Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

What is literary fiction? And what makes it different from memoirs or genre fiction? Literary fiction is something that will stand the course of time; it will make a bold statement and allow the individual reader to grow in his or her experience merely by reading the story. Basically, literary fiction is a complex work of art, something to be savored, studied and analyzed. So, how does one write literary fiction? It must be assumed that any writer can write a good story, but is it literary fiction? Does it have the potential of becoming literary fiction? There are many elements essential in the creation of a good piece of literary fiction. First of all, characterization is important. “The author who wants to create great stories must characterize well.” The characters give the story focus, meaning, direction and so much more. And that, in the art of literary fiction, is what makes it. In effect, “Meaning and purpose are crucial.”

Author William H. Coles’ Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide is a powerful tool to help writers, both beginners and established, to create their great work of literary fiction. Starting with a discussion and comparison of literary fiction versus memoir or genre fiction, the author proceeds to outline the important elements of a good work of literary fiction. Step-by-step, he leads the reader through the complexities of characterization, narration, dialogue, conflict, point of view and so much more. Using examples from classic literature, each important element is explained and compared to help the reader comprehend the complexities of the story’s structure. This is a must-have guide for all writers. Well written and laid out, this is an interesting read.

Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite

Kill Your Characters: Crime Scene Tips for Writers by Steve Rush is an ideal resource for mystery and crime fiction writers and contains crime scene tips that will help authors improve their writing. The book breaks down crime scenes and provides useful information and prompts that take advantage of Rush’s first-hand knowledge derived from years as a detective and forensic investigator. The goal is to empower writers by giving them the information to make their books into page-turners. The book will no doubt allow writers to answer important questions by making available the facts surrounding a character’s death including evidence, weapon, investigation, and suspects. The vivid details, advice, and prompts will help create realistic scenarios that will lend reality to mysteries and crime fiction.

The goal of the book is to help seasoned writers to strengthen their writing skills and allow beginners to break into the mystery genres with vivid and accurate details that will help to establish a credible plot. The book is broken down into key aspects such as the crime scene, investigation, and evidence which will provide useful data and visuals. The book is beneficial whether you are writing cozy mysteries or murder mysteries with facts that will permit your PI (private investigator) or AS (amateur sleuth) to put together a case. These facts show how to place the details in a concept-conflict-climax story structure which allows you to set up the inciting incident, the offender’s identity, and the investigation. Further details include wounds, autopsy reports, and various causes of death.

The book contains writing exercises and prompts that take what you learn from the chapters and apply it to the beginning stages of writing, such as whether the facts support the scene’s integrity, red herrings, and prompts that help set the scene. The book also has fill-in-the-blank worksheets that cover suspects, venue, and cause of death. A time of death table is included that details the stages of body decomposition. These features make this book one of a kind and a must-have for a writer’s shelf. An empowering read, Kill Your Characters is the go-to handbook for writers looking to step into the mystery genres with thorough details that will make writing murder mysteries and crime fiction a breeze.

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Overcoming Writer's Block: The Writer's Guide to Beating the Blank Page by Marcy Pusey reminds us that being a writer is a calling, a passion, and something we writers feel compelled to do. Unfortunately, that’s not always an easy task. We may have an idea for a story, but that blank page or screen in front of us challenges our ability to write a single word, let alone string together multiple sentences that make any sense. How can we overcome this dilemma, the notorious, infamous writer’s block? Writers have shared their thoughts on the subject as well as their experiences, but no one way works for everyone. However, due diligence and perseverance will always pay off, and exploring different possibilities will find the right path that suits each author. Take advice from seasoned authors and learn from the pros. Then try some of their techniques and troubleshoot your block.

Marcy Pusey’s self-help guide, Overcoming Writer’s Block, is a different look at a complex and often debilitating problem that all writers face from time to time. The book shares personal anecdotes as well as advice in this thorough look at the issue. This award-winning author breaks down the problem and addresses it in detail, even scientifically, providing strategies to help writers eliminate the mind freeze that defines writer’s block. The guide suggests how we can individualize our approach to conquering it, removing the block, reigniting our passion, and getting back to what we love most: writing. The approach presented in this book is complete and well-organized, allowing writers to unlock their temporarily frozen inner muse. A unique and informative approach to a real problem.

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

What is literary fiction? And what makes it different from memoirs or genre fiction? Literary fiction is something that will stand the course of time; it will make a bold statement and allow the individual reader to grow in his or her experience merely by reading the story. Basically, literary fiction is a complex work of art, something to be savored, studied and analyzed. So, how does one write literary fiction? It must be assumed that any writer can write a good story, but is it literary fiction? Does it have the potential of becoming literary fiction? There are many elements essential in the creation of a good piece of literary fiction. First of all, characterization is important. “The author who wants to create great stories must characterize well.” The characters give the story focus, meaning, direction and so much more. And that, in the art of literary fiction, is what makes it. In effect, “Meaning and purpose are crucial.”

