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When you're depressed and feeling like you can't put another word down, these books remind you that you CAN write after all. Their value is that they inspire you to write again, to write more. Not for this book, not for any "how to write" book, seminar, or workshop.
Enough about that; it has nothing to do with this book. It is a book clearly for writers - particularly new and fledgling writers - and is designed to help them hone their craft. Let's get this out of the way: Orson Scott Card is a raging homophobe, and that fact disappoints me bitterly.
Heck, it helped me get unstuck with three stories at once.But that's not the main purpose. And this book does that job very well indeed. The man can still write, and can write ABOUT writing.This is - along with On Writing - one of the "must reads" for anyone wanting to write speculative fiction, and rightly so.
Throughout, OSC succinctly and clearly illustrates the elements particular to genre writing, the basic thematic elements needed, and more.
I can only say that this book was, at least for me, completely worth the 137 pages and I urge aspiring writers to read this along with his other useful book, Character and Viewpoint. For those of you who have recently set this goal, Orson Scott Card answers some of the questions that you will have. There are people whose absolute goal in life is to produce a great story that is unlike anything ever seen before. They devote their lives to the pursuit of writing knowledge and memorize anything that could help them improve the quality of their work.
First off, I liked this book. Secondly, it is a little outdated. So, all-in-all, it was a success. For instance, it's a small book.
I understand it was written a few years back, but a simple redo could have fixed this.All that being said, I gave it four stars because it does its job. True, the main stuff, the meat of the meal, is fine. Card also directs the reader to write to addresses for information, while it would be much easier (today) to just hop online. You put the book down with a better understanding of what, and what not, to do. There is not a single URL mentioned in the book. It helped, and that is what a 'self-help' book is supposed to do.
It was just a bit disconcerting to read a book in 2009 that says, ".if you have a computer with a modem, you may be able to get online and." Mr. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. However, there were a few problems. I wasn't expecting War & Peace, but I wasn't expected the phone book for Mayberry either.
I can at least pretend that I know what my favorite authors went through to come up with thier ideas and pen a good story. I haven't writen a science fiction fantasy book, but I have read a lot. I liked this book because it aloud me to see into the writing process of the books I read.
If you have the intention of becoming a serious writer in the sciene fiction genre, this is a must have, must read book from one of the masters of science fiction.
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