Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

This will dramatically improve anyone's writing. Of a stack of books against my wall right now this is the only one I'd give a flawless five stars to. Second to this is James Scott Bells "Plot and Structure" from the Write Great Fiction series.

Pros:
-Smooth transitions in and out of examples that makes everything stunningly clear. How well edited this book is will floor even the hardest skeptic.
-Superb tips from where to best place tags in dialogue to making speech more natural
-It opens your eyes to a whole new world of smooth versus choppy writing
-Adresses everything from science fiction to survival fiction
-A stunning array of solid examples from top books of all stripes
-Has half a chapter on action scenes and blows out of the water anything else I've read on the subject
-Finally: wisdom on how to handle flashbacks!
-I deeply, deeply wish I would have read this years ago. Buy two copies and give one to another novelist. You will have reward in Heaven.
-Oh, and the easy beats chapter is the end-all word on the subject. Period.

Cons:
-Editors of such wisdom could have a little more to say. Needs an extra chapter or two.
-The interior monologue chapter is a little too obscure, and not of sufficient depth for the subject (though still eye-opening).
-The show and tell chapter only covers 2/3rds of the subject. It's more about definition and balance than how to achieve them. It's just faaaar too large of a subject for their cursory treatment of it. James Bell has a better system. Though the last few pages they have on this are solid and as always they pull clear examples out of everywhere. They are stunningly experienced.

I would reccomend this seller to anyone. The book I ordered was in great condition and exactly what I needed. It was alot cheaper than in the bookstore at school so it saved me a ton of money. It arrived shortly after ordering. Thanks so much.

Ever had someone point out a "minor flaw" and then not been able to look past the flaw ever again? Leaving the cap off the toothpaste? A speaker repeating a common word? A certain dislike of a fashion trend? This book calls out all those subtle items in your writing and makes it impossible to ignore them. Are they really flaws? If you're writing a book to sell to the authors, then I suppose so. This book is all about "fashion" (and two editors opinions on it) regarding writing.

What makes a book "good"? The writing in it. What makes the writing "good"? Ask all the people who buy the book. It seems condescending to use examples from best sellers as "bad" writing--almost as if the authors think that writing a book people will love is bad.

Pretty much every book on the best seller list (and books considered classics, too -- Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Austen, Twain, Dickens) copiously break these rules. Even the writers they use as "good" examples regularly break these rules.

And to add insult to injury, the authors attempt to "improve" F. Scott Fitzgerald and fail miserably. The original is quite obviously better than their "edited" hack. Read the original on page 6 and then their "fixed" version on page 17 -- they've lost some of the power of the passage. If you like the "fixed" version better, then, by all means, buy this book. If not, carry on with your writing based on all those books you've read and loved.

This is truly a very helpful book, especially if, like me, the reader happens to be revising a book at the time he or she is reading.

Please note, however, that this is a book on revising more than editing. If you are looking for a book on fixing grammar or punctuation issues, this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking to make the best, tightest, most flowing piece of writing you possibly can in terms of style, voice, dialogue, etc, then you are definitely in the right place for this.

Having been through numerous writing classes, and even having taught a number of them myself, I wasn't surprised to find that much of this information was old to me. However, the exercises and examples were interesting, and rather than just explaining, this book goes the extra mile to help writers really consider how they are doing with their own work. For instance, the oft-repeated rule "Show, Don't Tell" is easy to understand, but when you see it in action-- both effective and ineffective versions-- you may want to rethink your own.

Like another reviewer, I was sent back to my manuscript by this book. In particular, I was surprised to realize that "Jack said" is much better than "said Jack." I tend to write with the name first, but I'd never heard that this is a general rule. However, it was a good thing to know, and something that I have become much more conscious of, both in my work and the work of others.

All in all, this is a worthy book for anyone, I'd say, from new writers to people with many books (BEWARE: you will start noticing where bestselling authors could do much better work!) I give it a four because the author-originated examples are sometimes remarkably boring (people doing dishes or fixing roofs), but otherwise I strongly recommend this. (NOTE: There are great examples as well, including my favorite, an excellent discussion of the merits and demerits of a particular scene in The Great Gatsby, so don't let that last comment stop you!)

If a fiction writer had to have only one book for self-editing. This is it. The first chapter is worth the price of the book. This book can change your writing.