by Sandra Newman, Howard Mittelmark
This made me laugh several times, the examples are hilarious and if you know the genres you can see the echoes blatantly. It did solidify why I disliked reading some books and what was wrong with them for me.
This is great fun - time after time the authors would throw out an example and I'd think: yep, that one was in book X. Bad characterisation, bad plot devices, bad dialogue, even bad query letters - they're all in here. The humour might get a little tedious for some, since it's all a bit over-the-top...
A light-hearted, funny, and interesting read. A lot of those mistakes I already knew to avoid, but it doesn't matter: this book still allowed me to think about other pitfalls I should keep an eye on. Besides, good advice wrapped in humour and wit always works better for me than pompous utterances.
How Not To Write A Novel is an indispensible gem for aspiring writers. Instead of telling you what to write and how to write it, this book takes you through a variety of mistakes that will lead to editors promptly sending your manuscript to the rejection pile. Not only is it a useful reference point...
I don't know why I find Mittelmark and Newman so entertaining, but they crack me up. My default setting is silliness, and these two are good at silly, while also providing a lot of very helpful information. I loved Read This Next, so I decided to give this one a go, even though I have no intention o...
This was actually a re-read, something I could read in short snatches at work. I'd forgotten how funny it is. Although it's a valuable read for wannabe writers, it's actually a good read for avid readers too. It's a catalogue of all the things that annoy you in books, and though it mentions that fol...
This was an entertaining read, with just about every mistake a would-be author might make provided in amusing sample form. It's mostly for writers who have not read any other books about writing or who have never visited authors' forums, though; all the howlers described here should (hopefully!) be ...
This book was actually a funny and entertaining read, as well as containing many good tips on how to make your novel as unpublishable as humanly possible.
Very funny and also actually good writing guide. I generally hate writing guides but I like this one.
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