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A review by raesengele
2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
informative
fast-paced
3.0
If this isn't your first rodeo, but you're still interested in this book, let me save you some time:
Plot and experiment with what time of day you write to figure out when your focus is best.
That's basically what the "write faster" part of this book boils down to.
And that part of the book is about 30 pages.
Honestly, this could have been a blog post. Actually, it was a blog post which makes sense.
The second half is all the same stuff you've most likely read before if you've read more than one book on writing. I will say, I did appreciate that Aaron isn't as prescriptive as some other books I've read. She's very open to the concept of pantsers and doesn't claim that meticulous plotting is the only way to be a successful author, which as a plantser, I appreciated. I also very much liked her section on character mostly because we approach character the same way--figure out their motivation/wants at the least then let them reveal who they are as you write. I've never been a fan of the plotting method that requires you to know a character's entire life history and/or unimportant details like how they take their coffee or which starter pokemon would they choose before you ever start putting words to the page. I also just don't like filling out pages upon pages of questionnaires for my characters. I'm also neurodivergent and small talk kills me, so that might have something to do with it.
The place we conflicted is she's yet another author who has fallen prey to the false idea that the 3 act structure is the only way to tell a story. It's a lie created by Hollywood. Literally. That's not me spouting conspiracy bullshit. Hollywood has a very strict outline that all scripts must adhere to in order to be funded. That strict outline follows the Three Act Structure. And for some reason in the last 10 years authors began touting around the Three Act Structure as anthropological fact that all readers will be able to naturally sus out and you'll never be a success unless you follow it...even though all of Shakespeare's plays were five acts and the Hero's Journey has 8 points, the Heroine's Journey has even more. There are other ways to tell a story, so can we please move on from this myth. Word to the wise, if a book on NOVEL WRITING only uses movies (Especially Star Wars. They all love to reference Star Wars.) as examples while talking about plot, take all of it with a grain of salt.
Anyways, it's a short book (the actual text is 100 pages), so if you're still interested or if you're new to writing, it's definitely worth picking up. Just know that there's not much that's revolutionary to her method. Just know what you're going to write before you write it and figure out what time of day you write best then guard that time like a mama bear.
Plot and experiment with what time of day you write to figure out when your focus is best.
That's basically what the "write faster" part of this book boils down to.
And that part of the book is about 30 pages.
Honestly, this could have been a blog post. Actually, it was a blog post which makes sense.
The second half is all the same stuff you've most likely read before if you've read more than one book on writing. I will say, I did appreciate that Aaron isn't as prescriptive as some other books I've read. She's very open to the concept of pantsers and doesn't claim that meticulous plotting is the only way to be a successful author, which as a plantser, I appreciated. I also very much liked her section on character mostly because we approach character the same way--figure out their motivation/wants at the least then let them reveal who they are as you write. I've never been a fan of the plotting method that requires you to know a character's entire life history and/or unimportant details like how they take their coffee or which starter pokemon would they choose before you ever start putting words to the page. I also just don't like filling out pages upon pages of questionnaires for my characters. I'm also neurodivergent and small talk kills me, so that might have something to do with it.
The place we conflicted is she's yet another author who has fallen prey to the false idea that the 3 act structure is the only way to tell a story. It's a lie created by Hollywood. Literally. That's not me spouting conspiracy bullshit. Hollywood has a very strict outline that all scripts must adhere to in order to be funded. That strict outline follows the Three Act Structure. And for some reason in the last 10 years authors began touting around the Three Act Structure as anthropological fact that all readers will be able to naturally sus out and you'll never be a success unless you follow it...even though all of Shakespeare's plays were five acts and the Hero's Journey has 8 points, the Heroine's Journey has even more. There are other ways to tell a story, so can we please move on from this myth. Word to the wise, if a book on NOVEL WRITING only uses movies (Especially Star Wars. They all love to reference Star Wars.) as examples while talking about plot, take all of it with a grain of salt.
Anyways, it's a short book (the actual text is 100 pages), so if you're still interested or if you're new to writing, it's definitely worth picking up. Just know that there's not much that's revolutionary to her method. Just know what you're going to write before you write it and figure out what time of day you write best then guard that time like a mama bear.