Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
A system, but not a strict one
This book kept getting recommended to me so I bought it and read it. I followed the exercises for a new project and I definitely like the results. I hope I get the opportunity to take the author's class in person, but in th meantime the book introduces the complete system.
This book kept getting recommended to me so I bought it and read it. I followed the exercises for a new project and I definitely like the results. I hope I get the opportunity to take the author's class in person, but in th meantime the book introduces the complete system.
It was a blast following along with this book and taking notes for the story I'm working on!
A lot of the character exercises reminded me of stuff I'd do when working on a role for a play and the revelation that I could use those same exercises for writing made me so happy.
Well! Writing time, then!
A lot of the character exercises reminded me of stuff I'd do when working on a role for a play and the revelation that I could use those same exercises for writing made me so happy.
Well! Writing time, then!
Great book for getting to the heart of plotting and character development. As one who is admittedly weak in plot, I feel like this book really broke it down into the components necessary for me to get my head around where I've been going wrong, see what I've been doing right, and go forward with more confidence to put it all together successfully.
This book almost lost me 38 pages in, during the "Race and Ethnicity" subsection, when it became painfully obvious that a white dude had written it. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with a white author. But when a cringe-y section is what clues you in... that's not great.
I stuck with it, though, and I'm glad I did. My writing "education" has been the act of reading tons of books. I've got nothing formal under my belt, other than some standard English classes, so some more pointed instruction felt like a good idea. I was running on pure instinct with the book I'm currently writing (my first, and hopefully not my last).
As luck would have it, my instincts were pretty good, but by no means perfect. This book helped highlight some weaknesses and mistakes, which has already been helpful. And while I didn't agree with everything in the book, even the act of disagreeing tended to solidify something or another in my mind. Hell, by the end of the book I was having trouble maintaining focus because I couldn't stop thinking about my story (that's meant to be a "yay, it got my creative juices flowing" statement rather than "this was boring" potshot).
Are there better options than this out there? Probably. But this is the one I knew about (via a friend), and it was definitely a net positive for me. Looking forward to diving back into my story with a better feel for what I'm trying to accomplish.
I stuck with it, though, and I'm glad I did. My writing "education" has been the act of reading tons of books. I've got nothing formal under my belt, other than some standard English classes, so some more pointed instruction felt like a good idea. I was running on pure instinct with the book I'm currently writing (my first, and hopefully not my last).
As luck would have it, my instincts were pretty good, but by no means perfect. This book helped highlight some weaknesses and mistakes, which has already been helpful. And while I didn't agree with everything in the book, even the act of disagreeing tended to solidify something or another in my mind. Hell, by the end of the book I was having trouble maintaining focus because I couldn't stop thinking about my story (that's meant to be a "yay, it got my creative juices flowing" statement rather than "this was boring" potshot).
Are there better options than this out there? Probably. But this is the one I knew about (via a friend), and it was definitely a net positive for me. Looking forward to diving back into my story with a better feel for what I'm trying to accomplish.
Very good. Well done explanation of the formula of three acts, how to combine both plotting and character (basically work backwards).
A mine of information. Have read it from cover to cover, but will forever keep it handy as a reference book and a means of beating writer's block. I believe my protagonist just morphed from a female to a fully-fledged woman.