Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Man Oh Man: A buffet of goodness on writing, January 3, 2009
This review is from: Man, Oh Man, Writing M/M Fiction for Cash & Kinks (Paperback)
Kinks and cash? Who wouldn't be tempted with a juicy title like that? With this intriguing title nibble, author Josh Lanyon, entices readers to dig further into this smorgasboard of writing about male/male fiction, erotica, and romance. A multi-published author himself, Lanyon has the publishing experience and awards to author a how-to guide on appealing to the male/male market.
Lanyon makes the distinction early on that male/male stories are different than gay fiction. "In M/M fiction, the romance is the foundation." He emphasizes that even a genre story such as mystery, thriller or paranormal, must have the appropriate genre elements plus the romantic elements that focus on a male/male relationship (which may or may not include traditional romance elements such as Happily Ever After). In traditional gay fiction, the emotional elements of relationships are often glossed over and are not the focus of the story.
The reason for this romantic emphasis is the nature of the male/male market: women. Yes, gay male readers are beginning to discover--and enjoy-- these stories, but the vast majority of publishers in this genre readily admit that most of their customers are women. Women enjoy stories without the "baggage" of main female characters; they want exciting stories with adventurous action; and they want hot sex scenes with two men. Sex scenes that don't include women.
Lanyon traces the history of male/male fiction to its roots in fanfiction (stories written in an already created universe such as Star Trek and The Sentinel). Written almost entirely by and for women, a substantial number of male/male authors have made the transition from fanfiction to professional publishing. And they've taken with them the recipes for cooking up a best-selling story: characters that readers care about, dramatic scenes with clear settings, and sex scenes that both serve the story and arouse the reader.
Lanyon quotes a number of publishing professionals throughout the book, letting their comments add distinctive flavor to the points he's making. (And a few appear to mis-step; one editor for a New York print publishing house makes statements that show a clear lack of understanding of the totality of the male/male market, dismissing women as readers entirely). The e-publishers readily embraced male/male fiction, and editors from Amber Quill, Aspen Mountain Press, Loose Id, Samhain Publishing, Torquere Press, and others discuss what storylines work, what submissions catch their eye, and how quickly the market changes. MLR (Man Love Romance) Press founder Laura Baumbach has terrific insights into the ever-evolving market for readers and authors.
With chapters on topics such as characterization, pacing, dialogue, and setting, a reader skimming the Table of Contents might mistake this for the same-old, how-to-write-good tomes of the past. But Lanyon's nitty-gritty details on these topics, and their application to male/male writing is the real meat of the book. By using examples from his own writing and others, Lanyon is able to point out exactly why or why not writing works. (Clunky blocking, un-necessary adjectives, boring physical beats). Even better, Lanyon edits on the page several writing samples to show readers how to maintain POV, how to block action scenes, how to cut bland words, and how to incorporate the crucial elements of male/male fiction.
He generously provides some real-world samples of an outline, synopsis, and query letter for his book The Hell You Say. Seeing the actual words on the page along with Lanyon's advice on pinning down a storyline is invaluble. For readers who are new to publishing, the resources section include listings of contests and publishers that are open to male/male fiction. Chapters are laid out in a logical order, and the overall design is easy to follow. Major points are often in a call-out text box or bolded for emphasis.
Even if you don't write male/male fiction, anyone writing erotica, GLBT fiction, romance or other genres will get a satisfying meal out of this. More than a how-to genre book, Lanyon's advice on writing is universal--and tasty.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Josh Hits One Out The Park, April 18, 2008
This review is from: Man, Oh Man, Writing M/M Fiction for Cash & Kinks (Paperback)
Josh Lanyon's long awaited opus on the essentials of crafting a successful M/M novel hit the bookstores recently after a whirlwind of publicity and it was well worth the wait. This book is a step by step tutorial for both the novice and experienced writer on how to write the next great M/M novel. In his book Josh provides the reader with his own observations as well as astute and perceptive comments from others in the business such as publishers, writers, editors, reviewers and a host of insiders on how to create believable masculine characters while ensuring that the essential elements of a good novel are present in a story.
In Man, Oh Man! Writing M/M Fiction for Kinks and Cash Josh covers the basic fundamentals of good writing such as Hook, Characterizations, Dialogue and Conflict and he overlays this with the creative elements that are absolutely necessary for M/M romance in order for the book to grab the attention of editors, publishers and readers. Josh cautions that M/M romantic fiction should be from the male perspective and not stories about women masquerading as men and it must also be able to stand on its own without the sex.
I have been reviewing M/M romances for some time but didn't quite grasp the difference between M/M romance and gay fiction until I read Josh's succinct explanation in the book, and I'm sure that I am not the only one who was unaware of this distinction.
