(Part 2) Best fiction writing reference books according to redditors
We found 292 Reddit comments discussing the best fiction writing reference books. We ranked the 129 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
Why wouldn't you be depressed? You're usually pouring the life force of your most vibrant decade - your twenties - into the incredible minutiae of some obscure aspect of a field you once loved but has now been turned into an obstacle course to weed out any spontaneity and creativity, and then writing it up in language so stilted as to defy any possible interest others might take in the arid volume that will be produced for the most part to sit on a dusty shelf in some unlit storage area of the basement of an academic library.
Save yourself: figure out how to write something eminently publishable as a book.
Also: Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis
There's a great answer to this in Damon Knight's book about short story writing. I think he's worth listening to because as well as being a very good science fiction author, he was also a critic who ran the biggest science fiction writing workshops for many years.
His thoughts are that a story works on different levels. I think he may have had more, but I can certainly remember four of them:
a) Impetus, or motive force that gives the story life. At this level, you might ask, "is this a story worth telling?"
b) Components - eg character, plot, etc. At this level you might ask "do these people feel real?"
c) Structure - eg what comes first, second, third. At this level, you might ask, "Is this the best arrangement of the material?"
d) Polish - eg prose. At this level, you might ask, "Is this being told in an interesting and fluid way?"
Anyway, the idea is that if a story isn't working on one level (eg b), there's no point in giving a critique at a later one (eg d), as that has to be fixed first. Each level works as a foundation for the one after, and if you have a story where the characters are acting in unbelievable ways, there's no point in saying it better. First, you have to fix the story at the level of the characters. Then, you see what else isn't working, and move your way down the stack.
From my own experience in many critique groups, and a few years of slush-reading, I agree with his assessment. And the least productive time I ever spend with a story is when I constantly find myself fixing the prose without addressing any of the underlying issues. Learning to spot this as a bad habit immediately made me a much better writer. Prose feels like the foundation because it's what you see first - and is the easiest way to spot a story not worth buying. But if everything else is wrong as well, fixing the prose will never turn a rejection into a sale. Ultimately, the story has to work on all levels to work. But you fix it from a to d.
The books I'm using are:
Anybody have any other book recommendations while we're at it?
Note: none of these links are affiliate links.
Edit: formatting
It's a great book, but if OP wants to stick to women writers, Ursula Le Guin's Steering the Craft might be a better fit.
Thanks Jagabond, really appreciate that. I’m relatively new to hosting the show, having taken over in June, around episode 209. Shaun Farrell created the show and deserves all the credit. I was a huge fan and when I saw the distance between episodes spreading out, I offered to help provide interviews. Shortly after he offered me the job. I’ve tried to keep it close to the original feel.
That’s not your question though. As for the most important factor, I guess I’d say that while the industry is shifting, you never know if you’ll be successful until you try, and one of the most favorable factors to this industry is the abundance of resources to help you get started. Finishing a book should be your first goal, because that already puts you into the minority.
When you say “shifting industry” I assume you mean the effect of ebooks on pricing, revenues and whether we should self-publish or traditional publish. The good news—depending on how you look at it—is that none of this matters to someone getting started writing, because all you need to worry about is how to tell a good story, and that advice doesn’t change. Are you referring to getting started writing or getting started selling?
For someone getting started writing, a very important factor to be aware of is that you probably have a story worth telling. Writing resources can show you how to start a story. As much as I try, I’m an organic writer, so I don’t use any systems any more except for a notepad and pen and just start asking myself questions about the characters I want to be in the story, what kind of conflict they’ll encounter, how this conflict will cause them to grow or fail. If it’s science fiction, I start researching main technologies to the plot, far enough to make sure the concept is plausible. If it is Fantasy, I essentially just talk to myself about the magic system, how it started, what powers it has, what limitations (costs) using the magic has, etc.
Here are some resources I’ve enjoyed:
The Craft of Writing Science Fiction That Sells by Ben Bova – I loved how well this taught character arc. (Character arc is the emotional progress/failure that your character goes through from start to finish.) In the brainstorming stage, he says to find a character that has to choose between two emotions, such as love vs. hate. He gives a very helpful list of questions to ask yourself that essentially brainstormed my novel for me.
Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card – great breakdown of the types of story (M.I.C.E.) and I believe has a section on how to ask yourself questions to make the story unique from genre tropes (The One finds The Sword to save The Girl).
