Customer Reviews

Fiction First Aid: Instant Remedies for Novels, Stories and Scripts

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Weak plots. Writer's block. Lack of suspense. Unrealistic characters.

These are just a few of the many ailments that can infect your fiction. "Fiction First Aid" offers "instant remedies" for novels, short stories and scripts.

You don't have to know exactly what's causing the problem in your project. The layout of this guide helps you diagnose your "sick" manuscript and provides a prescription to get your work back on track.

Chapters are categorized for easy reference. Plot, characterization, setting, style and theme are all covered in great detail.

The very last section deals with the common questions writers of all experience levels face. How can I find more time to write? How can I tell if what I'm writing is good? What is the best way to revise my manuscript?

Each chapter contains hints and tips on making your work stronger. And when you're ready to examine your own work, check out the symptoms, ailment, diagnosis and treatment you can use for your manuscript.

The doctor is in. Author Raymond Obstfeld uses examples from popular novels, films and short stories to illustrate his point. Even if your writing isn't in Emergency Room status, a little check-up won't hurt. It's easy to learn how to take your fiction to the next level no matter what your writing background.

I'm an editing book junkie, and this is hands down the best one I've ever read. It gives specifics on trouble spots and what to look for, and actually tells you how to fix them. So many books I've read just advise of what to do, but never show you how. I read through the pages thinking, "I do that. Yikes, I do that too." My work has improved trememdously since I read this book. I think every writer who wants to polish his work or give it a final once over before submission should read it.

In Fiction First Aid: Instant Remedies For Novels & Stories, published author, poet, and screenwriter Raymond Obstfeld utilizes helpful examples drawn from classic and contemporary literature and film to show aspiring writers how to examine a flawed manuscript, diagnose the problems, and then correct them. A very highly recommended addition to any "how to" writing reading list or reference collection, Fiction First Aid shows how to use proven techniques to enhance suspense and meet reader expectations; make individual character motivations consistent with their action and the framework of the plot; determine the best place in which to set a story or particular scene; give minor and peripheral characters of their own; distinguish a genre or mainstream novel through using a unique style and a creative plot.

As a writer, I frequently obtain books related to my craft. This one struck me as unusual in that it had DIFFERENT ideas and suggestions, not just the same 'ol same 'ol. It is a good reference and may pull you out of writer's block!
Anne Jones

When I was starting to write, I had a class with Raymond Obstfeld. Over the years, I've learned to appreciate how special that experience was, but nothing has made me wish that I'd been able to take more classes with him than this book.

No other book I've seen really discusses deep issues the way Obstfeld does -- and, in part, because he's seen so many bad manuscripts (some of them mine). Just re-looking at some old stories after a first quick reading made me realize how many of them had fixable problems.

::sigh::

I'd spend more time gushing, but I have manuscripts to revise....

This book is easy to read, well conceived and incredibly helpful. Obstfeld knows his stuff and he writes from the perspective of one who has been in the trenches and knows what writers need to know. Highly recommended.

I found this book to be very helpful in my writing. The author gives a lot of practical ideas. I especially liked the chapter on theme - selection, refinement, etc.
Everyone who has ever gotten stuck writing (and that includes us all) should have a copy of this on their shelf. If it works just once, it's more than paid for itself.
- DJ Christian - San Jose California

I've read many other fiction writing helping books (2!), and I can solemnly swear that this one is the best. Instead of destroying your dreams of being a writer by constantly reminding you that writing is a hard business to get into (as if I didn't know that), it offers you hope. The author obviously is experienced at writing fiction, as he teaches a class. This book is well garnished with many interesting and helpful anecdotes. The problems he adresses are things that I've been concerned about in my writing, but had not been able to find answers to in other books. It's written in a very easy to read and noncondescending manner, and has good eamples. I wholly recommend this book!

Fiction First Aid, by Raymond Obstfeld, is packed with practical, no-nonsense tips for troubleshooting a manuscript that "needs something." It's organized simply, with chapters about plot, characterization, setting, style, theme, and the writer's life. Each chapter has sections describing symptoms, the ailment, diagnosis, and treatment. Because the author's approach assumes that the reader has already written a manuscript, I wouldn't recommend Fiction First Aid as the very first "how-to" book for a novice. But this one is high on my list of favorites.

I was looking for a writing guide that dealt more with plot and characterization as opposed to technical issues (grammar, syntax, etc), and this is exactly what I wanted. It helped me figure out why my character wasn't working and why the plot was flat.

So this, instead of teaching about why a sentence seems off, tells you why the *story* seems off. It's one of two writing books I've actually kept to read again.