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Product Description
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From School Library Journal
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
WRITERS ARE A FAVORITE SUBJECT FOR CARTOONISTS, FROM CHARLES SCHULZ of Peanuts fame to those who contribute to The New Yorker. Read the first page
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not that interesting with some poor advice,
By A Customer
This review is from: The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (Paperback)
As a writer and a teacher of writing, I didn't like this book nearly as much as Self Editing for Fiction Writers or How to Write a Damn Good Novel. It is much less elegantly written, far more simplistic, and actually gives some bad advice in my opinion. For example, the author says, "Don't worry about being obvious" and says it's okay to introduce characters with direct author statements such as the following: "James Marx was a mean man all his life, and on one had ever liked him. He never gave an inch in business, and he never gave a cent to charity. Of all who knew him, his wife liked him best; she merely detested him." This is certainly the opposite of "showing vs. telling" and sounds corny and uninteresting to me. Good writing makes characters come to life and lets readers form their own opinions by letting them see, hear, and smell them. Effective literature's also much more subtle than blatant, with nuances, ambiguities, and contradictions shown through rich visual detail .. . that's how you create layered, believable, interesting characters instead of stick figures. And I'm not talking about just "literary" fiction here--the best of mainstream and genre fiction also has nuanced characterizatons that don't hit the reader over the head with an over-obvious approach. The author also says, "beware of late-blooming ideas that seem to come from nowhere during your writing of the project" and mocks the idea that characters can "come to life" and seem to take over a story. I think this advice is counter to the creative process, where some of one's best ideas can come from who knows where and you develop something that wasn't part of your preconception. Much of the fun of writing to me is experiencing those times when new ideas and angles come from the ether (or the muse)--when I'm in the creative flow and the characters DO seem to come to life and I know what they can and cannot do. Scores of writers speak of and actually revere this phenomenon. It seems terrible advice to me to stick to your plan no matter what and ignore the gifts of the creative process. I'm a journalist and some of my best writing has been that that came to me relatively late in the process of working on a story--the "ah ha, so that's how to do it" moment when it all falls together differently--and so much better than-- than the original idea. As I near completion of my first novel I find that some of my most exciting material is without a doubt that which I did not pre-plan. I believe in structuring but think you must go with the flow, too, and be open to following those serendipidous ideas that come to you. You can also choose not to use them if they don't pan out. This book has some good sections that I was able to learn from and enjoy (for example the chapters on characters going from feeling to thinking to action and on scenes/sequels), but much more of it seemed wordy and tiresome with such phrases as "pardon me while I disagree" and statements of the obvious, for example, "A windbag, in old-fashion slang, is a person who talks and talks and talks . . . and never lets anybody get a word in edgewise. Windbags in real life are colossal bores. In fiction they're even worse."
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you wish to be a author you need this book...,
By Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (Paperback)
I have a dozen books on science fiction and how to write it. But many of those books assume you know the basic rules to writing fiction. So I decided to buy this book and see if I was missing anything by reading only about how to write science fiction. I'm very happy that I did.The book NOT only deals with characters, plots and dialogue, but also how to add passion to your stories, how to deal with procrastination and keeping your story on course. Not only does the book point out the mistakes, but all the ways to get around them. Jack M. Bickham doesn't tell you, "This is the wrong way," without also saying, "But this is how to fix it". He is also honest - he won't tell you that it's easy or simple to do. It's HARD work and, whether you put pen to paper for fun or profit, it takes up a LOT of time to do it right.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Read!!,
By
This review is from: The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (Paperback)
I purchased this book on a whim in a book store. I had high hopes of learning something new. This book delivered. As a struggling writer I am always looking to improve my craft and there were some very good suggestions and techniques mentioned in the text. I found the book so useful I was able to put together my own checklist together utilizing the techniques discussed. I will use this summarized list to review my own prose upon completion. If you're a writer looking to improve your craft this book can definately be of use.
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