I have probably read over 50 books on writing fiction, plot, character development and what not. And I have finally stopped looking. Don't get me wrong, this is not the "All" book for writing fiction, but it addresses just enough information to get you on your way in writing good fiction and believable characters. I already have Bickham's book on "Scenes and Sequels" which is a must, but if you don't have it yet, this book does a nice job in giving you the "meat" so to speak. His section on viewpoint, which some may disagree, gives you his interesting logic about what viewpoint to use. Some may argue, that his advice and style might be too formulaic, but just suck it in, because there is something to be learned. Use the advice that feels right to you. This was the first book that introduced me to "Transactional Analysis" when considering my characters' actions/ motivations. Get this book, you won't be sorry. I bought his other book on "Settings" however, and this book gives you a good enough review, so you don't need to purchase it.
However, Bickham does have another book on How to Write a Short Story. I have it and I recommend it Highly. It does overlap alot with this book, but it is formatted in a way that it maps out step by step on what you need to do and consider when writing a short story or novel from scratch. It uses the system of index cards which I like. However, if that doesnt seem to your liking, just consider it. I did and i am well on my way to finishing my first novel. The overlap in both books are not duplicate materials, just that each book has a somewhat different approach to presenting the information.
If you want a book with mapping instructions to write a short story or novel, then get his "How to Write a Short Story" book instead. If you are comfortable with the Preplotting stage of writing, then get this book instead. If you are looking for advanced Scene & Sequel techniques, then get other book on that topic too. All in all, these are great beginner's to intermediate level writing books!!! Highly recommend.
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Alexander Kreator
Purchased this to support my million word self edit
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2014