The Art of War for Writers: Fiction Writing Strategies, Tactics, and Exercises [Paperback]

James Scott Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 2009

Strategies and Tactics for the Master Novelist

Successfully starting and finishing a publishable novel is often like fighting a series of battles. You not only have to work hard to shape memorable characters, develop gripping plots, and craft dazzling dialogue, but you also have to fight against self-doubts and fears. And then there's the challenge of learning to navigate the ever-changing publishing industry.

That's why best-selling novelist James Scott Bell, author of the Write Great Fiction staples Plot & Structure and Revision & Self-Editing, came up with the ultimate novel-writing battle plan: The Art of War for Writers.

You'll find tactics and strategies for idea generation and development, character building, plotting, drafting, querying and submitting, dealing with rejection, coping with unrealistic expectations, and much more.

With timeless, innovative, and concise writing reflections and techniques, The Art of War for Writers is your roadmap to victory.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Scott Bell is the author of the Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure, a top-selling WDB title, as well as the recently released Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing. He is also the author of more than fifteen novels and a Christy Award winner. His fiction has been reviewed in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, and the Library Review. His recent and forthcoming novels include Try Darkness (July 30, 2008, from Center Street), Deceived (Feb 2009), and Try Fear (July 2009). He currently teaches fiction writing courses at Pepperdine University and is a regular on the conference circuit, speaking at such conferences as the Mid-Atlantic Writers Conference, Glorieta Christian Writers Conference, and the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Conference. His Website is www.jamesscottbell.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books; Original edition (December 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582975906
• ISBN-13: 978-1582975900
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JAMES SCOTT BELL is a bestselling and award winning suspense writer, and one of the top writing coaches in the country. He writes in both the traditional and indie publishing realms. Writing as K. Bennett, he is the author of the Mallory Caine, Zombie-at-Law series, which begins with PAY ME IN FLESH. In 2012 he became the first writer to have a self published work nominated for the prestigious International Thriller Writers Award (for the novella ONE MORE LIE). He was the fiction columnist for Writer's Digest magazine and has written four popular books for the Writers Digest line: Plot & Structure, Revision & Self-Editing, The Art of War for Writers and Conflict & Suspense. Jim taught novel writing at Pepperdine University and continues to teach at numerous writers conferences in the United States, Canada and London. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where he studied writing with Raymond Carver. He lives and writes in L.A. He blogs weekly at Kill Zone -- www.killzoneauthors.blogspot.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Little Red Book Could Transform Your Writing Life November 29, 2009

By W. Terry Whalin

Format:Paperback

When writers put words on paper, they are going to war--especially war with the voices in their head that tell them NOT to put words on the paper. In a little book loaded with insight, James Scott Bell has written a powerful prescription for every writer--whether they are fiction writers or nonfiction writers.

Following the pattern of Sun Tzu and his classic, THE ART OF WAR, Bell divides his book into three parts: reconnaissance or the mental game of writing, tactics or the writing craft and finally strategy or advice about the publishing business. The first and the last section are universal principles for any writer (fiction or nonfiction) while the tactics section is mostly specific to fiction writers.

A skilled communicator, Bell mixes examples from other writers, his own personal stories and profound wisdom. I suggest you read this book at least twice. Once with your highlighter to mark many pages, then a second time in daily little chunks to inspire you to write the words only you can write.

The final pages of this title turn to five words from Sun Tzu, "The commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness." With clarity and simple words, Bell challenges the writer in all five areas and these words are crafted from his years of experience in the publishing world. I loved this sentence in the courage section on page 258, "You have it inside you to fight this fight. Write, think about what you write, then write some more."

I highly recommend this book for writers of every persuasion.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! November 24, 2009

By Steve Laube

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

James Scott Bell has done an immeasurable service to writers everywhere. This little book is chock full of sage advice. Loosely based on the ancient classic The Art of War he consistently nudges the reader with nuggets of wisdom that are hard to assail.

The book is flooded with amazing quotes. I kept saying to myself, "Oh that's a good one, I'll have to use that in my next presentation." But after saying that a dozen times in only a few pages I began to to realize the extraordinary wealth found in this book.

While the subtitle indicates the book is written with the novelist in mind the information is universal. Every non-fiction writer can glean much from these pages too.

I was also impressed with the interior design. The publisher went to great lengths to make the reading experience enjoyable. A deft use of two color printing creates accents in all the right places. And the page layout is easy on my old eyes. Thank you Writer's Digest for an example of top drawer publishing.

Whether you are a novice or a published veteran in the industry there is something for you. The novice should return to the book again and again and practice what they have read! The experienced writer will find a great refresher course in ideas, but can also glean new insights to common problems.

Review originally found on my blog: [...].

46 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How to win in your battle with the blank page December 2, 2009

By R. Whittington

Format:Paperback

I'm a small-time conniseur of books on writing. I have two dozen on my shelf right now, not to mention the ones I gave away or otherwise discarded through the years.

The advantage that The Art of War for Writers has over Story (another book I read on writing this year) is that it is much smaller. [23 cubic inches vs 93 cubic inches. Not that I rate books by their volume. I rate them by how large an insect or animal I can kill with them. So this is really a roach-killing book vs a mouse-killing book.] Why is that an advantage, you ask?

Story sat on my shelf for two years untouched because it was daunting to even think about having to wade through it. The Art of War for Writers, on the other hand, is small and inviting. And, even better, it's divided into 77 little topics of 2 to 4 pages of advice. I started reading it almost before I got it all the way out of the bag.

But there is one thing they have in common: Both are great books on writing. And another thing: Both are keepers - books you'll want to refer to in the future.

The book is divided into three sections:
* Reconnaisance: advice on getting mentally, physicall, emotionally, and practically ready for the life of writing and for sitting down to write
* Tactics: advice on how to write well
* Strategy: advice on how to sell your work and thrive in the post-publication world

There's not a false note anywhere in the book. The only fault I could find was the omission of my excellent advice for aspiring writers: Quit now and avoid the rush.

SPOILER ALERT! Instead, he ends the book with "Onward. Keep fighting. Keep writing." Much more encouraging. Which is one reason why he's creating books on writing and I'm not.

Bell also writes best-selling novels (so he knows whereof which he speaks) and is an erstwhile fiction columnist for Writer's Digest. He's also a lawyer. And a ukulele player. [Or should that be an ukulele player? These things are so tricky.]

I'd say this is a must-have for any writer, aspiring or veteran. I wish I'd had it 20+ years ago. It would have eased the pain of getting my novels out the door.