Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Should have been edited, August 11, 2009
This review is from: Break Into Fiction: 11 Steps to Building a Story that Sells (Paperback)
The premise and some of the ideas in the book are intriguing. Some of the templates are interesting and helpful, and give food for thought. However, the book seem "unfinished" to me, in many ways, and was ultimately frustrating to use for that reason. One example of this is a Glossary at the beginning of the book, which includes several terms that don't appear anywhere in the actual body of the book, or are only referenced very slightly (example: "Twist Points", described as "key areas of your story", are referenced in only one question in any of the templates, and don't stand out as being that important).
The book also seemed "unfinished" because the parts never seem to add up to a whole.There are a bunch of "template" writing books on the market, and some of them are very well thought out and quite complete as far as character building, plot building and so forth. This is not one of them.
I was also very much distracted by the grammatical errors that sprinkle every chapter and, to my mind, are especially damning in a book on writing technique. They had me shaking my head in disbelief at times. Example: "The character has refused to take action while they weighed the risks, even briefly, and most likely have been persuaded to act either due to strong motivation or a mentor." I feel it shouldn't be so difficult just to read a book that intends to help you write.
It is also very odd that while films are analysed as to how they fit the authors' theories, no books at all are used. If I had known it would not give examples of any books, I would not have bought it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gut wrenching, but worth it, June 11, 2009
This review is from: Break Into Fiction: 11 Steps to Building a Story that Sells (Paperback)
Working through the templates provided in Break into Fiction is painful. The questions make you think. Harder, and then harder. Fresh ideas pop into your head, and-- voila--your characters come to life as real people with deep-seated issues, and your plot thickens. Where was this book when I needed it nine drafts ago? I highly recommend it for anyone who is serious about writing a book that will sell.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is a must buy for the serious author, June 6, 2009
This review is from: Break Into Fiction: 11 Steps to Building a Story that Sells (Paperback)
Once you have grasped goal, motivation, and conflict, once you have done Story, if you have struggled through Techniques of the Selling Writer, then read this book because it will all become clear, at least it did for me.
Plotters will love this technique, the worksheets take you all the way through the story and help you nail the plots and subplots. The worksheets on the character will help you sift through all the facts about your characters and distill the important parts.
Pantsers will love this after the first draft. The not so comfortable parts in your first draft will become clearer and help tie the story together. It will help you find the missing puzzle pieces.
This book won't write the story for you, but it will help take some of the frustration out of the process and what more could you want?
Oh yeah, a winning lottery ticket.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