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card is also very helpful. I like how he says that you don’t have a story until you have at least two separate ideas, maybe three, and then you try to combine them.
Lane Diamond offers paid coaching. He’s the head guy at Evolved Publishing, which puts out some very well written books, no doubt a credit to his editing skills. He also edited the first 5k of my novel, so I know from experience he’s good.
Another couple editors I’ve worked with are C.L. Dyck and Joshua Essoe, if you’re at the stage of finding an editor. This could bring up the topic of when to search for beta readers (readers who read your story after you’ve cleaned it up) and when to hire an editor. My novel had such complicated technology weaving through the plot, that I didn’t know how to clean it up enough to give it to beta readers, so that’s why I hired C.L., and she helped me break down how the technology worked and where it didn’t. I suppose a good beta reader could do that, but I’ve not been fortunate enough to find ones that will stick around (i.e. finish reading and give me feedback).
Free resources:
The Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson – I’ve started this, but never finished. I’m just not an outliner. Plot evolves out of each progressing scene as I write them. He has a lot of writing tips on his site beyond just the Snowflake.
StoryFix by Larry Brooks – never used this, but hear great things about it.
And of course, podcasts. I love hearing authors tell us their story of how they got started and found success. Their advice never gets old, and often I hear just what I need. For example, I have an upcoming interview with Ronald Malfi, where he says: "The characters and their problems come first. If you've got really good characters and really good problems with those characters from the get-go then the stories build themselves around them."
Did by “getting started,” you mean being at a point where you have a story ready to sell? I’ll answer that when I get back in a few hours, if that was your question.
I found this book helpful - it's straightforward in breaking the process down.
Read the free sample of Million Dollar Outline. God tier book.
As a slight aside, what we're seeing in Fantasy is the influence of long serial Asian webnovels tumbling over into the English market. Most of these stories are pure wish-fantasy stories about a young person who goes on a long epic adventure which has no real direction because that would get in the way of running the story for as long as possible to make maximum profits from it.
The fact there's no actual story in the first books is a feature, not a bug, because actual plot progression means getting closer to the ending, which is the opposite of what the writer wants. A successful serial is like a golden goose that the writer wants to keep producing those shiny eggs for as long as possible. If the book doesn't do well, the writer can similarly wrap it all up quick and move on to another series that does work because there was no major story to finish except the main character's rise to the top.
These books really are just YA comfort food where a young protagonist just walks from A-B most of the time, kicking butt because they're so awesome and barely breaking a nail. However, they sell like hotcakes. I've seen some of these books like Summoner by Eric Vall literally get hundreds of sales and positive reviews. It's hardly the worst offender, and not a bad book for a Harry Potter/Pokemon mash-up, but 404 reviews? Really?
There's a book called How to Write Light Novels and Webnovels by R.A. Paterson which talks about how to churn these things out. If that's what you're looking for, you might check it out.
I am fortunate enough to say that I was accepted to transfer to UT CS for Fall 2016 as a sophomore. I think the two biggest things that got me in were my grades and my essays.
I had a 4.0 at my previous institution, which is another 4-year university in Texas, and that included several technical classes like Calculus, Physics, CS, etc. Keep in mind UT is very focused on making sure you graduate on time and getting the hell out to make room for others so take classes that would fill in your degree plan if you were to get accepted. CS 312 transfers pretty easily but UT may want you to take other core CS classes at UT, so maybe focus on basics like Calculus. [Sample Degree Plan]
As for my essays, I spent several weeks writing those and I put an enormous amount of time and attention into them. I was constantly browsing the internet for tips and advice about how to write each one. I even read a whole book just to help me with the personal statement essay [book]. Here is another link to get you started with the statement of purpose.
Note: Do not BS college essays. I meant every word of my essays, and it showed.
I was involved in a couple organizations. UT likes diversity so maybe consider something that will make you look more dynamic. I didn't have much community service, but it definitely won't hurt.
Overall the most important thing you can do is get your GPA up. It's not impossible to get in with a 3.7, but you will drastically increase your chances if you make all A's from now on. The second most important thing you need to do is write the best essays you have ever written. Start early, take your time, do your research. Good luck.
I've heard some good things about Philosophical Writing: An Introduction by Martinich and Writing Philosophy: A Student's Guide to Reading and Writing Philosophy Essays by Lewis Vaughn. They're both self-guided books to help students of philosophy with their writing. As others have noted, practice will also improve your skills
I'm a public librarian and a writer (screenplays and poetry).
