Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Starve Better: Surviving the Endless Horror of the Writing Life
by
Nick Mamatas
Starve Better makes no promises of making you a bestselling author. It won't feed aspiring writers' dreams of fame and fortune. This book is about survival: how to generate ideas when you needed them yesterday, dialogue and plot on the quick, and what your manuscript is up against in the slush piles of the world. For non-fiction writers, Starve Better offers writing techni...more
Paperback, 172 pages
Published
May 10th 2011
by Apex Publications
(first published April 24th 2011)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
177)
A guide to the life of a professional writer that's simultaneously funny and no-nonsense - Mamatas writes with a dark, accessible wit, but with little romanticism about the craft or the profession. The book provides practical advice on both fiction writing and non-fiction writing, though the fiction section focuses more on short fiction.
This is the sort of writing advice book I've been seeking for years. Most writing advice books either focus on the basics - to outline or not to outline; how to...more
This is the sort of writing advice book I've been seeking for years. Most writing advice books either focus on the basics - to outline or not to outline; how to...more
Starve Better by Nick Mamatas is a how-to-book for writers wishing to live solely off their words. Now I’ve wasted many hours reading books on how to write-the technical side and the business side and Mamatas is one of the more beneficial guides.
Many of the essays inside cover fiction and explore the mechanics of writing such as revision and story structure. The non-fiction side explains how make money off your words but the truth may not be what you expect. Also, he touches the subject of self-...more
Many of the essays inside cover fiction and explore the mechanics of writing such as revision and story structure. The non-fiction side explains how make money off your words but the truth may not be what you expect. Also, he touches the subject of self-...more
As a writer, I like to read at least a book a year by other writers, writing about writing. A bit circular, but there you go. I find it gives me a bit of perspective on my own approach to listen to others discussing theirs. Consider it the equivalent of water cooler chat at the workplace. Books like this are all a matter of perspective, in a literal sense. They're one person's point of view, usually a tract on 'what works for them'. They're not to be taken as gospel, and the key to a good tome i...more
Apr 02, 2013
David
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
MFAs, guys with laptops at coffee shops, term paper artists
I've read a lot of books about writing. I don't really read the "writer's advice" books anymore, because I don't need help with grammar and punctuation and I don't need to be told why it's bad to start your story with your protagonist waking up from a dream and examining herself in the mirror. But I like reading books by writers about writing. Of course I loved Stephen King's On Writing, and I also liked John Gardner's On Becoming a Novelist, even though if I ever do become a novelist, I'll be n...more
9 likes · like · see review
view all 4 comments
I enjoyed reading this book about ways a writer can make money. The author talks with wit and honesty about his own experiences. Several times, I chuckled about his clever tricks.
However, much of what he did is unethical. Yes, there are ways writers can earn money (for example, by writing students' term papers, and even the papers by which students are assessed for admission to university).
The author reasons that since these scams go on anyway, he might as well be the one who profits.
Much as I e...more
However, much of what he did is unethical. Yes, there are ways writers can earn money (for example, by writing students' term papers, and even the papers by which students are assessed for admission to university).
The author reasons that since these scams go on anyway, he might as well be the one who profits.
Much as I e...more
I’m generally not a big fan of books on writing. Even those books I’ve enjoyed I’ve never really recommended to other writers, as the whole writing process is so individual to any given writer that what I find useful may be worth very little to the next writer. But Starve Better is perhaps the only book on writing I’d unreservedly recommend to any writer. Mamatas brilliantly subverts much of the standard writerly advice out there. He’s unflinching, sometimes cynical, but never anything less than...more
I'd heard of Nick Mamatas before because he's written some novels that I keep thinking I should read, but I hadn't actually checked him out until I bought Starve Better. This is a great little book filled with charm and intelligence, some very sound advice, and enough sarcasm to help the sugar go down (if you know what I mean). What I like most, is that I believe it would be truly useful for a writer just starting out. It's filled with the kind of lessons that most of us only learn the hard way...more
This book is common sense gold nuggets, plucked from the sewers of the writing industry by a wily and resourceful prospector who knows how to make a mean pot of beans. You couldn't ask for a better collection of insight and technique; people waste years of their lives to ferret out even one nugget of wisdom. Most writers haunt the sewers like hungry ghosts, their dreams dying in the gutter.