This is one of the most impressive how-to books that I have read in a while. What made this book different is Josh's easy, laid back, armchair style of imparting knowledge as a result of his years as a published author. The book provides practical examples and ideas that even a novice writer could easily grasp and implement. Josh uses humour in the book which makes communicating his knowledge easy on the reader. This book is rich in content based on Josh's experience, but he also gives us valuable information gleaned through a series of interviews conducted with industry insiders over the course of several months and offers the combined expertise of professionals in the business. Publishers give their take on what the current trends are in M/M fiction and offer a range of opinions based on reader surveys.
Josh takes us through the creative process starting with how and where to find fresh ideas and strong hooks, to creating believable masculine characters (since the majority of M/M authors today are women, I think they will find this very revealing) , to "selling" your carefully edited manuscript to a publisher and marketing the book after its release. Writers can take a page out of Josh's book, literally, and copy some of his strategies on the marketing of this book which were extremely effective.
Man, Oh Man! is geared to the rapidly expanding market of M/M romance and I would anticipate that the numbers of authors in this genre will grow exponentially as the market continues to increase. I attended Josh's recent on-line workshop for Cobblestone Press, which took place just prior to the release of the book and I was struck by the clarity of his presentation.
If I may, I would like to recommend a few chapters I found extremely relevant and informative - Looking for a Few Good Men - A strong character can carry a weak story; Cheat Sheets for Chicks -What makes a man and a woman different; Do the Math - Pacing - moving the story forward; What's it all about Alfie -Theme; MM! MM! Good and Rent Boys. I am not going to elaborate on all of the chapters because that would be a disservice to the reader and the book, plus there's only so much information that a reviewer should convey.
Each chapter is a little gem but there is not enough space to mention all of them. In order to get the full flavour and Josh's expert knowledge you need to read the book for yourself. Suffice it to say that I was inspired to write after reading Man, Oh Man! Writing M/M Fiction for Kinks and Cash, and if you've ever thought of writing for this genre then I think you`ll be motivated too. Authors and would-be writers of the genre should have a copy of this excellent reference source or your competition will blow you away. One bit of advice from Josh that resonated with me - write what you enjoy reading, make it fresh and write your passion.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Wish I Read This Before I Wrote My First Novel!, January 30, 2009
This review is from: Man, Oh Man, Writing M/M Fiction for Cash & Kinks (Paperback)
It took me three years and a lot of self doubt to write my first novel, a funny and sexy mystery isn't "M/M" fiction, necessarily, but which certainly shares some of the same conventions.
The process would have been more easier if I had had "Man, Oh Man..." for inspiration and advice.
Lanyon is a terrific writer - clear, intelligent and generous with his knowledge and humor. "Man, Oh Man..." is a practical book that will walk you through finding your genre, shaping your plot, and understanding the market. Lanyon helps you focus on the core of your plot, while reminding you of the importance of the subtleties and subplots that make your book stand out,
Lanyon's instruction benefits from being very specific. For example, he recommends you develop an outline for your novel, but he also includes advice from authors who don't. In his discussion of point of view, he offers ""If you're finding it difficult to nail your main character's voice, or find the focus of the story, try writing from a different POV." He stresses the importance of pacing, and illustrates his advice with examples from his and other author's works.
While that kind of writing instruction is available in innumerable books from the good people at Writer's Digest and others, Lanyon offers wisdom you're not likely to find in more mainstream publications. He gives explicit examples of what makes M/M sex scenes work, and what makes them fail. While much of that is too graphic to include in this review, let's see if Amazon.com lets this pass..."I caressed his velvety rod" is WRONG, "I pumped his d***" is RIGHT. BTW, Lanyon writes, "He pumped MY d***" is "WAY more right."
Lanyon goes on to walk you through the entire construction of your story, the revising and editing phase, and he even provides a list of publishers who might buy your work. He includes examples of his own development and marketing materials, including original notes, outlines, synopses and query letters for his novels. "Man, Oh Man..." works not just as an instructional manual, but as a fascinating study of how a novelist in this genre conceptualizes, creates and sells his work.
Throughout "Man, Oh Man..." Lanyon includes advice and feedback from editors, other authors and some of his fans. While this gives the book some very interesting three-dimensionality, I often skimmed these parts, anxious to get back to Lanyon's words. While the book would have been successful without these other voices, they certainly add some value, and you're free to read or skip that at your pleasure. (Or, as I did, fast forward through them the first time through and then read them more thoroughly on a second pass).
Lanyon offers an editing and consultation service for authors on his website (Amazon won't let me include a link here, but that's what Google is for, right?). I might have to reach out to him as I work on my novel's sequel, but till then, I have "Man, Oh Man..." on hand to keep me on track. I couldn't have asked for a better writing companion.
Scott Sherman, author, First You Fall: A Kevin Connor Mystery
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
