Customer Reviews

Write Faster, Write Better

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Some might scoff at the idea that faster writing can also be better writing, but the truth is, if you want to be a pro writer you really need to toss aside the myths of the "artiste." The length of time spent on a project has little to do with that project's quality. Once you accept that truth, the only question that remains: How can I write faster and produce more quality projects. This book gives you a wealth of tips toward that end. I don't know about anybody else, but I want to make a living at this writing game (fiction is my arena, and the principals in this book work for all forms of writing). If I only write one book every couple of years, unless I hit the NYT best-seller list, there's no way I'll pay my rent and feed my cat. While I'd love to hit #1 on the NYT list, I'm not betting my life on it. The only other option is to produce more salable writing.

If you're on the same wavelength with me here, you'll love this book. If you're not, you need to get this book to give yourself a fighting chance. Let go of the limitations your college professors and lit-mag publishing buddies burden you with, like the requisite 100 drafts, or the idea that a plan before writing is uncreative. Get this book and learn that you really can write faster, write better, and write more. Oh, and have fun doing it too, because you no longer have to believe that writing equals self-torture.

This book is definitely an asset to the writer's desk. Fryxell busts through many of the concepts that lock many would be writers into procrastination. For instance, I'm one that normally awaits my "muse" before setting to write. Fryxell makes it clear that waiting for such so-called "inspiration" to arrive is a hoax and drives you to create writing that may not be true to your writing genius.

Another folly that Fryxell brings to bear is the idea that creating an outline before writing is outmoded or even a time waster. Not so according to Fryxell. Outlines keep you on track and keep your writing focused.

Here's my favorite writing myth that Fryxell tears to shreds- write your first draft as if it is your final draft. If you are like me, while writing a first draft you know that it's just the first draft so you can get lazy with minor details and leave spaces while comforting yourself with, "I'll be back to it later". Of course your fist draft is not your last draft but the time saving idea is to write as if it's your last draft so that you won't get lazy.

The only area where I'd critique Fryxell on is his advise on research. Research, while critical, proves times consuming. Fryxell suggests going to the library, reading books, and contacting experts to expedite research. I don't find this advice sufficient. Thus, I propose turning to other books (like "Find it Fast" works), asking your librarian for research resources (this assistance alone should blow you away because libraries are stocked with primary information sources) and using academic databases to expedite the research aspect of your writing.

So if you're ready for lightening fast writing, certainly take on the advice of Fryxell.

Author David A. Fryxell begin with detailing an early experience: write 3 feature columns a week, each about 20 inches long. That is a crushing load, but Fryxell did it, increasing his output to 4 columns a week by the time he left that job. Anyone who can do that without losing their mind or developing some really bad habits has something to say about writing under pressure.

And Fryxell does have a lot to say and he says it pretty well.

We're not talking about fiction here, so I don't have to worry about spoilers.

Fryxell's secret is organization: he outlines.

Before he gets to his "secrets", though, he provides an extraordinarily interesting chapter on writers who wrote really, really fast. Some of the snippets he provides about writers like Honore Balzac are truly inspiring.

He then moves in a workmanlike fashion into organizing your writing, which I would find very helpful if only I had the discipline to follow his advice. Fryxell leavens his lessons with interesting examples like that set by D'Aguesseau who noted his wife was habitually 10 minutes late for dinner. So he used those 10 minute episodes (about 60 hours a year) to write a three-volume book which became a best-seller in 1668.

Brick by brick, chapter by chapter, Fryxell walks you through the steps necessary to get the words on paper while the clock is ticking.

He covers research and the web (both in now rather dated terms), interviewing subjects, writing as first draft that's almost your final draft and how to write faster among other subjects.

But the ultimate core is two pages on outlining where he lays out a very efficient systems that various authors have used. Appropriately, the chapter is entitled "Goodbye, Writer's Block" and this chapter alone is worth the price od the book.

Overall, a solid writer's tool.

Jerry

I got this book to try to help me figure out how to write faster. Though I do novels, I thought there might be something I could take away from it. This is a new release of an older book, which includes a section on researching using the Internet and one for novel writers. He also discusses extensively how to organize your writing. Part of my issues with the book is that he is clearly a very experienced freelancer and has developed a system of his own that works for him--and assumes it'll work for everyone else and any form of writing.

Initially, I liked his ideas of organizing a book project and tried them for my novel's first draft. It entailed creating folders for each chapter and storing related materials for that chapter in the folder. I can see how that would work great for a non-fiction book. But with a novel, once I hit the revision it fell completely apart when I started shuffling chapters.

The same thing for the novel writing chapter. It was pretty obvious that he's never written a novel and was treating it like another non-fiction project that just happened to be fiction. While some writers may very well find it helpful to spend time preparing characters in great detail, that's not something that plays well with how I write. The same thing for coming up with ideas--again, not something that works for every writer. This particular chapter feels a lot like, "If you do a, b, and c, you'll have a novel" and it just isn't that easy. Ask the non-fiction writers in my critique who gave up trying to write a novel.

But the book is worth it for the research tips. One of the most memorable things in the book was his reference to picking topics that you can write. Sometimes it's easy to pick a topic that will require too much research, too much time--and this is something true no matter the writing. Also the section on perfectionism is worth a read for anyone struggling with that issue.

If you're a novelist, you might want to get it from the library first. Don't expect it to give you much help in writing a novel faster.

Fryxell is the Director of the Writer's Retreat at the Maui Writers Conference. I have heard him speak and he has loads of useful ideas many covered in this book. If you want to be a professional writer hoping to make a living out of it, you have to get the pages on paper and out to the agents. This book has loads of practical information to help you do that. I definitely recommend this book as well as the Fiction Writer's Brainstormer by James V Smith Jr. to get you moving in the "write" direction.

David A. Fryxell's experience in the magazine and newspaper industries is impressive, and here he shares much of what he's discovered about writing as an author and an editor. Beginning freelance writers will find useful information in this book, which covers how to get ideas, research them, plan an article, write tight, create intriguing openings and closings, identify the right magazine editor for a query, etc.

Unfortunately, Fryxell's advice for novelists is scarce, despite a short chapter titled "Writing Fiction Faster and Better." His tips for fiction are a bit lightweight and don't stray far from "plan your story so you can write the draft faster." That's fine advice, but not enough for a writer to conquer 400 pages of turning points, subplots, and character arcs. I wanted to be excited about this chapter, but felt it lacked depth. I would guess the author hasn't yet written a novel (his very respectable bio doesn't mention any) and so he has less to say here. Novelists may want to seek other books that focus on their particular needs.

Nevertheless, I recommend WRITE FASTER, WRITE BETTER as an excellent addition to an aspiring freelancer's shelf.

I have really been pleased with this purchase. This book arrived on time and was in excellent condition. I would definitely buy from this seller again. Very pleased!