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44 reviews for:
The Kick-Ass Writer: 1001 Ways to Write Great Fiction, Get Published, and Earn Your Audience
Chuck Wendig
4.02 AVERAGE
44 reviews for:
The Kick-Ass Writer: 1001 Ways to Write Great Fiction, Get Published, and Earn Your Audience
Chuck Wendig
4.02 AVERAGE
funny
informative
inspiring
This funny little guide is stocked to the gills with useful nuggets of advice on how to be a kickass writer. So, yeah, does what it says on the tin.
Ok, honesty being the best policy, even though I get the feeling Mr Wendig might beat the crap out of me for it, here goes.
This is a good book, but it's not the book you think you're buying.
If you're an aspiring writer and are on the constant hunt for that elusive book to transform you into a god of wordsmithery, or even just help you be a little better at it, this is not it. There is a lot of valuable insight in this book, although a lot of it will be common sense to you if you're already deep in the word-mines, but there will certainly be titbits you'd not considered before.
The problem with offering teachings in the way this book lays it out is that it's a scattergun approach. There are 1001 bullet points, each a paragraph, peppered with almost as many bad puns, making it impossible to retain the information given. You really need a narrative flow to activate your memory, at least most of us do, it's like trying to learn the alphabet from a jumble of random letters instead of from A to Z. Not impossible perhaps, but bloody hard work.
The man knows his stuff, I'll give you that, but still, I think this is more a book of entertainment for those who like to write, than tutelage to make you better at it.
This is a good book, but it's not the book you think you're buying.
If you're an aspiring writer and are on the constant hunt for that elusive book to transform you into a god of wordsmithery, or even just help you be a little better at it, this is not it. There is a lot of valuable insight in this book, although a lot of it will be common sense to you if you're already deep in the word-mines, but there will certainly be titbits you'd not considered before.
The problem with offering teachings in the way this book lays it out is that it's a scattergun approach. There are 1001 bullet points, each a paragraph, peppered with almost as many bad puns, making it impossible to retain the information given. You really need a narrative flow to activate your memory, at least most of us do, it's like trying to learn the alphabet from a jumble of random letters instead of from A to Z. Not impossible perhaps, but bloody hard work.
The man knows his stuff, I'll give you that, but still, I think this is more a book of entertainment for those who like to write, than tutelage to make you better at it.
This book will be going on the shelf alongside Stephen King's On Writing... as a book on the craft that I revisit regularly. The only complaint I have at all about the book is that sometimes Chuck's humor, which is great and offensive and wildly inappropriate (and I love it) starts to overwhelm the advice.
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
For those writers who make their way to this page, if you're not familiar with Chuck Wendig and his blog at terribleminds.com, you should be. Understand that the delicate among you will probably recoil from contact like a snail making first contact with a salt line, but even for you, his words are the brussel sprouts of writing advice and insight your diet is lacking. If you're already whining about brussel sprouts, remember that they can be made not just palatable, but pretty damned fantastic while still being good for you. If you don't believe me, drop me a comment and I'll prove it to you. Otherwise, pick up this book. Not only does Wendig use all kinds of in-your-face enthusiasm, real-world advice and a significant dose of ass-kicking, he does it in a way that makes it stick, and makes it fun. If only personal trainers were this damned hilarious and honest, we'd all be buffed and toned gym rats. Wendig doles out advise and wisdom in a way that only he can with his caustic and endearing personality. But be warned, get a sense of humor before you pick up this book. Not only will you need it to "get" what he has to say, you'll need it for that forthcoming avalanche of rejections you'll get in serious pursuit of the craft.
this was so try-hard. PLEASE DUDE, NO MORE TORTURED OVERLY SPECIFIC CULTURAL REFERENCES AND METAPHORS AND LONG STRINGS OF POINTLESS ADJECTIVES INVOLVING ANIMALS AND EVISCERATING. like the advice was solid I GUESS but for god's sake, the writing. the writing was so bad.
also, a book published in the year of our lord 2k13 should not have a reference to an "alien squaw" in it. nope nope nope
also, a book published in the year of our lord 2k13 should not have a reference to an "alien squaw" in it. nope nope nope
The Kick-Ass Writer by Chuck Wendig includes over 30 lists of 25 tips about various subjects like writing, rewriting, craft, and publishing. The tips are really helpful and comprehensive. Some of the tips are repeated, but I found that extremely useful; this is a good way to cement in my brain tips that might be especially helpful to me in the future. While I read the book from beginning to end, I think I'm going to enjoy it most by coming back to specific lists when I need inspiration at those particular steps in my writing.
Here's the thing, though: this book isn't going to be for everyone. If you follow Chuck Wendig on his website and social media, then you know he's kind of a rascal, someone who uses a great deal of profanity and scatalogical references in his everyday writing. I happen to think he's really funny, but even I became a little impatient while reading through these lists of tips; Wendig has a strong voice and the book probably would have been half as long without it. Keep in mind, I read the book in just a few days, so the humor was bound to get repetitive and a little annoying. After a certain point, though, the humor is really a part of Wendig's charm. A dry list of writing tips would not have been any better. By the end of the book I was thankful to have added it to my collection of books on writing. Reading one of these lists occasionally as I need it is going to be a great help to me.
Here's the thing, though: this book isn't going to be for everyone. If you follow Chuck Wendig on his website and social media, then you know he's kind of a rascal, someone who uses a great deal of profanity and scatalogical references in his everyday writing. I happen to think he's really funny, but even I became a little impatient while reading through these lists of tips; Wendig has a strong voice and the book probably would have been half as long without it. Keep in mind, I read the book in just a few days, so the humor was bound to get repetitive and a little annoying. After a certain point, though, the humor is really a part of Wendig's charm. A dry list of writing tips would not have been any better. By the end of the book I was thankful to have added it to my collection of books on writing. Reading one of these lists occasionally as I need it is going to be a great help to me.
If you do best with writing advice that's straightforward and honest (and sometimes a little, "Where did this wasp-nest-as-brain metaphor come from, and where is it going?") then Mr. Wendig may be the soapbox and megaphone combo for you.
Those who are easily upset by word choice may need to keep a folding fan and some smelling salts handy, but he describes both the magic and the murk of writing and publishing with skill.
Those who are easily upset by word choice may need to keep a folding fan and some smelling salts handy, but he describes both the magic and the murk of writing and publishing with skill.
There isn't anything particularily earth shattering in this book. The information is nothing I haven't seen before In a dozen other places. It is, however, presented in a fun, entertaining, and often funny manner. It's worth skimming, but I think that's how it was meant to be read, in bits and pieces here and there.
Practical, and inspiring real-world writing advice from one of genre's best.