Writing Fiction For Dummies 1st Edition

by Randy Ingermanson (Author), Peter Economy (Author)

313 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0470530702

ISBN-10: 0470530707

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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.

Writing Fiction For Dummies

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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: 7.4 x 0.7 x 9.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 313 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #188 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Literature > Creative Writing & Composition
- #190 in Books > Education & Teaching > Schools & Teaching > Instruction Methods > Reading & Phonics
- #272 in Books > Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Fiction

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Top customer reviews

A Must Have

ByC. Foutson April 6, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I have read a stack of writing and storytelling books a mile high, and this one is a standout.

Truby does an excellent job delving into the nuances of story, Vogler's 'The Writer's Journey is also a great help, and Larry Brooks' book, Story Engineering, explains story structure clearly and is indispensable imo, but this book lays it out plain how to write marketable fiction.

The only downside to this book is that, like many 'Dummies' books, it's not really for a complete dummy. I have helped out new writers with this book, and some of the subtleties go over their heads. It is most useful in the hands of someone who already has a rudimentary understanding of the concepts he explains. Being a Dummies book, he hits all the steps and 'how-tos' but doesn't dive too deeply explaining them. This is not a criticism. That is what I expect when I pick up a Dummies book.

If you are an experienced writer or someone who has learned all the basics but need to brush up, (you know what POV is, you understand the difference between a scene and a sequence) or if you want to have a quick reference in one book at your fingertips, this is it.

I don't want to scare away those just learning. Buy this book! Even the brand new writer can benefit greatly from it, since it gathers many concepts in one package that I had to learn by reading many books.

What I do suggest for the newer writer, is to buy the following companion books:

Techniques of the Selling Writer, Dwight Swain
Self-Editing for Fiction Wrighters, Renni Brown

I say this because Ingermanson bases his books on the teachings of Swain and Brown, or at least what he says accords with what they teach, Swain especially. Writing Fiction for Dummies is a wonderful, fairly-detailed outline on how to puke out a novel and form it into something others will want to read, but as I said, he will state a step and move on without bogging you down in theory, which is what I like about this book.

Swain's book could be thought of as the deep reference for this Dummies book. If you want to delve deeper into what Ingermanson is teaching you, Swain's book will fit the bill perfectly, which is why I recommend it as a companion.

Writing Fiction for Dummies is all about helping you get your words down on the page and organizing them in a way that will make them marketable. I wish I had picked this book up first.

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A great resource by Ingermanson

ByE. BurtonVINE VOICEon July 6, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I am a writer and have taken a lot of writing courses, have a lot of writing books. This was super helpful to me as a source of help as I am fairly new to fiction writing. Much better than this author's, How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method. In my opinion, this book had the same info in a much more usable format.

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There are so many good writing tools and tips in this book that it ...

ByNate-Trainon March 27, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I'm a total amateur who has been writing creatively since I was a young person, and have always aspired to some day complete a novel. I used to be a fly by the seat of my pants type of writer with a binder full of unfinished ideas. Tired of this approach, I was looking for a book that would help me formulate an organized, well-structured writing process. This book delivers. There are so many good writing tools and tips in this book that it feels like having a personal mentor sitting next to my computer. I especially liked the idea of a three-act structure with a three crisis overlay. This really helped me think about the big picture and develop a formula for my novel. There are also a lot of character development questions to ask yourself, and your characters, even an opportunity to interview your characters one-by-one until they squirm and give up all of their secrets. There are tips for structuring your time and organizing your work space as well. Just and all-around great resource. It even goes so far as to give you practical advice for pitching your book and getting it published.

The book is also very entertaining and extremely accessible. There are plenty of examples from classic fiction to help you understand the concepts that are being addressed. I feel like I am learning a lot and improving daily, thanks to this book.

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A great starter for anyone

ByJenny Joneson March 1, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I ordered this book back in January of this year and loved it. It gives you the confidence you need when writing your novel. If you decide to order this dummies book, I highly recommend that you buy it because it's really helped me sharpen my thoughts about my novel. Some things are already common since because I already knew some of the things that was said, like having the patience to write a novel, and time management, etc.

It's really good, it breaks down the whole process of writing a good novel. I honestly can't wait when I finish writing my first book. I wouldn't change a thing. I would buy this book all over again.

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Good textbook for aspiring writers

ByG. Forthon January 9, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I generally don't care for how-to books, but I will make an exception for this edition of 'Dummies.' For those of us who weren't prescient enough to take literature and writing courses in college, this book fills in a lot of gaps. It offers very good references on just about every aspect of writing and getting published. Some portions can get tedious (not a new criticism of textbooks in general) and one is left with the impression that, although there are many ways to approach writing a book, there is only one really intelligent way. All in all, this is a very helpful reference tool, and I will certainly reread portions of it in the future.

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tons of good info

ByGengenon February 23, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Covers a wide range of topics from how to craft a story readers want, to getting it published so they have the opportunity to buy it.

As with all Dummies books I found it easy to understand and follow. Plus I found it was written in a very engaging style. I felt the authors were really sharing things they'd learned the hard way through experience.

I'm not saying I believe writing or getting published is as simple as reading and following this book. But it does provide an excellent overview and pointers on how it's been accomplished by published authors.