I facilitate and lead a Writers Group every second Wednesday each month with a different topic each month. We focus on craft topics and conversations that help through writing hurdles. We do not focus on publishing - though I'll occasionally bring in editors to discuss that process. This past month we talked about audiences, particularly young audiences with a guest writer. In the past year we discussed writing from real life, sound devices, and building a protagonist. I create these handouts using craft books and online resources then provide them to any patron if they're new to the Writers Group via a voluntary Email List. Feel free to PM and I can email these handouts if you like.
I also host open mics every season or so for writers to share their work in front of an audience should they choose so.
My core Writers Group folks focus on creative writing or creative nonfiction, less on boosting basic writing skills. For the folks in the former I will find a resource that works best for their next step. We'll establish a writing goal and I'll find a book to use as inspiration, or a craft book that may serve them well.
For folks who need basic skills work, I'll usually work with them via a Book a Librarian/one on one session, or direct them to LearningExpress Library or BrainFuse which provide fantastic resources for writing. BrainFuse, in particular, allows patrons to submit writing for constructive feedback.
I also use university Writing Center's handouts for inspiration, such as UNC's Writing Center.
I have books I commonly recommend, but if you're interested in starting a creative writing group I highly recommend Steering the Craft by Ursula Le Guin, which provides prompts and examples for specific writing topics.
Well, I haven't read it yet, but Krista D Ball literally has the book What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank
Constructive criticism accepted? If you're trying to live up to your blog's name, then you're succeeding. Lines like "The cinematography was pretty decent. Nothing really ground-breaking, but it was a really pleasant movie to look at during some scenes." do very little to tell your readers anything. Who was the cinematographer? Did they do anything else of note? IMDB is your friend. In this case, Spanish cinematographer Oscar Faura; probably not many American readers are familiar with his work, as I believe it's his first English-language film. Same goes for the Norwegian director Morten Tyldum. What was interesting, or can you use more evocative language? Do you understand the visual language enough to recognize and describe things like tracking shots, handheld shots, framing, lighting? "I only have one minor complaint about this movie, which is the CGI." Cut off the "which is the CGI" part. I'm pretty sure no one calls it CGI anymore (just CG), and the phrase isn't necessary because you spend the rest of the paragraph talking about that very thing. Don't sound like Perd Hapley. Remember that it's not just about your impression of the movie, but why you felt that way. And, too, that you're writing about the film, not about how you felt about it. It's your opinion, sure, but there's a balance between putting yourself on the page and putting your recommendation or lack thereof on the page - the line between being Harry Knowles or Roger Ebert. Make the reader feel your joy...or pain...or indifference.
I used to be a semi-pro film critic and editor of other people's reviews. I learned a lot from reading the great critics - Pauline Kael, Roger Ebert - and from books about film. A Short Guide to Writing About Film, Film Art: An Introduction, How to Read a Film. All books I remember reading. And not just those, but books about writing. Particular favorites are The Elements of Style and Stephen King's On Writing. If you want to brush up on your knowledge of what you're seeing, Every Frame a Painting is a stellar look at film's visual language.
Bunăoară
You might want to give this book a try- How to Write Light Novels and Webnovels.
It covers the basics of the different sub-genres that make up progression fantasy and will act as a primer for you to create your own works.
In addition to that, read lots of Xianxia stories like the good ones recommended here in other comments.
Not sure if it's every year. I think it's the first time that it's happened. Quite a few of them seem to be collections of blog posts.
PWYW Tier:
$15 Tier:
I'm an American med student, read this book senior year of bio undergrad for intro to research, I'd recommend because it's relatively short, describes the basics well, and offers some good advice.
As a grad student, you might be too advanced for this particular text to be useful, but Martinich's Philosophical Writing is very good.
I've never dismissed their findings as you suggested, but evaluating a study requires looking at a sample size and this is just too small to consider. They also did not specify whether the sample size was random or not. It doesn't have to be epidemiological for sample size to matter. You should check Jan Pechenik's a A Short Guide to Writing About Biology for more info: https://www.amazon.com/Short-Guide-Writing-about-Biology/dp/020507507X
Yes, gravity is Law right now, but new findings are actually questioning whether our understanding of gravity is correct or not. I guess this has something to do about quantum physics? I'm not an expert in this, but all I'm saying is that people should learn how to question things. Science is not about proving this or proving that, it's about analytical thinking and learning to ask questions instead of settling with answers right away.
What we think we know may not be always true. And we must be always open to the reconstructing our views.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/einsteins-genius-changed-sciences-perception-gravity
See? Changes in perception in science occur because of science. Science is "ongoing": https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/whatisscience_01
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
Don't expect anyone to do this for you for free or at a reduced cost if they are any good. It's a lot of work, I would say 80-160 hours for a typical novel depending on length and thoroughness.
This is the preview page on Amazon, just give it a sec to load.
I sold my first horror story after reading Michael Knost's Writer's Workshop of Horror
Get this book. Some very simple and practical advice that cuts to the root of your procrastination habits.
Doing Philosophy is a good short book that may help you.
http://www.amazon.com/Doing-Philosophy-Joel-Feinberg/dp/0495096075
Here's an excellent book that I recently picked up on Kindle; it's specifically geared toward writing short stories: https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Short-Fiction-Damon-Knight-ebook-dp-B01N9JGSYU/dp/B01N9JGSYU/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1557317476
Write short stories. That's a more achievable goal, but after writing enough of them, you should be better prepared to write a novel.
Get a how to write book. The Craft of Writing Science Fiction that Sells is one I started with (there are many, many others).
Well yeah, it's hard. :) The book GMC (Goal Motivation Conflict) is really good for this.
And I have a really, really stripped-down method for doing a plot outline on an index card, if you want to check it out here. (Scroll down a bit.)
A character that takes believable action. Because it fits in with their characterization, not because it fits with what the author wants or how the plot is mapped out. I'd suggest Debra Dixon's GMC for further reading on the subject, she outlines what makes a compelling believable character really well, in my opinion.
My credentials: Exactly 1 year ago, I was in your position. I transferred into UTCS for Fall 2016. I think I wrote great essays.
Here is my advice:
Topic A:
-The first paragraph comes off as a bit pretentious. I get what you are trying to say, but telling the admissions people that you are the best of the best isn’t going to help you.
-I noticed on your GitHub that you made a flappy bird clone meant to be used with NEAT. I assume you are familiar with the professors who developed NEAT, so mention it. Find a way to tell the admissions people that you are familiar with certain professors’ work. Mention them and their papers by name. The whole point of this essay is to show why you want to be here, and being specific on this will show it.
-Read this guide about what to put in your statement of purpose. I used it and I think it worked well for me.
Topic C:
This one is a bit harder because you can take this essay in many different directions. For my essay, I wrote a personal statement that had absolutely nothing to do with computer science or academics at all. It was a story about me that was so personal that I didn’t show it to anyone, not even my parents. I've talked to others in CS about this, and their essay topics vary wildly. The point is that you can be a bit riskier with this one. If I were you I would leave all the CS credentials for the statement of purpose, and be bold with Topic C. Then again, your background is pretty impressive so what you have done might be good enough. If you are interested, I cannot recommend this book enough. Seriously, this book enabled me to write a powerful Topic C.
Topic E:
-Leave out: “(confirmation bias)”. These people read a lot, you know.
Conclusion:
Overall, pretty decent. Make sure to proofread. I saw plenty of areas where there should have been a comma or the sentence structure was strange. That isn’t as important as the substance though. Feel free to ask any other questions.
I am having trouble with the emotional aspect of Kuret. I don't see how he has pity for his enemies while he gleefully kills them. I just don't see pity and revenge in the same moment.
The story reads more like a concept of an idea than a story. It has much that an author needs to know but a reader does not necessarily need to know at that moment. For instance, info about wife and kids murders is back story an author needs to guide the telling of the story but I don't think reader need to know just yet. Stay with his revenge destruction of enemies and get to his motivations later.
There is too much telling. He felt pity, or he felt glee, or they did not know he survived. A book that helped me in telling is by Janice Hardy, Show don't tell
The writing is too passive. All those helping verbs. Need more direct statements. Example, off the top of my head:
From - With these words the split in the sea became a chasm and deep on the seafloor two eyes the size of massive boulders flared with purple fire. The demon would rise, and Kuret would have his revenge.
To - the sea split into a deep chasm, two eyes, like massive boulders on the seabed floor, flared with purple fire. The demon rose and Kuret's revenge was on hand.