Author William H. Coles’ Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide is a powerful tool to help writers, both beginners and established, to create their great work of literary fiction. Starting with a discussion and comparison of literary fiction versus memoir or genre fiction, the author proceeds to outline the important elements of a good work of literary fiction. Step-by-step, he leads the reader through the complexities of characterization, narration, dialogue, conflict, point of view and so much more. Using examples from classic literature, each important element is explained and compared to help the reader comprehend the complexities of the story’s structure. This is a must-have guide for all writers. Well written and laid out, this is an interesting read.

Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite

A Wordsmith's Work by Mark R. Weaver, Esq. is an indispensable guide on crisis communications and how to write more effectively. Other than being about crisis communications and effective writing, the book is a compilation of the author’s writings on the subject that include some of his ghostwriting projects. Every chapter provides meaningful tips on how you can sharpen your writing skills, particularly in the business and media sectors. By taking into consideration the attitude that you express through the words and details you select, you effectively drive your main ideas which are to inform, to entertain, and to persuade. Moreover, it delves into the practice of crisis communications and how writers can wield it to share correct and largely unchangeable information quickly.

I am very glad to have the opportunity to review this book. Much of the things on crisis communications that Mark R. Weaver shares are knowledge I never learned in school. I enjoyed reading about the careful planning that goes into writing about this specialized form as well as the dos and don’ts of effective op-eds. I find Weaver’s instructions to be very absorbing, and his examples truly poke you between the eyes as if to say that you must remember them. It can be tricky to engage your readers nowadays considering the plethora of information jostling for attention. Hopefully, this book can help you rise up and take more control of what you write. I consider A Wordsmith’s Work as good writing education for anyone who wants to further hone their wordsmithing skills. With its solid tips and no-nonsense delivery, it is a book worth visiting regularly.

Reviewed by Jon Michael Miller for Readers' Favorite

Screenwriting for Storytellers: How to Take Your Story from Idea to Script by SherLann D. Moore is a must-read manual for anyone who wants to convert their novel, novella, or short story to the silver screen. If you think this transformation is a simple process, you have a surprise in store. Moore provides a step-by-step guide to margins, page numbers, fonts, camera directions and moves on to character development, sluglines, dialogue, transitions, fade-ins and outs, dissolves, cut-tos, dissolve tos, montages, flashbacks - everything you need to know about the format of a screenplay. She moves on to the hard part, converting your story into a film, which usually requires significant word-cutting to make it “lean, simple, and relevant.” To make her point she provides many examples, including her prize-winning screenplay in its entirety: Stronger When She’s Broken.

As someone who has attempted to convert several of my novels to script form, I wish I had found Moore’s book before I started. I thought, oh, this should be simple enough. But it’s a whole new ballgame. She provides some important advice such as investing in a software program that formats your script automatically, reading lots of scripts in your genre, and how to overcome writer’s block (she includes physical exercises) - all useful to any writer. She gives you an actual assignment of writing a screenplay with you as the main character, and - hugely important - she tells you how to pitch your book in what is called a “pitch deck.” She even gives you quizzes to see if you are paying attention! There is space for notetaking too. Before you try going it alone to convert your novel to a movie, be sure to pick up a copy of Screenwriting for Storytellers by SherLann D. Moore. I sure wish I had.

Reviewed by Daniel D Staats for Readers' Favorite

We are surrounded by bias. Everyone has a degree of prejudice, and their bias often comes out in their writing. Because bias can be hidden or disguised, Erik Bean has written Bias Is All Around You. Erik has developed the KLEMP method to assess the degree of bias in any given situation. Knowing a person’s bias can help us vet the usefulness of their writing. We must stop accepting what the media shoves at us at face value. It is high time we vet the information, throw away much of it, retain the little that seems true with the least amount of bias, and just what is worth sharing. Proper critical thinking cannot be rushed. Sharing information without thoroughly vetting it is irresponsible, risky, and wrong. The stakes are high, so we need to be sure what we share, read, and believe is valid.

Thinking critically is what Erik Bean wants you to do to vet the media. He wants his readers to have the skills and tools to properly vet the information that bombards you daily. In Bias Is All Around You: A Handbook for Inspecting Social Media & News Stories, Erik has taken a complex concept and boiled it down to easy-to-use steps. With his KLEMP method and his myriad of questions found in the book, there is no excuse for anyone not being able to critically discern the value of any report. Erik’s style of writing is informative and concise. He desires to teach others how to analyze data so they can feel confident sharing information with others.

Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

When I decided to read Breakthrough by Todd Mitchell, it was because I am one of those writers who has been stuck in what I call a “Go? No!’ state of creativity for the past five years. It feels crummy. So, when Mitchell’s subtitle indicated his book would help me overcome doubt, fear, and resistance so I could once again be my ultimate creative self, I couldn’t wait to read it. Did it work? Well, let’s say it WILL work if I can stop letting my ego, my need to achieve, and my constant comparison of myself to others interfere. But those concepts are only the beginning of what Mitchell explores to help us get out of our creative ruts. 
Breakthrough is one of those books that I couldn’t help but stop every so often to jot down notes. Section after section, I identified things I’ve been doing and thoughts I’ve been having that have held me back for too long. Perhaps the most important concept was the one that should become my mantra: “Stop trying to create things and focus on being creative.”

Ah! That reminds me of what we hear about mindfulness, i.e. living, being in the moment. There are other concepts that, as a writer, I need to remember, like becoming a silent but conscious observer. The stories I might like to write are all around me, as well as deep within me, but “Rather than constantly trying to control my story (and blaming myself for not getting it right), I [must] remind myself that I’m discovering my story as it’s written.” That statement screamed at me, as did so many. But is Breakthrough only for writers? Not at all. Whatever your creative discipline, if doubt, fear, and more are holding your creativity in limbo, you need to read this book. Todd Mitchell writes with such sincerity. He bares his soul. What he suggests comes from his own experience of living on a treadmill that is always seeking new heights, failing, and feeling unhappy. Whatever setbacks we are having now with our creative aspirations, Mitchell has had them too.  

I suppose, if you were pressed for time and wanted quick advice, you could just go to the end of Breakthrough and check out Mitchell’s 13-step program, his short exploration of the various types of meditation, and his brilliant collection of mantras. But you’d miss out on fully understanding why “maybe success isn’t the antidote to failure that people might think it is” and that “creative success is doing what you love and loving what you do.” Don’t shortchange yourself. Read Breakthrough all the way through. Jot down thoughts that jump out at you, and keep this wonderful book in a spot close to where you create. It’s inspiring and motivating.

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

“Writing for me is my spirituality. It’s how I deal with my problems and face the world.” I can certainly relate to that sentiment. It’s the writing that drives me forward each day. But there are hurdles along the way: procrastination and the so-called menace of writer’s block. These hurdles can be overcome, however, and all of us who aspire to be great and prolific writers can do just that. Imagine writing a novel every few weeks, or even every few days. Sounds a bit overwhelming? Well, it doesn’t have to be. And writing fast doesn’t have to affect the quality of your work.

Intrigued? I certainly was when I picked up M.L. Ronn’s book, Be a Writing Machine: Write Faster Smarter, Beat Writer’s Block, and Be Prolific. Packed with all kinds of interesting anecdotes from the author’s personal experience, and a well-planned, well-plotted (no pun intended) outline on how to become what he describes as a ‘writing machine.’ Part autobiographical, part reflections on lessons learned, this is not only a useful guide to enhance one’s writing prospects, but it’s also an interesting read. As well as the author’s anecdotes, there are quite a few interesting quotes from other writers. Each chapter is detailed and full of useful tips and profound and enduring advice. The chapters conclude with concise summaries. As well as covering such topics as creativity, problem-solving, productivity, writing skills, and an entire section on writing fiction, there is a very useful section on marketing and promotion, something every writer is forced to contend with. Overall, this book is both interesting and informative.

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

“Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd.” The same can be said about reviews; not just book reviews, but any kind of review. Reviews are the means of converting customers into buyers. And the more reviews you have, the more likely Amazon will boost its ratings of your book and send more buyer traffic your way. Even bad reviews are good reviews. Why? Well, think of it. Would you trust a product, book, or anything else for that matter, that only received raving 5-star reviews? Remember: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” So, how does an author get more reviews on Amazon? Well, first of all, the author must be aware of Amazon’s community guidelines. Avoid the idea of review swapping, as this has gone awry over the past few years with people taking advantage of the potential it offered, often leaving poor, useless reviews, like, “This is a good book.”

Dale L. Roberts’ guidebook, Amazon Reviews for Books: How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon, has a lot of useful insight into book reviewing on Amazon business. Award-winning and a self-published author, Dale knows how important reviews can be for the success of one’s books. His book leads the reader through the process, beginning with a good introduction to the importance of reviews. He also presents the Amazon guidelines and policies which are important to know when actively seeking reviews. He also presents some options for seeking reviews and what to look for in a potential online book reviewer. The book is clearly laid out and an excellent resource for all authors, new and established.