Customer Reviews

Thanks, But This Isn't for Us: A (Sort of) Compassionate Guide to Why Your Writing is Being Rejected

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most people who seek advice are unwilling to accept it. What they are really saying is, "Agree with me. Stroke me. Comfort me. Tell me I'm doing the right thing." If you are a newbie writer or even a seasoned writer and you are looking for agreement, praise, or an ego boost, or if you can't take the constructive criticism of your own work that you will discover in this book, don't waste the time it will take you to read this book. However, if you are serious about learning the craft of writing, and it is a craft, or you are a seasoned writer with publications to your credit and are forever seeking ways to improve your work, buy this book, read it, reread it, underline in it, dog-ear its pages, annotate the margins and clear spaces, and even spill a few drops of coffee on a few of the pages as you struggle to grab the phone while reading it. In other words devour it and make it your own. Your writing will be the better for it.

I own over sixty how to write books. In retrospect I could have saved my money, J. P. Morrell has condensed all of these and more in her book. Don't believe me? Check out the long list of sources at the end of each chapter. As I continue to better my writing, this book will become more dog-eared, scribbled in, and start to fall apart while the bulk of the others will gather dust.

While reading this delightfully practical book, I laughed, I cried, and scratched my head in wonder, thinking I used to make that mistake; no more. In the end this is a first class writing tool that has already improved my writing. A plethora of published authors seem to think that just because they now enjoy a bit of success they can write a book on how to write. Some can and some just cannot. Most of these do not possess the street creds that Jessica Morrell brings to the table. She is a world class author, teacher, and editor and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Jim Gilliam
Author, Point Deception

This is a great guide for those writers who want real advice on what it takes to be a successful author. If you want some "Feel-good, you can succeed without learning the craft" book, then search elsewhere. This book is about guidance, about correcting your mistakes, and practical improvement.

Even if you don't plan on obtaining an agent for writing, this book contains many helpful ideas on improving your writing from an editor's eye. I used this book after finishing my novel as a sort of check-list and made a major change in my beginning paragraph due to Ms. Morrell's suggestions. A very useful guide before releasing your writing to the world! Moral Hazard - A Wall Street Thriller

If you really want to know what it takes to write fiction well, you need this book. The author doesn't pussyfoot around. She gives it to you straight...and with humor, which makes the book very readable. She not only tells you what you need to do; she also gives specific examples of what not to do, drawn from years as a professional editor.

I first got the book at the library. Then I realized I needed my own copy so I could underline and so I could refer back to it repeatedly. This book is full of practical, immediately usable information.

This book is an excellent guide-- the chapter on improving dialogue was VERY helpful. The author doesn't pull any punches, but the information in this book is what most writers really need to hear.

Yes, there are rules and you will be graded by your reader! What if you had notes to study before taking this test? In my research for finding books that will help with writing this one by far the best one that I have come across that is all inclusive. Thanks, But This Isn't For Us, By Jessica Morrell.She writes with so much detail and humor which is a real plus.

When you write do you plan out your scenes? How well do you know your characters? Your books success could depend on it. Remember that when you are writing that your goal is to not just tell your story, but to tell it in a way that "demands" attention. This is definitely a "MUST READ" for all writers. We can all stand to learn something new!

To your writing success,

Dianna Sandora

[...]

There is a lot of useful advice in "Thanks, But This Isn't For Us." So much, in fact, that I would recommend reading only one chapter per day. Reading a book like this, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by all that might be wrong with your manuscript, especially if you are prone to perfectionism.

There is much that I found helpful in this work. I especially enjoyed the detailed description of the 3 act approach, including supporting examples from well known films and books. That kind of specific structure advice is often absent from writing guides, at least the ones I've read.

There were several style rules I'd never heard before. In all my years as a writer, I have never known that "quite" and "very" are verboten. (I had about ten of each in my 60K manuscript.) Other tips, such as the importance of reading widely in your genre, seemed a little more obvious to me. Most writing guides overlap with others, and this is no exception. Overall, though, I thought it was well-written and informative. I wish I had read it before I sent out my novel to a round of agents.

This book will flush a waterfall of writing epiphanies into your mind. Fill you with an ocean of ideas that will startle and wave you into an editor's arms. But don't read it, walk inside and make it your home. The tide's down, the cave entrance visible, get inside, an alluring bulk of treasure waits for your enjoyment.

Sid Chaney

[...]

Morrell has a way of cutting to the chase that makes it easy to spot what's missing from your writing. At times I felt as though I had been transported to a coffee house, manuscript in hand, with the author joking and ready with the red pen. In other words, it's an accessible, helpful read.

As far as gender bias, until we all decide to change the collective "Man" to "Human" when referring to humanity, it's just killing the messenger complaining about headings like "Man Against Nature."

I enjoyed the book, and I learned a lot.

Warning: you are not going to like this book. It's going to make you want to give up. It's going to point out all your flaws as a writer and you are going to feel like Jessica wrote this not only for you but about you.

However, with that said - get this book. It will do you some good to get honest feedback when your friends and family are simply enabling your very bad, turgid, fustian, predictable, tired, and boring writing.

I like fustian, by the way, but Jessica does not.