do to republish the story.
I planned to write this review last week but got so excited about following the book's suggestions to revamp my own short stories that I needed more time. If that isn't a telling comment about the effectiveness of Let's Write a Short Story, I don't know what is.
4126169
After read book Write me good convey message!  book good for writing things well!!!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.  When I first entered the business world I was shocked to see the writing style of some of my colleagues.  Some of them were just horrible at it.  OK, I won't say they were as bad as my first paragraph, but they were very weak writers.  You don't have to be bad to benefit from this book though.  The fact you're even looking at a book like this it means you're probably a better than average writer already.

Curious if there are any ideas you could use to improve your writing style?  The book is very accessible, not a bunch of spelling/grammar rules, but more a guideline on how to better think out how to get your ideas across.  The more you work to structure your thinking, the better your writing becomes.  Another good tip, try to write everything with the least amount of information necessary to convey the idea.  I'm also a big fan of putting the "bottom line" at the top in your emails.  First state what you're asking for, then support why the recipient should care.  The point is, people don't have time for filler. Readers appreciate saving time!

The book itself is broken up into short chapters of about three or four pages each.  You can quickly skim through a few chapters between meetings or on a short break.  It's one of those books that is so short it makes you feel cheated paying the full price for it, but in reality is a good deal because it's easily readable and directly to the point.  I found that I already do a lot of the things mentioned, but it was helpful to see the tips in print.

While I liked a lot of the ideas in the book, I thought some of the examples seem to be trying way too hard to look spontaneous.  I'd just suggest re-reading anything you write with your bulls--t detector turned on to make sure you aren't looking phony when you use the techniques.  Take the title of my review for example, that's directly from the book.  It may be accurate, but it comes off sounding kind of silly actually using it.
2417450
I don't think writing 10,000 words a day is actually legitimate, but the premise of the book totally is.  If you follow these processes I believe you can accomplish banging out an entire novel in a week.  It's just insane to think about doing that though, lol!
3637365
The book was in OK condition I would say fair not good as advertised, but it was a good read.
1266119
I like the pacing of WW.  There is a blend of drama with subtle comedy.  Originally. I shied away because of the reported liberal slant of the writing.  It is definitely there, but I feel it is tempered, such as the episode when the President agonizes over whether or not to commute the sentence of a person on death row.
3562561
I liked the setting and themes of the novel but some of the writing needs polishing. The author likes to point out the obvious sometimes and some parts are redundant. Not a bad read but won't be reading any more in the series.
1257049
Basic information on the writing process presented in a gentle and humorous manner. There were bits that made me laugh out loud.

I particularly liked what Mr Haas had to say about living life - and that includes the writing life - in five minute increments. Focusing on the small pieces of something and small amounts of time keeps everything manageable and reduces the performance anxiety of trying to write your whole novel by the end of the day. It's a great strategy.

I found the double-spaced formatting, the tiny little dots for the bullet points and the unenhanced typesetting a bit annoying as it made it harder to read and all the double-spaces made it seem that the book was shorter than it was.
553276
I really like the idea of having multiple authors collaborating to create one cohesive story. I'm sure it's been done before but this was my first experience with it. You are able to digest various writing styles and creative angles while telling one narrative. The problem, for me, arises when you mix more polished authors (maybe it's more appropriate to say writers whom I prefer) with lesser ones. What resulted was a roller coaster reading experience and not in a good way. Some chapters seemed to drag on forever while others were page turners. As a result, it took me a lot longer than usual to finish it. I probably won't continue reading the the remaining books in this series.
667304
Excellent example of a good story and poor writing.  If you can ignore issues with tense, rambling and back-filling information (rather than a proper rewrite), and sparse to non-existent character development, you will find there is a story here.  It kept me engaged for about 30 pages.
2262669
This review is a first for me in both that its an anthology, and that it was a direct request from the author. As such, I want to do it proper justice and give it an honest critique without holding back.

Rating: 2/5, Would Not Recommend (Yet)

I want to start with the positive: there is good here. There are some  interesting ideas and some pieces of good writing in Wakeful Children. I liked Joe Gallows and Blank Screen in particular, the first for its no-holds-barred view into a very demented mind and the latter for its more subtle approach leading to an unsettling finale. These are two different stories with different payoffs, but both well-written. The gore in Joe Gallows actually squicked me out (for reference, Event Horizon barely made me blink).

Horror is an exceptionally difficult genre to write because it is an extremely subjective matter. Wakeful Children covers a wide enough array of different scenarios that I feel just about anyone could find a story to creep them out a little.

However, I feel that Wakeful Children does need another revision or two before I could wholeheartedly recommend it, and I say this for the benefit of the author. There are pacing issues; not all, but enough of the descriptions and mood-setting passages are long winded to the point of losing interest. In short stories especially, you generally have to be economic with your space and cannot afford to spend more than a sentence or two setting the scene.

The impression I got when reading this was of something not quite done yet. I think this is off to a good start, but I also think it could be a lot better and that the writer has the ability to make it better with another few rounds of editing to give Wakeful Children that final polish.
2288684
Writing is engaging, heroine rather likable, very few typos. Concept seems almost plausible, in part. The final tests are exciting. But several events / decisions seem just wrong, enough to almost spoil the story. Still, better than some.
526117
Fair value for the price, I just wanted a quick read so I picked up a couple of books (Kindle) while waiting for my paperback order. First stuff I've read by the author. Not too impressed, but not horrified by bad writing either. Worth the price, but just consider it fluff reading while waiting for something you have time to sit down and get into.
396466
I found this book to be the equivalent of a really great writing conference, but aimed specifically at screenwriting.  It has a fast-paced conversational tone, with many examples to illustrate their points.  I have always tended to rely heavily on dialogue because that is what comes easiest to me, however this helped me achieve a more balanced script so that the emphasis is where it should be... Highly recommended to those who are looking to write a screenplay (and re-read again for the editing phase as a refresher).
2710309
Read the book.  What she means is a first draft in 21 days.  Basically, that's only five pages a day.  Not easy to do if you have a complex story with a lot going on.  But it's an inspiration.  And I'm trying it!  Not easy with a disabled dog that requires 24 hour care, but I'm trying!

It helps to have an outline, at least in your head.  Have a beginning, middle and end all laid out, and then write to the end that way.  Obstacles will pop up to your characters without you having ot work too hard at it, if you know where you are going and have a rough idea on how to get there.

Wish me luck!
4776134
Also thanks for including African American characters in your writing. Its good to see we plan and prepare too. And are not the bad guys on your books.
Keep writing! Ill be ready for your next book