Get this book from the library or bookstore: http://www.amazon.com/Graduate-Admissions-Essays-School-Choice/dp/1580088724
It's not just about admissions essays, it has examples of all kinds of essays/personal statement etc you may write as a grad student also. Reading the examples will help you see what kind of 'story' they might be looking for and think about how you are unique and can get their attention.
You can PM me if you need more help. In grad school I won like...idk 8 or 9 fellowships, travel funding etc incl NSF GRFP.
I feel your pain. One: I recommend studying the GRE now. Unfortunately, the new format just went into affect. Take two or at the most three months (gotta remember deadlines) to study for the GRE.
I'm picking up these books today after work:
http://www.amazon.com/Graduate-Admissions-Essays-School-Choice/dp/1580088724/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313012024&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-What-You-Came-Students/dp/0374524777/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313012024&sr=8-1
Yeah, that's a tricky one. My impression is that many schools and colleges have adopted They Say, I Say, which encourages the use of first person. But many teachers are under the impression that first-person pronouns are bad, though I imagine most of them would be hard-pressed to explain why they are so bad. I can see why the convention exists in science writing and a few other contexts, but it seems silly to proscribe first-person pronouns in an essay that's asking for a student's opinion. I have found in my own classroom (I teach research to high school freshmen) that certain parts of the paper become much clearer and more natural when the students write in first person.
Anyway. As for avoiding it: most of the time you can just cut the "I believe" or "I think" or "I feel that", and keep whatever comes after it. E.g.
I feel thatSpotify should find a way to pay musicians more fairly.I think thatthe amount of money a musician earns should be based on the number of listeners they attract to the device.I also recommend checking out the book I mentioned above. It contains tons of templates that are quite useful to students, and not all of them involve first-person pronouns. If you Google "they say I say templates" you'll find PDFs of those templates. I have also used some of the sentence stems from this website.
The best book on writing I used in college was They Say, I Say. The sentence frames in it are wonderful and the university I attended required us to take two English composition classes as freshmen which were based on it. In fact, the ERWC (senior English) curriculum in California public high schools heavily borrows from it with the assumption that it will help students graduating from California high schools bridge the gap with state colleges and universities.
To piggyback on what /u/TemporaryGrass said, in a sane country you would not have to teach basic grammar and paragraph structure to college upperclassmen, but unfortunately we don't live in a sane country anymore. We live in a country where "higher-order thinking" means we can't teach kids grammar in English class or dates in History class.
It's hard to beat DoctorOddfellow's advice, but this book is also a great reference. (I like it so much that I just ordered another copy when I looked it up since the cat knocked mine in a sink full of water....I kept using it anyway, but a new one will fit on the shelf better.) Understanding Show Don't Tell
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Show-Dont-Tell-Getting/dp/0991536436
Despite the title, this book includes much more than just "show vs tell" stuff. Including a lot of information about active vs passive voice. And explains it in a way that is actionable, and easy to follow. Well worth the price.
> You're still failing to understand the crux of my argument, there's no point in continuing this if you're unable to grasp what I'm saying. Such technologies require more energy than we could ever hope to gain access too at our current level of advancement, according to your current flawed understanding of the laws of physics. You seemingly lack the mental capability to be able to understand how much you will never be able to understand. I'll say it once more.
I’m not failing to understand your argument, as I have repeated it back to you multiple times and demonstrated its invalidity using the simplest possible terms. It is you who fail to understand. Humanity’s knowledge of physics isn’t so flawed as to preclude justifiable conclusions regarding what is and is not possible. Furthermore, it’s difficult to even imagine states of affairs in which things like time travel or perpetual motion are possible whilst being congruent with the physics which we thoroughly understand (relativity etc.).
> 100 years ago the understanding of how physics and the universe truly work are completely different than ours today. Their understanding of what was possible according to those laws was completely different. What we do now would be considered impossible to a man living 100 years ago. We see this phenomenon throughout history, time and time again.
One again, your reasoning is thus: because things weren’t understood in the past, things aren’t understood now. That is illogical. Humanity understands virtually everything about, say, aerodynamics. Just because humanity was once ignorant of aerodynamics does not mean there is appreciably more to know about it now (not saying there is nothing more at all to know). The same is true of physics, though to a lesser extent. It is not true that what we do now would be considered impossible to a man living 100 years ago. Have you not read Jules Verne? Than man was born almost 200 years ago. Einstein said imagination is more important that knowledge, and I agree. But unfortunately one cannot imagine their way out of certain brute facts.
> Therefore, a reasoning mind can only assume that we ourselves have a flawed understanding and that technologies used 100 years from now will be what we currently consider impossible. This has been a constant theme throughout history. To follow a repeating pattern to it's conclusion based on past iterations is simple logic. But you can't understand this. Why? Who knows. But it's clearly not useful discussing something with someone who can't physically understand the concept being discussed.
A reasoning mind never assumes. Your logic does not hold up under scrutiny. Historical performance is not a guarantee of future success, as you will find in the small print of your investment accounts. Clearly I am capable of understanding the concept being discussed, so I pity you for your ad hominem outbursts. Obviously critical thinking causes you immense frustration.
> You seem to think I've made up my mind, but you're wrong. You've simply failed to come up with a compelling argument. Nothing you've said is even remotely convincing. You swing back and forth between conflicting moral and scientific arguments. You can't make up your mind. Which is it? It's morally wrong to colonize space, or is it scientifically impossible?
I’m of the opinion that my argument is compelling. You’re the one who has failed to provide logical rationale supported by true facts. There is nothing incongruent about believing that colonizing space is morally suspect and physically implausible, though the former isn’t exactly what I’m arguing. As to which it is, mostly the latter, that colonizing space is physically implausible, and that humanity has a moral imperative here on Earth which must be addressed before entertaining desires to colonize space.
> Is modern technology terrible because it allowed war to be waged on a massive scale, or is nuclear technology terrible because it holds mankind hostage and prevents massive violence? You claim humanity's existence one earth is endangered and imperfect, yet in the same breath say that to seek to leave it is morally wrong. And all the while you focus on the atrocities brought upon ourselves through the use of new technologies while purposefully ignoring the vast benefits those who have access to them now reap.
Modern technology is a double edged sword. There are many eloquent philosophy books on the subject, refer to them. It’s an asinine belief on par with religion that leaving Earth will do anything to solve the reprehensible way humanity treats itself and its habitat. The notion that I am not allowed to criticize modern technology because I use it is one of the most elementary logical fallacies. I invite you to google why you are wrong, since I know nothing I say will convince you.
> The only thing you can use to back up your own arguments and discredit mine is meaningless, flowery language that initially dazzles but ultimately fails at it's purpose. Honestly, what did you think you could achieve by calling my method of discussion totalitarian? Am I attempting to control you in some way? Who the fuck even uses the word "apcryphal" to describe something except someone on /r/iamversmart ? Do you just like to listen to yourself sound smart or is there some other reason?
I use language to the best of my ability to convey my ideas, and I encourage everyone to do the same. Are you seriously criticizing me for so doing? I tend to adhere to the writing style advocated by this book, i.e. keeping it as simple as possible and avoiding “flowery language.” You’re the one who uses flowery, rhetorical terms like “meteoric rise” and “conquering the unknown.”
> You called me a religous zealot. To me though, considering your hatred for humankind and advanced technology though, I'd call you a luddite. Since you hold such a great hatred in your heart for the evils of human advancement, I would recommend you start by smashing any electronic devices you have. Remember, computers were invented during WWII to calculate more accurate artillery strikes. Better get to smashing.
I shall refer you back to my earlier post: “Comparing my rational skepticism to ignorant superstition as you have done in your first paragraph is a bereft argument, as is caricaturing me as a [luddite] while failing to address or perhaps grasp my criticisms. You have erred by assuming that leaving this Earth is a “great leap” and ignoring rationale to the contrary out-of-hand. Neither I nor “people like me” deride true progress, and to suggest as much on the basis of disagreement with the aforementioned notion is once again bereft.
By the way, computers weren’t “invented during WWII to calculate more accurate artillery strikes.” That is the funniest thing I’ve heard in some time.
D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D: D:. Bunaoara.
Here is the mobile version of your link
So, this one?
http://www.amazon.com/Short-Guide-Writing-about-Guides/dp/0205236391/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1416363285&sr=8-6&keywords=how+to+write+about+movies&pebp=1416363297751
I don't think your problem is writing. What little I read of your first draft is a good start. You're problem is editing.
To start, write your novel. Get it all down on paper. Don't touch previous sections while you write. Leave it alone six weeks. Next, edit it.
While you are waiting, read "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" by Renni Browne (I have no affiliation with her). It provides invaluable tips on things like adverbs and using descriptive nouns and verbs.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062720465/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062720465&linkCode=as2&tag=aladir-20