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250 Things You Should Know About Writing [Kindle Edition]

Chuck Wendig
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)

Digital List Price: $0.99 What's this?
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Book Description

“Chuck Wendig hammers out writing and career advice that's always brave, profane, creative, clever, and honest. And don't forget hilarious. You'll never laugh so hard learning so much." – Matt Forbeck, game designer and author of AMORTALS and VEGAS KNIGHTS (Angry Robot).

“You walk into this book a quivering neophyte crusted with writer fantasies and walk away a seasoned word warrior ready to do battle in the arena we call publishing.” – Kristen Lamb, author of ARE YOU THERE BLOG? IT’S ME, WRITER

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250 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WRITING is a booze-soaked, profanity-brined, Zen-lacquered look at the craft and art of writing, one list of “25 Things” at a time.

Featured within this book are the essays “25 Things You Should Know About…”

…Being A Writer, Writing A Novel, Writing A Screenplay, Writing A F**king Sentence, Storytelling, Character, Plot, Dialogue, Description, Editing/Revising, and finally, Getting Published.

(And yes, that’s actually 11 lists, which means the book actually has *275* things you should know about writing, but let’s be honest, 250 sounds much cooler. Let’s just go ahead and call that, “25 bonus tips,” shall we? Boom. Value added.)

The book features sections such as:

“The Transubstantiation of Trope,” “Why Bad Decisions Are A Good Decision,” “Nobody Sees Themselves As A Supporting Character,” "I Want To Buy The Semi-Colon A Private Sex Island," and “Plot Is Promise.”

Contained within are things you should know about plot holes, self-publishing versus legacy publishing, "on-the-nose" dialogue, story versus plot, metaphors, copy-editing, killing darlings with a claw hammer, cursing like an undead pirate, and generally being a cranky and irreverent creative type.

* * *



Product Details


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
119 of 124 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Pulled Me Out of My Funk . . . September 30, 2011
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
First, I want to thank the person who left the 1-star review. I purchased this on her recommendation alone. Just by the shrill snotty tone, I knew that anything she hated, I would love. Imagine getting a book described as a "booze-soaked, profanity-brined, Zen-lacquered look at the craft and art of writing" and being upset at the language? Heavens! As expected,I was right. This little book rocks.

I've been in a writing funk for a while and The Chuck, in a no-nonsense and irreverent way reached into my head, grabbed my brain, and body-slammed it into my skull. Several times in fact. Once I got the ringing in my ears quieted down and regained my balance, I knew Chuck was right. I let some stuff out into the wild too soon and the resulting notes put me into an "analysis-by-paralysis" loop that was consuming me.

I have the good stuff highlighted and for the first time in a while, feel ready to write. As soon as my latest batch of biotoxin is finished . . . I mean . . . properly disposed of at a licensed facility, I'm ready to roll.

Chuck, I have a nerdgirl crush on you. Just wanted you to know that. And a big smoochie to the 1-star reviewer! Mwah!
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64 of 67 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars YES from a creative writing teacher September 6, 2011
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I teach creative writing in college and any prof. will tell you that college kids don't give a flying flip what you tell them sometimes, especially when it comes to creative writing.

Yet, when this guy says it in his book, my students listen. I've used a few pieces in class and even my emo, I-am-sad-and-I-will-write-whatever-I-want students perk up.

Awesome book. Foul-mouthed and in-your-face. Exactly what I like in a book!

One suggestion to readers: do NOT read at night if you are wanting to drift off. I laughed so hard reading some of this that I almost peed. That does not help you sleep.
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33 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars 2.5 Things You Should Know About This Review August 11, 2011
By Dan G.
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
1. I enjoyed this book. I read through the parts I hadn't already seen (some are updated versions of Terribleminds.com articles), and have since been using it as a reference guide. When my writing feels bland or bogged down and I can't work out why, I read the most relevant chapter. It helps.

2. It's profane. If you don't like thinking about [down there] or are offended by smutty sexual similes, this book is not for you.

.5 The other thing you need to know is that -
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Chuck Wendig is my Hero!
I've read all the PenMonkey books to date and I think I had the closest experience to a writer's spiritual awakening half way through this one. Read more
Published 1 day ago by ecomommy1221
5.0 out of 5 stars Full of profane wisdom
This book was amazing. Not only did it make me giggle out loud a number of times while reading, it also helped me get unstuck in my writing.
Published 5 days ago by Duckie
1.0 out of 5 stars Disgusting!
The content is filled with unnecessary foul language. I only got two pages into it and had to dump it.
I want my money back!!!!
Published 13 days ago by Julie A. Reeves
5.0 out of 5 stars Get This Book
Don't waste time reading a long review. Get this book. Now! I am dead serious. I read it in one night.
Published 18 days ago by D. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars very inspiring!
Loved this writer's raw honesty and style of writing! Lots of great information and i highly recommend this book! Thank you!
Published 22 days ago by Amy Hirata
5.0 out of 5 stars Still laughing
Ok, so I'm still chuckling but there is some really good advice and information contained in easy to swallow pieces, you are learning and having fun at the same time!!
Published 24 days ago by sevencoffeecups
2.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money and time with Chuck Wendig
I am not offended by foul language as such, but this book has not much to offer except for foul language and bad jokes. By bad - I mean, bad. Read more
Published 25 days ago by A. Bykovskaya
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it.
If English class had been this much fun, I probably wouldn't need advice. It made me laugh out loud a few times. GREAT tips and techniques. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Nancy A. Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars I was going to quit...
I started my fifth book and my first "real" video (i wrote two books about Math-as coauthor-, one about leadership and the other about self-management-in Spanish), the new project... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Joel Sevilla
4.0 out of 5 stars I like this book
To be honest, i bought it because it was on sale. Then I read it, and it was exactly what I needed. I write and draw comics, (shameless plug: hey mailman dot com ) and I has... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Peet
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More About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chuck Wendig is a novelist, screenwriter, and game designer. He's the author of BLACKBIRDS, DOUBLE DEAD and DINOCALYPSE NOW, and is co-writer of the short film PANDEMIC, the feature film HiM, and the Emmy-nominated digital narrative COLLAPSUS. He lives in Pennsylvania with wife, taco terrier, and tiny human.

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