Writing Fiction For Dummies [Paperback]

Randy Ingermanson (Author), Peter Economy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0470530707 | ISBN-13: 978-0470530702 | Edition: 1

A complete guide to writing and selling your novel

So you want to write a novel? Great! That’s a worthy goal, no matter what your reason. But don’t settle for just writing a novel. Aim high. Write a novel that you intend to sell to a publisher. Writing Fiction for Dummies is a complete guide designed to coach you every step along the path from beginning writer to royalty-earning author. Here are some things you’ll learn in Writing Fiction for Dummies:

• Strategic Planning: Pinpoint where you are on the roadmap to publication; discover what every reader desperately wants from a story; home in on a marketable category; choose from among the four most common creative styles; and learn the self-management methods of professional writers.
• Writing Powerful Fiction: Construct a story world that rings true; create believable, unpredictable characters; build a strong plot with all six layers of complexity of a modern novel; and infuse it all with a strong theme.
• Self-Editing Your Novel: Psychoanalyze your characters to bring them fully to life; edit your story structure from the top down; fix broken scenes; and polish your action and dialogue.
• Finding An Agent and Getting Published: Write a query letter, a synopsis, and a proposal; pitch your work to agents and editors without fear.

Writing Fiction For Dummies takes you from being a writer to being an author. It can happen—if you have the talent and persistence to do what you need to do.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'...an easy-to-follow guide providing step-by-step instructions...' (Writers Forum, December 2009).

From the Back Cover

Writing a novel can be a daunting process — it will challenge you, stretch you, and change you. Whether you've never written fiction before or are looking to brush up your skills and learn new techniques for crafting your words, Writing Fiction For Dummies gives you savvy advice on navigating the entire writing process and turning your ideas into a well-written, marketable book.

• Establishing an ideal writing environment — discover how to set aside enough time and an ideal location for your writing

• Getting ready to write fiction — pinpoint your location on the road to publication, and set your strategic and tactical goals to get your novel published

• Discovering the principles of writing powerful fiction — build a realistic story world, envision unique and exciting characters, craft the layers of your plot, and grow a theme organically

• Editing and polishing your story and characters — put on your editing hat and analyze your characters, scrutinize your story structure, and edit your scenes to get your novel in tip-top shape

• Getting published — learn how to write query letters and book proposals that will ignite an agent's or editor's enthusiasm and help sell your novel to the right publisher

Open the book and find:

• Your strategic roadmap to getting published

• Help in choosing your category

• Tips for building a believable plot

• Guidelines for creating three-dimensional characters

• Examples of storylines that spotlight a novel's high concept

• Pros and cons of various publishing methods

• Advice on finding the right agent and publisher

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (December 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470530707
• ISBN-13: 978-0470530702
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.8 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (129 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 96 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahh, Randy. What a funny guy January 4, 2010

By Novel Teen

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Review by Jill Williamson

Randy Ingermanson is my hero. I have been learning from him since I discovered his website in 2005. The man is not only a wealth of information, he teaches in such a fun and friendly way, you can't fail to learn. And now, everything Randy teaches is here in one convenient package. Man, how I wish he had written this a few years ago! It would have saved me a lot of trouble.

I highly recommend this book to any writer, but especially to beginners who want to write a novel. You'll learn how to come up with a plot and test it to see if it's strong, how to create amazing characters that are deep and engaging, how to plot your story and avoid the dreaded sagging middle, how to keep the tension and pacing strong, and how to edit your novel. This book even includes cool things like an interview between J.R.R. Tolkien and Frodo Baggins. Ahh, Randy. What a funny guy.

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars All novelists (new or experienced) need this book. January 1, 2010

By Trish Perry

Format:Paperback

Regardless of where you are in your novel-writing career, you need this book. Whether you're brand-spanking new at novel writing or you have a few published books under your belt, in some respect or another (maybe many others), you're still a dummy about the writing biz. I would have loved to have this book when I began my first novel. And I'm thrilled to have it now, after publishing four. Early in Writing Fiction for Dummies, Ingermanson categorizes writers as freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors, and the book guides writers at every one of those levels. But as a post-grad (I assume), I still found plenty of ways my novel writing could be tightened and deepened.

