Review by Booklist Review
Let's face it: there are already too many how-to books for aspiring fiction writers, and most of them contain a chapter on two on how to handle rejection. But if you're looking for a book that concentrates on rejection, that shoots from the hip and says, yes, you got rejected because your writing was not good enough, and then explains what you can do to make it better, this is just the book for you. Morrell, a developmental editor, goes through the list of things editors hate to see: contrived situations, flat dialogue, mishandled beginnings, poor story structure, and lack of dramatic conflict; then he details what you, the writer, can do to correct those errors. Rather than insist we follow one specific formula (the three-act structure, for example), Morrell offers various possibilities designed to help us find our own voice while producing salable prose.The book is full of examples of bad writing and of tips drawn from the author's own experiences as an editor. In a bloated genre, this volume should find its own niche and its own appreciative audience.--Pitt, David Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Morrell (writing, Evergreen State Coll.; The Writer's I Ching) takes us through the school of hard knocks faced by writers who are struggling to get published. Without removing the creativity from creative writing, Morrell convincingly portrays the craft of writing for publication as no accident of fate by revealing the "trade secrets" of the publishing industry through the eyes of that all-important gatekeeper, the editor. Having seen too many writers making the same mistakes, Morrell examines what makes a book publishable and what makes a story suck. She goes over dozens of common writing mistakes-from character, to plot, to dialog-and helps the would-be author find the ways in which to fine-tune a manuscript to avoid another rejection letter. VERDICT From beginning to end, whether novel, short story, or memoir, each element of a narrative is reviewed, with each chapter ending with quick tips to improve one's writing. This is one to add to any library shelf-it won't gather dust there.-Ann Schade, Sun Prairie, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
