Reviews

How do you feel about book reviews? Do you take any notice of them? Do you write them for any of the books you read?

Rosemary J Kind and I have had a lovely review for the 2nd edition of From Story Idea to Writer.

"An excellent book on how to write commercial short stories. It is especially informative for beginners – if only it had been around when we started to write! But this book is equally helpful for those already writing seriously. It has two other big pluses - 1: It is very clearly written and 2: It skilfully encourages would-be writers to persevere and not give up.

The advice is given in an entertaining, encouraging way; some creative writing books can get a bit too intellectual, putting the would-be writer off completely, but this one has the opposite effect.

We liked the way the two authors (pictured at time of writing the 1st edition) gel with their advice – their styles complement each other all the way through. Rarely do their opinions differ and, if they do, each individual shows how her particular way could work as an alternative. 

How you approach the book is up to you – you might prefer to read it straight through, picking up points as you go, but it also works well as a ‘dip in’ source, where you just look up the particular writing problem that is bothering you at the time. Either way, you will find this book a great help; all writing aspects are covered. 

The marketing guide section is exceptional – rarely have we seen it explored so thoroughly. On the very important issue of discipline – getting down to writing - the advice cannot be faulted. There are so many writers of real talent who, alas, fail miserably because they lack the necessary discipline. Don’t be one of those writers - read this excellent book, learn from it and get writing!"

By Robin Dynes and Barbara Dynes who edit and contribute to Wessex Voice.

Obviously I feel very positively about this particular review! In general I do take notice before buying a book. I tend to look at the worst ones. Weirdly they don't always put me off, as what annoys one reader might not be a problem for another. If the above review tempts you to take a closer look at our book, you can do so here or ask you local bookshop or library to order it for you.

I try to leave reviews when I think they'll make a difference. Very occasionally that's when I've felt a book was a big let down – huge numbers of errors perhaps, or not being complete. Far more often I review books written by indie authors which I've loved. Us indies need the support more than the bestsellers who already have thousands of reviews!

From Story Idea to Reader

My new book is out at last! Well, it's half mine ;-)

It's been quite a long time coming, but then there's a lot in it. To give you an idea how much, the contents are listed below. 

I've included the page numbers of the paperback version to make it more confusing give a guide as to how much space is devoted to particular topics. Eg the womag section starts on page 172 and the next one (on competitions) on 194, so there are 22 pages about writing fiction specifically for womags. Elsewhere 17 pages are devoted to finding ideas, 3 on speech tags, 5 on editing a story to the required length. You get the idea,

Section 1 Introductions Quiz 2. Anyone can become a better writer 4. Introductions 6. Getting started – what you need 9.

Section 2 What to write Writing more than you already know 14. 101 sources of writing ideas 21. Generating ideas – mind mapping 30. Which person to write in? 38 Mastering point of view 43. Plotting 53. Research 57. Naming characters 60. Titles 62. Beginnings 65. Different genres 69.

Section 3 How to write What you’ll need, once you’ve got going 74. The middle 81. Conflict 83. Editing for story length 85. Spoken word v Written word 90. The psychology of word choice 93. Stereotypes 96. Show v Tell 98. Tenses 103. Grammar – What’s the point? 107. Characters 117. Character questionnaire 121. Speech tags 126. Clichés 129. Keeping going 132. Endings 138. Story arc 140. Editing and proofreading 142. Presenting your work 145. Feedback 150. Different versions of English 159. More words per week 161.

Section 4 What to do with your work Womag fiction 172. 101 competition pointers 194. Other markets 204. Social media and the internet 209. NaNoWriMo 217. Blurb or synopsis? 220. Keeping track of submissions 224. Reasons for rejection 231.

Section 5 A writer’s life A proper writing routine 234. Accounts and taxation 236. Legal questions 241. Workshops and conferences 246. Self-publishing 248. Public speaking 261. Our typical writing days 266. FAQs 270. Glossary 27.3 Useful resources 279.

From Story Idea to Reader is available from Amazon as a paperback (£9.99) or ebook (£3.99). If you'd like it in a different format, such as pdf, you can obtain them direct from the publisher.

It's a little early for wine, so I'm off to celebrate with a cup of tea and a book biscuit.