Ingermanson is well known on the conference circuit for his methodical approach to creativity, dispelling the myths that you're not smart enough or talented enough to write a novel. He doesn't sap one's right-hemisphere flow; he encourages it to flow in the best possible way--so it creates a story that will draw your readers in and stay with them long after they read the last word. Highly recommended!

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it. Now. January 7, 2010

By James L. Rubart VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I won't bore you by repeating the comments others have already made. Suffice it to say there are a few must-have writing books on my shelf. Writing Fiction for Dummies has just created a new space for itself.

John Wooden always stressed fundamentals at UCLA on his way to winning all those championships. Ingermanson and Economy do that here with brilliance. It means beginners, advanced writers and all in-between need to have this book in their library. I wish it had been around when I started. Highest recommendation.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference book on writing January 16, 2010

By Margaret Daley

Format:Paperback

I have been writing for over thirty years, but as I went through this book, I found a lot of helpful hints about writing. It takes you from the beginning to the end of the process. Good resource for a writer--especially a beginner.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite a perfect match April 12, 2011

By Linby

Format:Paperback

With something as personal a book on how to write fiction, it either works for an individual or doesn't. While this doesn't work for me personally, it still had at least one piece of information I badly needed within its covers, and I can see that it will be very helpful for someone who isn't wired as I am. I recommend this book to you if you are struggling to get your ideas for fiction down onto the page, no matter where you run into trouble.
Good companion volumes are Larry Brooks' Story Engineering, his Story Structure -- Demystified [also available as a Kindle release), and Victoria Mixon's The Art & Craft of Fiction: A Practitioner's Manual.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book and Save $40,000.00. February 6, 2012

By Rodney Robbins

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I learned more about writing novels from this $20.00 book than I learned in a famous MFA genre fiction writing program. Of course, to be fair, I got the heck out of that over-priced wretched time-wasting excuse-for-a-school after one semester. Now, using what I learned in "Writing Fiction for Dummies," writing is fun again! This stuff ain't rocket science folks. Despite what some academics will tell you, writing stories just isn't that hard, when you know what you're doing. Fiction writing is a craft, just like building stained glass windows. Sure, it helps to have an artistic flair, but if you want to write a novel and can relax and follow simple instructions, you can use the techniques in this book to get 'er done. My favorite part was the descriptions of the four main ways professionals write. Part of why I hated graduate school was that they insisted I write THEIR WAY. If you've been trying and trying to write a novel and just can't get it done, there is a pretty good chance you are doing it the wrong way--at least, the wrong way FOR YOU. When you are looking for a mentor or teacher, try to find someone who has actually done what you want to do. If you have a dozen stories in your head crying to get out, don't waste your money trying to learn from some "expert" who has never published a novel in his entire life. Buy this book, and learn the true fundamentals from people who have actually done what you want to do. Stop spinning your wheels. Buy "Writing Fiction for Dummies" today.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK ON FICTION-WRITING. PERIOD. February 1, 2011

By Robert Bidinotto

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I downloaded "Writing Fiction for Dummies" with some trepidation, figuring that any book with a title like that had to be hack-work. And that it also had to contain tips and advice redundant with every one of the dozens of other books I've read on fiction-writing. I thought that, by now, I'd read about everything to be said on the topic.

Boy, was I wrong.

This is THE best book on fiction-writing. Bar none. Period. End of story. It is THE most systematic, comprehensive, creatively fertile, and technically useful guide on the subject that I've ever had the pleasure to encounter. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've learned more about fiction-writing from Mssrs. Ingermanson and Economy than from all the other books on the topic, combined.

I won't try to itemize its many virtues or summarize the breathtaking scope of its content. Suffice it to say that if you are going to read just one book on writing fiction, "Writing Fiction for Dummies" is the one to read.