ABOUT WRITING your essential #writing manual (#paperback #xmas #MFRWAuthor @MFRW_ORG)

It's finally here! About Writing, my writing manual.

It's a compilation of both my writing primers in one handy, inexpensive paperback, perfect for Christmas gift-giving to the aspiring or advanced writer you know.

Here's what people said about the books included in About Writing:

PLOTTING AND PLANNING: 

Sue has written a concise manual that is valuable for both beginning and seasoned writers. Going to write a book? Read this first! 

--Bestselling suspense author Kylie Brant 

Suz deMello's PLOTTING AND PLANNING is a concise, informative, and entertaining look at writing a novel. 

--Paranormal author Silver James

Regarding the other book that's in ABOUT WRITING: 

Not only did WRITE THIS NOT THAT! reach #2 on Amazon’s writing reference list, but it also garnered many five star reviews: 

Five stars...good advice and fun to read.

--Jo Frye 

Five stars... Kudos to the author for a well-written manual! 

--Book CraZ Five stars from me... 

This short guide covers the essentials and is useful for both new and experienced writers. 

                                                --Author Catherine Cavendish

Here's a little taste:

PLOTTING AND PLANNING

There are three rules to writing a novel.

Unfortunately, no one knows

what they are.

--Somerset Maugham

For decades, I sensed a creative spark glowing feebly inside me. I tried everything I could to nurture that tiny ember and fan it into a blaze. I sang in concert choirs and rock bands. I painted and made craft projects; I remember buying Styrofoam balls, rick-rack and sequins one Christmas when I was about nine. I recall how great I felt when Mrs. Elliott, my friend Dru's mother, bought one of my primitive ornaments for a whole thirty-five cents.

Later I majored in art without, alas, a shred of talent at drawing. The leap from pen to brush didn't come easily—some say I never bridged that gap.

My preference for the pen was a sign I ignored or didn't know how to interpret.

Woodcut by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
via Wikimedia Commons

And unfortunately, creative writing units in middle school English classes didn't help. They never answered this basic question: How does an author write a book?

Unfortunately for aspiring authors, this is not an easy question to answer. It’s tantamount to asking, Where do authors get their ideas? which, believe me, is our least favorite question. I often tell people I get them at Sears—they’re sold by the dozen in the basement between the barbecues and the bikes.

I needed years of study to learn how to write a story, but ideas are actually the easiest part of it. I find them almost anywhere. Maybe a magazine article about a place or event. Perhaps someone I meet or something a person says may trigger a train of thought that will eventually lead to a book. Maybe travel to someplace new ignites the creative spark that will inspire me.

Here’s a better question: What are the building blocks of plot and story?

Like what you read? Buy it here:

http://tinyurl.com/deMelloAboutWriting 

This is part of a blog hop! Check out other authors' work via the links below:

Write This, Not That! Suz deMello's first writing manual (#MFRWHooks #writingcraft #writing #kindle)

I'm departing today from discussing fiction to talk about a writing manual I'm rather proud of. Write This, Not That! had its genesis one summer when I hadn't attended the RWA national conference, and a bunch of us were lazily discussing nothing at all on one of the RWA yahoogroups. I decided to find out what turned people on or off about books. 

Why or how does a book merit a spot on the keeper shelf instead of a trip to the local Goodwill, or worse, your recycling bin? (Yes, I have been known to recycle books so bad I couldn't bear to torment another human being with them. I have no great desire to watch someone else's eyeballs bleed or see their head explode).

I have another writing manual to unleash upon the world in a few weeks, so I thought I'd re-introduce this one. Here's a snippet about info dumps--if you are a writer and don't know what they are, chances are that you're committing this dull-as-dirt error and absolutely should buy this book.

The most annoying and insulting info dumps occur in romance series or miniseries and will often include a saccharine scene in which the heroines of the previous books get together for a lunch or a coffee. The girl chat will include showing off their adorable babies and recounting the plots of past series books.

This recounting is the info dump, and it is insulting in the extreme due to its lack of disguise. “Remember when Trey fought the bear? Oh, I was so scared that I went straight into his arms! And that was the night that Adora, here, was conceived.” Heroine bounces baby on her knee. Baby coos. Reader barfs. Book hits wall.

You can buy the book for a mere $2.99. Okay, that’s probably more than you’re used to paying for a book of less than 10K words, but you’ll learn a lot. And c'mon, you spend more on a latte.

And, by the way, this book reached #2 on Amazon's list for writing manuals, surpassed only by a big-name, multi-author anthology. So I was very pleased by that and hope you'll be pleased by this little manual. It's got a lot of good tips.

If you're a reader, and can't quite define why you love or hate a book, this quick little read will help you out. It will help refine your taste and analytical skills. Anyone can whine about a book, but fewer can give a writer a meaningful review or critique. And believe me, we want to know when we're screwing up. We all want to make our books the best they can be, and sometimes it takes a discerning reviewer to tell us where we're going wrong. 

This is a blog hop!

Read other authors' cool blogs here: