Kirjailijakuva

James V. Smith (1) (1946–)

Teoksen Writer's Little Helper tekijä

Katso täsmennyssivulta muut tekijät, joiden nimi on James V. Smith.

11 teosta 529 jäsentä 7 arvostelua

Tekijän teokset

Writer's Little Helper (2005) 181 kappaletta
Fiction Writer's Brainstormer (2000) 125 kappaletta
You Can Write a Novel (1998) 104 kappaletta
Beastmaker (1988) 41 kappaletta
You Can Write A Novel Kit (2008) 29 kappaletta
Beaststalker (1988) 23 kappaletta
ALMOST HUMAN (1990) 13 kappaletta
The Lurker (1989) 5 kappaletta
Łowca 1 kappale
Death Wind 1 kappale

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

Syntymäaika
1946
Sukupuoli
male
Kansalaisuus
USA
Asuinpaikat
Montana, USA

Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

On GoodReads two stars means "OK" and that's what my rating means: this is OK. OK as in "meh." There's nothing here you can't find in a gazillion books on writing craft. James Smith does have a few novels published--or so the book informs us, but none I had read or even heard of. That should have warned me. An editor who wrote a blog for newbie writers once offered this rule of thumb: Pay attention to who is offering advice on writing. They should either be an author you admire or someone who has gained best-selling status or someone who is or has been a gatekeeper--an acquiring editor or agent. Word.

*Takes off bookshelf as it hasn't earned the space*
… (lisätietoja)
½
 
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LisaMaria_C | 1 muu arvostelu | Sep 7, 2013 |
Most impressed with The Writer’s Little Helper. It’s easy reading and constructive with lots of useful techniques, but more than that it practices what it preaches. And it is anything but preachy.

Best of the writing craft books I've read recently. Highly recommended.
 
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VickiTyley | 3 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Jan 30, 2013 |
One of my many 'i'm going to write a novel' phases. I'm still going to.
 
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BooksForDinner | 1 muu arvostelu | Oct 3, 2011 |
The author of this book seems to think that the way to awaken your creativity is to throw lots of little word puzzles at you. Oh well--what works for one person doesn't work for another. I found some of the exercises similarly annoying, but again, everyone is different.

At first the author of this book came across as exactly the sort of writing author I dislike--early in the book he seems to be saying, "My way of writing is right for everyone." Given the wide variety of types of writing and writing styles out there, this is never a good claim to make. Luckily he turns out to be much more reasonable later in the book.

Many of the author's hints are directed specifically at novel authors (in particularly, "category" or "commercial" novels). On the other hand, there's quite a bit of material in this book of use to any sort of fiction writer, so this isn't a big problem. Part 1 of the book is something of a general primer on creative thinking. Part 2 contains exercises for coming up with ideas related to specific projects. And part 3 addresses "The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Writers." I prefer other books when it comes to general creativity, but there are some great exercises in here to help you specifically address the needs of your particular projects.

This book is probably most useful for people who want to make the transition from writer to published writer. There's information on what publishers are looking for, how publishers think, and how you can catch their eye, and the focus is on creating fiction that will sell. I suggest, however, that you not accept everything in this book blindly. Read other books on writing as well. Use your own common sense. Experiment, play around, and see what works best for you. Most of all, if you're thinking of buying this book, read some reviews carefully---it's a good book, but only for a very narrow audience.

As a book to help writers of commercial fiction, Alice Orr's "No More Rejections" might make a better choice. For a general-purpose creative thinking book, I recommend Mari Messer's "Pencil Dancing," Monica Woods' "The Pocket Muse," or Eric Maisel's "The Creativity Book."

Full review at ErrantDreams
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
errantdreams | Dec 15, 2007 |

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Associated Authors

Rowena Morrill Cover artist

Tilastot

Teokset
11
Jäseniä
529
Suosituimmuussija
#47,055
Arvio (tähdet)
½ 3.4
Kirja-arvosteluja
7
ISBN:t
32
Kielet
1

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