Book Review: The Kick-Ass Writer

The Kick-Ass Writer

By: Chuck Wendig

4 STARS

The journey to become a successful writer is long, fraught with peril, and filled with difficult questions: How do I write dialogue? How do I build suspense? What should I know about query letters? How do I start?

The best way to answer these questions is to ditch your uncertainty and transform yourself into a KICK-ASS writer. This new book from award-winning author Chuck Wendig combines the best of his eye-opening writing instruction--previously available in e-book form only--with all-new insights into writing and publishing. It's an explosive broadside of gritty advice that will destroy your fears, clear the path, and help you find your voice, your story, and your audience.

You'll explore the fundamentals of writing, learn how to obtain publication, and master the skills you need to build an army of dedicated fans. No task is too large or small for the kick-ass writer. With his trademark acerbic wit and gut-punch humor, Wendig will explain:

How to build suspense, craft characters, and defeat writer's block.
How to write a scene, an ending--even a sentence.
Blogging techniques, social media skills, and crowdfunding.
How to write a query letter, talk to agents, and deal with failure--and success!

Whether you're just starting out or you need one more push to get you over the top, two things are for certain--a kick-ass writer never quits, and chuck Wendig won't let you down in this high-octane guide to becoming the writer you were born to be.

This was the first book I read this year and I'm glad I did. I love Wendig's style when giving advice. He's not one to sugar coat things and I think that's an important quality when talking about writing.

This book is broken up into three parts and every chapter has 25 pieces of advice about a topic. And those topics range from being a writer, to tips about creating characters, to getting published. It's pretty thorough.

The only reason that I didn't give this book 5 stars is because it's a little bit repetitive (although some things do bear repeating) and there's a whole section about writing horror that I kind of skipped. But it makes sense, he writes horror, I don't.

So, if you don't mind a realistic, rough around the edges, approach to talking about writing, I highly suggest you pick this book up.   

What writing book have you read recently? Tell me in the comments!

Have a great day and Go Write Something!

Something New!

Oh my gosh, this blog does still exist! Haha.

So, if you read my regular blog, you know that I do a fair amount of book reviews. Well, besides loving fiction I also read a lot of writing reference books. I've never taken a creative writing class or anything beyond an English 101 and Business Writing college course. Everything I know about writing (and a tiny bit about publishing) I've learned from books. And I have a fair amount of them.

So I figured, since this is a writing blog I could use this space to review some writing books. As a note, I've gotten like 80% of my writing books from the Writer's Digest Shop*. It's a great resource. :)

And today we will start off with a review of Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress

5 STARS

*Images and book information from Writer's Digest Shop

The indispensable Write Great Fiction series continues with an indepth look at three of the most important tools in the writer's craft: character, emotion and viewpoint. With the tips and techniques in this book, you will learn how to:

Create compelling characters that readers believe in

Write scenes that deliver an unforgettable emotional impact

Distinguish among the many different kinds of viewpoint, and choose the one which is right for your story

Each chapter is filled with examples drawn from the work of successful writers, along with action-and-results excercises that help you take your lessons to the keyboard.

Nancy Kress is the author of 16 novels and three story collections, as well as Writer's Digest'sDynamic Characters. Her short fiction has won three Nebulas and a Hugo. In addition to writing the fiction column for Writer's Digest magazine, Nancy often teaches writing at universities. She lives in Silver Springs, Maryland.

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This book is part of the Write Great Fiction series. I bought the whole series a couple years ago at a great price and I've been working my way through them (life makes me a slow reader sometimes). 

As the title states, this book is all about characters. Kress covers a lot of topics in this. From choosing and defining your characters, to properly expressing their emotions, to deciding what kind of point of view is best for your story.

What I love best about this book, and the others in the series, is all the exercises at the end of each chapter. There's at least 5 per chapter and they include activities that have you building your own characters and ones that have you evaluating characters from other books. It really makes you think.

This book is meant to teach and it does a great job of that. And thus, 5 stars. :)

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Well I hope you've enjoyed reading this. If you have any suggestions of good books about the art and craft of writing, feel free to leave me a comment here, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Have a Happy Wednesday!