Customer Reviews

Telling Lies for Fun & Profit: A Manual for Fiction Writers

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are two books on writing that I always keep on hand: this one and Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. I can always depend on them to inspire me to write more when my momentum has flagged for whatever reason, usually insecurity.

I really like Block's conversational style. I know this is cliche, but I often feel as if he could be speaking directly to me and addressing my own problems. I find this, among other things, to be very comforting, thus allowing me to let go and just write.

He presents simple solutions to common problems, also inspiring me to go try them out, having never approached the problem in that way before.

I find this book to be very useful in my quest to be a writer, as he seems to have had the same problems I do. This sends the positive message that these problems are universal, and all you have to do is work your way through them, because ALL writers have the same issues to deal with. Also very comforting.

I would recommend this book to anyone struggling with the need to write but not finding the nerve to just settle down and do it; and also for anyone else just needing a little boost.

I bought this book at the advice of a successful writer friend, who said it was the best book he'd read on how to write a novel.

And it does have good advice on writing a novel. But I found it was more about being a writer writing a novel than on the actual contents of the novel. Hmmm. That may not be very clear. This book is loaded with wonderful, practical, inspiring anecdotes and snippets of experience on writing. But it does not tell you about story construction, which was what I was looking for.

Reading the book did help keep me motivated and added some clarity to my impression of the novel writing world. But I found books by Frey, McKee, Vogler, Lew Hunter, Syd Field and James Bonnet much more helpful when it came to the nitty gritty of creating stories.

So.... if you are looking for practical information about the writing life, about the process of writing-- this book is a gem. If you want details on story structure, character development, etc., check out some of the above mentioned authors.

This book is a collection of monthly columns that Block had written for a writing magazine. They fit perfectly together to make a book that is easy to recommend to anyone who treasures books, especially fiction.

I loved this book, even though I am more of a reader than a writer. You will learn techniques that an actual writer uses when devising plots, character names, and even titles. Don't expect a cookie-cutter approach to producing a story. Block instead gives you many chapters that are filled with actual examples of work written not only by himself but by other writers. The discussions that accompany these examples are both educational, easily read, and highly entertaining.

I believe the book has made me a much better reader. I can now often sit back and understand just why I didn't like a particular book.

So you're at home, sitting in front of your computer or typewriter, and you're stuck on what to write next. No problem. Just grab your copy of "Telling Lies For Fun and Profit" to get your juices flowing. Or maybe you're confused on how to proceed to the next step in your writing career, and maybe you're not sure about genres, writing groups, Sometimes I wish that I had a veteran writer friend to have a talk with over coffee or a drink. With this book, I always feel like I do. Every writer should read this.

Very simply, anyone who wishes to write professionally should read --and preferably, commit to memory-- every page of this collection of both practical how-to advice and sage philosophizing on the art of storytelling.  Sue Grafton
says she re-reads this book before commencing work on her next novel; better advice would be hard to come by for anyone who dares to commit fiction-writing.

I stumbled on the Block's book as I was writing my first two novels, FLU SEASON and LIKE DISTANT CITIES BURNING

(...)It's no stretch to say he probably deserves a co-byline on both my books, though I'll deny everything if he takes me to court. Still, Block provides any writer with advice and insight one can actually USE.

To quote from the jacket: "Characters refusing to talk? Plot plodding along? Where do good ideas come from, anyway? In this wonderfully practical volume, two-time Edgar Award-winning novelist Lawrence Block takes an inside look at
writing as a craft and as a career.

"From studying the market to mastering self-discipline and 'creative procrastination' through copying with rejections, Telling Lies For Fun & Profit is an invaluable sourcebook of information..."

The book itself is a collection of the fiction columns Block did for Writer's Digest in between penning more than 30 books, many of them bestsellers.

I learned something new on almost every page, and something valuable even more often.

(...)

--Earl Merkel

Reading "Telling Lies for Fun and Profit" is the same as having a best friend who's a successful novelist. Lawrence Block's collection of essays gives the inside scoop on both the mechanics of writing as well as the mechanics of being a writer. A must for any writer's library, whether just starting out or already successful.

This is simply a great book. LB takes several points from various chapters and teaches you about the many ups and downs of writing; all with his usual wry sesne of humor.

To date, I have read this book three times and every time I go through it, I learn something. Used to be working on screenplays but changed to novels recently. Out of my 15 books on novel writing, this was the first one I picked up for review.

Learn why the short story should be tossed out for writing a novel instead; how to deal with rejection; what qualities you need for writing fiction; how to work at your book (this is several chapters), how to whip yourself into state even when you don't want to write and so much more. Great quoutes, too.

First book you should get on teaching yourself to write novels. Runner up would be WRITING AND SELLING YOUR NOVEL by Jack Brickam.

Well now, I can see from all the raised hands that there's lots of questions. (OK, I know, that's LB's tactic, and a very amusing one.) I could list several pages of why you or any writer should buy this book. However, let me just say that, after reading God-only-knows how many books on writing, I finally was made to lie down in green pastures by the authorial insights of Mr. Block. It's as complete a how-to-write book as I've ever read, and it's hard to imagine one more comprehensive than this. LB's seemingly done it all, even if it was illegal in fourteen states and the territory of Guam, and Telling Lies for Fun & Profit will simply shorten your learning curb and teach you some valuable lessons you might not ever learn elsewhere. So do yourself a favor and buy this book if you're a writer, or even a Scribe-in-Waiting. (PS: He's also one of the publishing industry's true good guys.)

Don't waste your money on this reprint edition. It is printed on poor paper, the type has been reduced in size, the typesetting thus compacts and makes it difficult to read, and the ink has blurred.

I had borrowed an earlier paper edition and thought that was what this is. Not so. Buy an earlier paperback edition if Block is your mentor. I wouldn't buy it again. Perhaps that's why there are so many "used" copies available everywhere. Books are written to be read; this particular printing was printed to be sold. They should have left well enough alone.

By the way, I'm not a beginner. I've been writing and published in numerous venues for 42 years.

Lawrence Block is an absolute master of the mystery genre, so much so that he was voted Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America back in 1993. The man has an incredible output of novels and short stories, and along with Elmore Leonard dominated the mystery scene of the `80's and `90's. Until this past year, I'd never read much of Block's work, preferring newer authors and titles. So after reading a title from Block's Matthew Scudder series, I looked forward to reading TELLING LIES FOR FUN AND PROFIT, hoping to discover a little of what makes Block tick as a writer and if any of that could help me in my writing endeavors.

The result? Block definitely hits it out of the park with this book. Lots of great tips on visualization, characterization, creative plagiarism, procrastination, how to submit your work to publishers, framing, distancing--the list goes on at great length, not to mention at a great service to all would-be writers. Block touches on so many aspects of the writer's life--including, infamously, his comments on how many writers don't actually enjoy the process of writing, but are pulled along at the thought of the finished product--that it's hard to think of what Block DIDN'T cover in this book. Sure, some of his advice seems to be cliché by now, and no doubt it can be found in numerous other writing books. But when you consider that Block wrote this book in 1981, you realize that he was ahead of the game just that much.

Very funny, very insightful, and coming from a wizard of the genre, TELLING LIES FOR FUN AND PROFIT didn't disappoint a bit. And while Block is a mystery writer, TELLING LIES isn't exclusively for those looking to write mysteries; it's good enough for every genre. Pick up this and DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY and see your writing improve.