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270th out of 394 books
—
109 voters
Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel
by
Cathy Yardley (Goodreads Author)
* What is Chick Lit exactly?
* How do I write a Chick Lit novel?
* What are the steps I need to take to get published?
Once dismissed as a fad by the popular press and literary community, the women's fiction genre called Chick Lit is now one of the hottest growing markets for new writers. In Will Write for Shoes, veteran Chick Lit and romance author Cathy Yardley addresses th
...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
September 5th 2006
by Thomas Dunne Books
(first published 2006)
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I've read dozens of writing books over the years (maybe even a hundred) and this is one of the very few that actually helped me. I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to structure a book, not just chick lit but any book. Cathy Yardley offers up a "map" that is extremely useful for finding your way through mess of a first draft.
just like the title says: a basic how-to on writing a chick lit novel. i picked it up out of idle curiosity & found it far more helpful than i ever would have imagined. there's a lot solid advice in here for writing just about any kind of fiction. i especially appreciated the insights on pacing & outlining a plot. it sounds like cathy yardley & i are of one mind when it comes to compulsive writerly habits, & i really enjoyed reading about her process, even though i have never rea...more
The only thing I wasn't fully on board with was the definition of Chick Lit. Even though Yardley herself admitted that traditional Chick Lit was not the only type, she kept coming back to the definition of looking for boyfriend in a fast-paced urban setting.
Other than that, the book reads like a dream. What kind of character can you have? What is plot? How do you outline? What if you don't want to outline? How should your setting interplay with the other elements of your story? She also include...more
Other than that, the book reads like a dream. What kind of character can you have? What is plot? How do you outline? What if you don't want to outline? How should your setting interplay with the other elements of your story? She also include...more
I work with authors across multiple genres guiding them in writing and publishing. I picked up this book as research for a client. At first it was jolly! Easy to read and a Chick Lit tone that amused. But this became tiresome in the context of a guidebook. Lots of references to other people's writing but very few examples. This is indeed a guide book as it tells you where to go to get the information you might need for crafting your Chick Lit novel but it is very thin on writing content examples...more
This book has some good information about writing Chick Lit, but much of it is standard advice of writing books. A good half of the book is on publishing, and not on writing, so I think some of this could have been referred out to other resources in favor of a deeper treatment of writing specifically chick lit. For example, the types of Chick Lit were summarized in a couple pages, but there was a whole chapter on querying. While the advice is fair for querying specifically chick lit, the book ti...more
Just so you know, the full title of romance author Cathy Yardley’s how-to book is Will Write for Shoes: How to Write A Chick Lit Novel . Does it strike you as odd that I would read such a book? It shouldn’t – especially if you’ve already read my novel GUESTLIST.
In the weeks leading up to GUESTLIST’s release, whenever most people asked what genre it would fall into, I would say, without hesitation, “chick lit.” That response was usually followed by a look of utter perplexity.
But think about it....more
While the title suggests that this book is aimed at Chick Lit writes exclusively, I found it to be a helpful resource for writing in general. The overall feel of this book is light hearted and breezy, yet manages to pack in pleanty of good sound advice and helpful tips both for getting your story writen and getting it published.
I was really getting into the whole reading about the craft of writing a novel, when it seemed to abruptly shift to the whole business side of things - getting an agent and so forth. Plenty of good info and her mind seems to work the same way as mine - just a bit light on. Am now on the look-out for a more comprehensive guide - perhaps the Weekend Novelist, which she refers to.
The chick lit history and trends part was quite interesting and fun. The guide for writing didn't give me anything really new. The breaking into the market part was not really useful for anybody outside the US.
A quick read. Writer primer: if you don't get the concept of voice, read this next to another how-to-write-a-novel book and note the differences.
Had some good info on finding an agent and a lot of resources. Seemed to primarily take material from other sources, such as "the weekend novelist"
Excellent. Don't be put off by the cover, it is a real professional how-to book.
A bit of a review is on my blog www.nicolesnoggin.blogspot.com
Pretty good basic structure to get an outline started.
This book is awesome for those who have the dream of becoming a chick lit author - a guilty pleasure of mine! Such a good resource book and also has tips on writing groups and basic plot outlines for any type of novel. Thanks Lynn for this recommendation!
Only gave this book 1 star because i dont know why i read it. i am not planning on writing a chic lit book or any book for that matter. there were some good references to books in there that i might pick up and read.
I loved this and it was incredibly insightful! Loved it as an author.
Goodreads needs a category for "I skimmed it." Knew I wasn't writing Chick Lit and confirmed this fact after skimming the first few pages. It's probably a great resource for someone who is.
I liked this book a lot. Even though I am not a chick-lit fan, per se, this has a lot of good advice for those looking to write a novel.
I share some tips from the book here:
http://blog.liviablackburne.com/2009/...
http://blog.liviablackburne.com/2009/...
Jan 08, 2008
Jillian
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Aspiring writers-especially chick lit. once they are ready to get serious.
This book really has helped me a great deal get organized with my writing.
Jan 08, 2008
Maria
marked it as to-read
I'll write for shoes! (And socks.)
so far, useful.
May 21, 2013
Emilie
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2013
Claudie Muchindu
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2013
Carolyn Aspenson
marked it as to-read
May 06, 2013
Hind Khalid
marked it as to-read
Apr 16, 2013
Stacy
marked it as to-read
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A few random facts about me:
I am a fiction addict.
I love J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts, Jim Butcher, J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, Stephen King, Jennifer Crusie, Marian Keyes, J.K. Rowling, and a slew of other authors.
I have been known to stay up all night to finish a new novel. I don't so much read as devour.
I am an out of...more
More about Cathy Yardley...
I am a fiction addict.
I love J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts, Jim Butcher, J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, Stephen King, Jennifer Crusie, Marian Keyes, J.K. Rowling, and a slew of other authors.
I have been known to stay up all night to finish a new novel. I don't so much read as devour.
I am an out of...more
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Dec 11, 2008 01:45pm
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