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Inside The Cover
Book Reviews Fiction Writing Demystified: Techniques That Will
Make You a More Successful Writer In his book Fiction Writing Demystified: Techniques That
Will Make You a More Successful Writer, Thomas B. Sawyer
shares his insight and experience from spending many years as the head writer
for TV’s Murder, She Wrote, as well as other television pilots and
series episodes. Sawyer is also the co-creator of the writing software programs Plots
Unlimited and Storybase. Fiction Writing Demystified covers
the full scope of fiction writing, from idea to final draft, including outlines,
plot, structure, characters, and dialogue. Sawyer borrows liberally from his own
career, using specific examples from his days working on Murder, She Wrote
and other projects to illustrate important points. Fiction Writing Demystified is a comprehensive look
at the many facets of good fiction writing technique. Sawyer shares his thoughts
on the importance of writing an outline, common plot devices, conflict, scene
structure, character development and dialogue, opening and final scenes, keeping
readers glued to the story, and the bane of so many writers’ existence, the
old ‘show, don’t tell.’ Sawyer uses a rapid-fire pace to move quickly through the
points he wants to make, which sometimes leaves the reader feeling like they
want more, but on the other hand never lets the reader get bored with a long
exposition on the nuances of a particular theory or technique. With a straight-shooting writing style and tone, Fiction
Writing Demystified provides a solid checklist of things most writers
realize they probably already know, but don’t think to keep in mind while
they’re writing. Most writers will read Sawyer’s book and slap their
foreheads, thinking to themselves, “Right! I forgot about that,” or “Good
point – never thought of it that way before.” A great example of this is the
instruction that he gives regarding dialogue; put simply, if you can attribute
dialogue that you’ve written for one character to another, without rewriting
it, you’re doing it wrong. Sawyer makes his points with many examples of added
emphasis, which some readers may find distracting, but others will welcome
the extra reminders that this is important and that maybe now would be a
good time to take notes or scribble in the margins. In addition to providing practical, real-world advice on the craft of writing to fiction writers, Fiction Writing Demystified is also highly instructive on how the process of writing for television works. Through his experience and examples, Sawyer gives the reader a sneak peek into the life of a television scriptwriter. Sawyer’s book is unique in that there is solid value in it to writers across the full spectrum of fiction writing. Illustrating his points on how to make his readers’ writing stronger with examples from both film and television, Sawyer’s book is a cross-medium refresher on what makes for a good story, regardless of whether you’re writing for print, film, television or the stage. WE ALSO CARRY THOMAS' WRITING SOFTWARE (Plots Unlimited and Storybase) HERE! Amy Brozio-Andrews is a freelance writer and book reviewer. She brings more than five years' experience as a readers' advisory librarian to her work, which is regularly published by Library Journal, The Imperfect Parent, and Absolute Write. Her reviews have also been published by The Absinthe Literary Review, ForeWord Magazine, January Magazine, and Melt Magazine. Amy is also the managing editor and an international markets columnist for Absolute Write. Visit her online at http://www.amyba.com. |
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