The author has tackled just about every stream in the tunnels that might pan out, and he shares his results...more
The author has tackled just about every stream in the tunnels that might pan out, and he shares his results...more
Kameron Hurley gave me this book last year, so thank you, Kameron! This book is a fabulous introduction to the real world of publishing. Because Mamatas is so prolific with short stories, he gives them the most time here, but he has plenty to say about other forms as well. If you want to write well, there are plenty of books out there to help you do that (Lamott, King, Zinsser, and of course Strunk and White come to mind). If you want to publish what you write, start here.
I managed to devour this 171 page paperback in one day and really enjoyed it. However, a brief word of warning; don't buy it if you're desperately seeking serious instruction on the craft of writing, because it won't deliver.
What it does is entertain you with a a variety of short essays and humorous aphorisms about the author's experience as a writer.
It's no Bird by Bird, but a definite good read about living the life of a writer. Well worth the $13.95.
What it does is entertain you with a a variety of short essays and humorous aphorisms about the author's experience as a writer.
It's no Bird by Bird, but a definite good read about living the life of a writer. Well worth the $13.95.
The best part of this book is the title, 'Starve Better.' It's brilliant.
The subtitle is: Surviving the Endless Horror of the Writing Life, which succinctly tells you what it's all about.
Any writer, or would be writer, has read a couple of hundred books like this. This is a run-of-the-mill book of this genre, neither startling good nor startling bed, just generally a good read and a lot of good advice.
The subtitle is: Surviving the Endless Horror of the Writing Life, which succinctly tells you what it's all about.
Any writer, or would be writer, has read a couple of hundred books like this. This is a run-of-the-mill book of this genre, neither startling good nor startling bed, just generally a good read and a lot of good advice.
Pragmatic, ascerbic, breezy, snarky.
I dashed through this slender book in a day of very enjoyable reading, often wanting to read the most wittily nasty lines to my partner. Sometime soon I'll need to go back with a highlighter and extract the several nuggets of tough-minded advice I want to bear in mind on future projects.
I dashed through this slender book in a day of very enjoyable reading, often wanting to read the most wittily nasty lines to my partner. Sometime soon I'll need to go back with a highlighter and extract the several nuggets of tough-minded advice I want to bear in mind on future projects.
Excellent book on writing, I really loved the no-nonsense, snarky approach and the focus on genre fiction. He blows the cobwebs off of a lot of the conventional advice mantras and either convinces you they're ridiculous or reworks them to make them better. A fun and quick read with a lot of great information, highly recommended.
I really enjoyed this book. I read writing books like other people read devotionals. This one had the genre angle (scifi/fantasy), some good practical writing advice and some thoughts about creativity. A nice mix, all given with breezy humor which comes from these essays origins in Mamatas' blog.
Probably one of the most practical books on surviving as a writer today. This is a collection of previously published articles and essays covering everything from what an editor looks for in a speculative fiction short story to earning a quick buck writing term papers. I wish I had read this book 8 years ago.
Great to read with Scalzi's "You're Not Fooling Anyone." Mamatas also writes in a direct, no nonsense fashion, but he pursues more the path of an artist, whereas Scalzi is more about making a living as a writer.
This was an engaging read (I read it in one sitting), pretty informative, and somewhat heartbreaking. Oh, and there are some funny bits in there, too.
Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in making money from writing shorter pieces, whether fiction or non-fiction. This book is packed with great advice.
Witty and informative with plenty of hard-fought knowledge for new and experienced writers.
A mix of insight, inspiration, and the occasional wallop to the head. I recommend it.
Dry and pointed observations about craft and the writing life. Recommended.
Every freelance writer needs this book.
Would be writers should definitely give it a read. Dry and witty, it will give those who romanticize the idea of "The Writer" a bit of a perspective adjustment. There's a lot of good solid advice and a bit of humor to be found throughout.
The first half of the book has interesting insights on writing. The second part is more geared at freelancers that want to start writing for money other than fiction. Lots of redundancy in that portion of the book.
Apr 26, 2013
Wong Ting
marked it as to-read
Apr 06, 2013
Oksana
marked it as to-read
Mar 10, 2013
George
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
