Tagged: books on writing

Writing the Popular Novel by Loren D. Estleman

(Cover picture courtesy of Amazon.)

Writing great fiction is, quite simply, hard work.  It requires dedication to the craft, hours of thought and research, attention to detail and sentence structure, a clear understanding of the submission process, and so much more.  In Writing the Popular Novel, Pulitzer Prize-nominee and award-winning author Loren D. Estleman draws on his vast experience to teach you the awareness and skills you need to turn your efforts into a rewarding, exciting experience.

Estleman offers invaluable instruction on the craft behind writing commercial fiction and provides you with a smart, honest look at today’s competitive publishing industry.  This thorough guide features:

  • A detailed overview of literary genres with information on how to decide which one is right for you.
  • Instruction on how to conduct research and how to make the leap from research to writing.
  • An in-depth look at dialogue, point of view, and other writing techniques.
  • Tips on how to know who your target audience is and how to deliver a story that will keep them reading.
  • A look at more than twenty opening lines from popular novels, with ideas on how to create your own.
  • Advice on working with agents and editors to develop a successful, long-term career.

At once thoughtful and engaging, Writing the Popular Novel provides new and experienced writers with an unmatched resource for writing and selling their fiction!

Writing the Popular Novel was the first book on writing I ever picked up and I’m glad it was because it remains one of the best ones I’ve ever read.  It’s comprehensive, concise, and gives practical advice on dealing with rejection from agents and editors.

One of the things modern writers (especially self-published ones) may not like is Loren Estleman’s views on self-publishing.  But you have to take into account that this book was written in 2004, before self-published writers had access to all of the great resources that are out there now.  More people are becoming accepting of self-publishing (myself included), but things weren’t nearly always like that.  Self-published authors are still looked on with disdain now, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was in 2004, or even 2009.

Other than his little spiel about self-publishing, Writing the Popular Novel is just as relevant today as it was in 2004.  Loren Estleman explains the five different points of view authors may use, how to write believable dialogue, using an outline, writing the climax of your novel and so many more practical things authors should learn about.  He also debunks some of the most prevalent and annoying myths that frequently crop up in fiction, especially ones about guns.  As someone who grew up in a rural area, I find myself laughing until I cry at some gun scenes in novels and short stories.  Please don’t be the author that makes me do this; I (and other reviewers) will call you out on your faulty research.

With an entertaining style and practical, relevant advice, I would recommend Writing the Popular Novel to any writers, both new and experienced, traditionally published or self-published.  If you’re going to buy only one book on writing, this should be the one.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

Amazon*    Barnes and Noble*

*Unfortunately, it’s out of print right now so you’ll have to pick up a used book or see if it’s been made into an ebook.

The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction by James Alexander Thom

(Cover picture courtesy of Heritage Key.)

While a historian stands firmly planted in the present and looks back into the past, a historical novelist has a more immediate task: to set readers in the midst of bygone events and lead them forward, allowing them to live and feel the wonderment, fear, hope, triumph, and pain as if they were there.

In The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction, best-selling author James Alexander Thom (Follow the River, From Sea to Shining Sea, SignTalker) gives you the tools you need to research and create stories born from the past that will move and inspire modern readers.  His comprehensive approach includes lessons on how to:

  • Find and use historical archives and conduct physical field research
  • Re-construct the world of your novel, including people and voices, physical environments, and cultural context
  • Achieve verisimilitude in speech, action, setting, and description
  • Seamlessly weave historical fact with your own compelling plot ideas

With wit and candor, Thom’s detailed instruction, illuminating personal experience, and invaluable insights culled from discussions with other trusted historical writers will guide you to craft a novel that is true to what was then, when then was now.

Well, to close off History Month here on The Mad Reviewer, I decided to review this non-fiction book on how to write historical fiction.  Because why not?  I picked this book up on speculation because I’m an amateur writer in my free time and I love to write historical fiction (which ends up being utter crap).  So now I can review it from a reviewer’s and a writer’s perspective.

James Alexander Thom is a man that doesn’t fool around when he writes; he never sugarcoats the truth.  The truth is, you will have to do you research on somewhere besides the internet, you likely will have to talk to experts and your journey to writing your novel will be a long one that isn’t always rewarding.  To help readers understand what writing in the past is like, he uses a wonderful ‘river of time’ analogy that is surprisingly helpful.  He gives practical advice on how to find good sources, dialogue (which always seems to be a problem in historical fiction), setting and historical accuracy.  In my opinion, he gets a bit too high-and-mighty when it comes to historical accuracy, but that’s to be expected when you’ve been writing historical fiction as long as he has.

The best part of The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction is the real-world examples of the lessons he’s trying to teach prospective writers.  One of the best examples he gives is when his wife was writing about her girlhood hero and got frustrated halfway through the research because she wasn’t the perfect hero she thought she would be.  But when she researched more, she realized that the woman was flawed, imperfect, but tried to make the best of her situation and do what was right for her people.

That brings up an important point: historical figures likely are not who you thought they were once you start conducting research.  For example, when I wrote a short story about Cleopatra, I did a lot of research.  At first I despised her for being so stupid as to lose Egypt to the Romans, but when you look at her whole situation, it was amazing she held on as long as she did.  That’s why James Alexander Thom emphasizes the importance of research both online and offline.

This is probably the best book I’ve read on writing historical fiction.  I’d highly recommend it.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble