Customer Reviews

The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now!

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Those of us who teach creative writing are constantly searching for that perfect resource that will not only instruct, but also inspire our students,one that will map out the pitfalls while simultaneously jump-starting the writing process. Nina Munteanu's book is it!
The Fiction Writer is at the top of the required reading list for my Writer's Workshop students! With its engagingly direct, conversational style and easily accessible format, it is a veritable cornucopia of hands-on help for aspiring writers of any age.
Sprinkled throughout are specific exercises designed to establish and enhance good writing skills, while every page is loaded with specific do's and don'ts, with chunks of advice drawn from an impressive and eclectic array of resources in the writing and publishing arenas. Add to that Nina's own insights, gathered along her journey as a successful writer, and the result is the quintessential guidebook for the soon-to-be-published.

Nina's writing style is engaging, enlightening, and enjoyable. And like the good Doctor's Tardis, the book is larger than it appears - how she is able to distill as much as she does in 266 pages is a testament to her writing abilities. As others have rightfully stated, it is chock full of ideas, checklists, advice, and exercises. I have six book shelves at home (and about as many at work) devoted to books on writing and the teaching of writing covering all the writing genres. Before Nina's book, I was getting rather bored with them. But after reading excerpts of Nina's book on her blog, I just had to check out the entire text.

I even found her book useful for my 102 students. Although we do not teach creative writing in 102 (we survey short stories, poems, and plays), every quarter I use portions of Nina's text, especially the discussion on the hero's journey. That is how useful her book is.

Get Get Published, Write Now! right now.

I have enjoyed Munteanu's fiction, so I was happy when she gave me the chance to read her book on writing.

I found it a useful practical guide full of tips and links that any writer focusing on craft should remember. Even if it isn't saying anything particularly new, what it does say is worth repeating, and is rarely said in such succinct form. It is also nice that it has some emphasis on speculative fiction, something many writing guides ignore completely.

My only (minor) quarrels are:

many of the links seem as though they could well be transitory, which will eventually hurt the value of the book, and

I would have liked to hear a little more about Munteanu's experience as a writer in the pages. She kept her voice quite neutral throughout.

I would recommend it.

High energy writer and teacher of writing Nina Munteanu is an upbeat coach for new and published writers seeking to refresh their art. She relates tales from her own experiences to personalize her frank and helpful advice on getting published. I particularly liked how she focuses on writing good stuff, though. Her light-hearted "alien's perspective" complete with cartoon character combines with her sense of humor and cheerful tone to make the book a positive experience. Short sections. Snappy chat.

This book is infused with Nina's energy and brings lots of wisdom, ideas, tricks and tips in a fun and informative way. Good for both published and unpublished writers, I highly recommend this book for any writer wishing to get published or push their stuff to the next level.

"I'm very impressed...Nina shares the hard-won knowledge she's accumulated...I'm thoroughly enjoying the book, and even learning a thing or two!"--Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of Wake.

Nina Munteanu's The Fiction Writer gets to the point, quickly. It is a digest of all the how-to's of writing fiction propounded by masters of the craft over the last century, easily packaged into 26 concise chapters that run from A to Z. Munteanu practises one of her principles of "show, don't tell" by having the lessons come from the experts themselves and avoids the preaching herself.

She begins by using the building of a house as the metaphor for writing the novel and takes us step by step through the various stages of house construction--blueprint, excavation, foundation, framing, plumbing, heating, electricity, wallboard, plaster and paint--and relate these components to parallel processes in the creation of a novel. Munteanu also intersperses exercises throughout the book to make the lessons more interactive--I wish there had been more.

Although aimed at the writing student, this is a handy book for the emerging or mature writer as well, as it is a great resource to refresh one's memory on every aspect of the writing process. In particular, I found the sections on archetypes, metaphors, scenes and sequels, sensory detail and voice to be very useful.

Some older maxims were reinforced in more refined or humorous terms as well:
* Write what you know inside
* Proof read backwards
* Live, then write, then live again
* The Beatles song "Paperback Writer" as a how-not-to write a query letter
* Add how many more books you have inside you, in the query letter

I feel that the book, given its conciseness, sometimes strays into areas where it shouldn't go, as the subject matter in those sections is vast and all Munteanu does is dip her foot in the water: grammar being one. Being a science fiction writer, she also draws examples heavily from that genre and I would like to see more balance with mainstream fiction.

Despite letting her sources do most of the talking, Munteanu is most powerful when her own voice intrudes, in the section on the Muse for example, and when she opens herself to us to see her rejection letters--that takes courage and binds us poor scribblers in a symbiotic relationship with this author.

And to crown it all off, in the last chapter, "The Zen of Passionate Writing", Munteanu hands off to Auschwitz survivor Victor Frankl, who reminds us that, "Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue as the unintended side-effect of one's dedication to a cause greater than oneself..." What a noble observation to surround ourselves with as we ply our trade in solitude and isolation!

I am keeping this book my desk as I plunge into the writing of my next chapter...

(Shane Joseph is the author of Redemption in Paradise) Redemption in Paradise

I write in the non fiction genre, but when I heard Nina speak at a conference, I bought her book. I learned so much! I think every writer wants to write a novel someday, and with Nina's help, I will do it a lot sooner. There are many "tricks of the trade" from many world famous writers that Nina has included. This book is a great resource for my library. It has already helped me tremendously.

If you are serious about your writing, The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now! is as important a tool as your laptop or your pen. Do yourself a favor, and just buy it. Better still, buy the book and get yourself to one of Nina's workshops.

Whether you are learning from her in person, or from her book, Nina's teaching style is straight-up, fact-filled, enriching, joyful and thorough. This energetic and generous author is passionate about her craft; her enthusiasm is infectious. I do not know how she does it, but her style of communication imparts confidence to the reader/student. She assumes that you are already a dedicated writer and tells you how to hone your craft. Better still, she tells you how to get published.

Because she has walked the road of the published author, her advice is based on experience. She is honest, she is human and she wants you to succeed.

I write non-fiction, and still find this book to be an amazingly helpful tool.

Thank you, Nina.

The title "The Fiction Writer, Get Published, Write Now! Says it all in my opinion.
Concise and to the point. Ms. Munteanu provides for the amateur writer and student a practical pathway to get through the journey of writing from beginning to end. Often a daunting overwhelming task for most, she lightens up the whole process of following the guidebook with great sense of wit and humor as any good teacher will do. Motivational, encouraging,inspiring and educational. I wish this had been available years ago. This is a tool-kit for any would be writer and a must have for every home!

The beauty of this book is that you can pick it up and put it down easily.
It leaves the reader with excitement and anticipation of what is doable.
Procrastination is a thing of the past!

Well constructed and written this is a gem of a book you can't be without.

Congratulations to a job well done!The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now!

I can't wait for sequel!

Vanessa