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4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
The longer I write, the more important this book becomes. It's one of the few writing books that I come back to again and again.
If your story's petering out or if comments say your characters are milquetoast, then you need this book.
Oh, but do make sure you Google Debra Dixon and buy it straight from her. What they're charging on Amazon = highway robbery.
If your story's petering out or if comments say your characters are milquetoast, then you need this book.
Oh, but do make sure you Google Debra Dixon and buy it straight from her. What they're charging on Amazon = highway robbery.
The tone didn't work for me - it felt like it was aimed at someone who wants to write a book but doesn't actually read books and hasn't written anything, even for themselves. A lot of the romance examples were old-school ick ("the hero is secretly part Native American and knows that no respectable woman will have him" - are you listening to yourself? hint, you shouldn't write that but the reason you shouldn't write that is not that it's "too much drama") and all of the examples/discussions were clearly written long, long before self-publishing was a thing. Maybe this will work for others, but for me it felt too analytical and at the same time too clueless as to the modern world.
This craft of writing book is on the more beginner side. Honestly, having just read the “how to write a scene” section of Structuring Your Novel, I thought Weiland said almost everything that Dixon said, but did it better. Potentially useful for newbie writers, but I feel like there are better books out there where you can get the same information. I’m not saying it’s a bad book – it’s not – but I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I’d read it BEFORE the three other craft-of-writing books I read this month, as opposed to after.
informative
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
fast-paced
Simple, straightforward, not cluttered! Breaking a plot down into three categories actually makes a ton of sense and leads to some good brainstorming.
I also enjoy this author's writing style -- the way they describe THEIR own processes to learning this stuff is easy to connect with.
Good stuff! I'll be practicing the "GMC" approach to characters and plot in my writing!
I also enjoy this author's writing style -- the way they describe THEIR own processes to learning this stuff is easy to connect with.
Good stuff! I'll be practicing the "GMC" approach to characters and plot in my writing!
Really helped me see that character motivation/decision clarity makes it easier to plot actions that make sense for the motivation and streamlines the drafting process, because there's less indecision about the next scene. Excellent for synopsis and pitch building, and I'm hoping it'll cut down my drafting time!