Wes Locher's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"

Carolyn Howard-Johnson knows a thing or two about book promotion. Having published many books, columns, and articles across many genres, she tends to know what she's talking about. Even though some of the information and website links are now dated, the number one thing I loved about this book was that it didn't talk down to you.

While in the process of publishing my humor book, I read as many self-marketing resources as I could get my hands on. I kept running across positive reviews ...more Carolyn Howard-Johnson knows a thing or two about book promotion. Having published many books, columns, and articles across many genres, she tends to know what she's talking about. Even though some of the information and website links are now dated, the number one thing I loved about this book was that it didn't talk down to you.

While in the process of publishing my humor book, I read as many self-marketing resources as I could get my hands on. I kept running across positive reviews of The Frugal Book Promoter so I knew I had to pick it up.

It's not one of those books that tells you to go out and find an agent and promises you all the success in the world. It tells you the steps that you can take all by yourself in order to achieve the success you desire... you just have to be willing to do the hard work. Sure, it gives you the knowledge to find an agent who might help you reach your goals, but doesn't recognize it as the only option.

I tabbed sections of this book as I went along so that after finishing it I could easily go back and find techniques that I wanted to try. By the time I finished the book, I easily had over 50 tabs stuffed into the pages. I've been working my way back through and putting some of her ideas into practice. While I haven't made a million dollars and I'm not yet rubbing elbows with Oprah, I have seen some promotional campaigns turn into book sales.

There were a couple of other marketing/promotion books that I read prior to this one and in retrospect, I wish this had been the first thing I read since some of those other books assume you are working in a particular genre, or assume that you have a couple thousand dollars to drop on making posters and bookmarks. This book is completely focused on how to save money and requires no previous knowledge or experience.

If you're serious about your book's future, then you won't regret picking up Carolyn's book. She wants to help you. She wants you to succeed. She doesn't see you as competition. She knows we're all in this together.

And Here's the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on their Craft and the Industry by Mike Sacks


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Mike Sacks's And Here's the Kicker, was a wonderful read. I had trouble putting it down and I was late for work several times because of it.

I purchased this mainly for the interviews with Sedaris, Barry, and Handey, as they were the humorists closest to my personal style but all the comedians and writers interviewed provided great insight and knowledge into the craft. As has been said in several reviews of this wonderful book, you may not recognize all of the names that emblazon the cover, however, you will definitely be familiar with their work.

The interviewer asked a lot of great questions and allowed his subjects to display their humor all while providing insight into their backgrounds and helping the reader to figure out what makes a comedy writer tick. I was able to benefit from not only a lot of insider knowledge, but found out about some great new authors and books in the process.

It's reassuring to know that most comedy writers suffered the same horrible high school years that I did, and that comedy writing is not something that can be taught in a college course or bought with tuition dollars. Either you have it or you don't. And if you have it... it's up to you to use it.

If you're curious about the world of humor writing, or looking to break in, this will be a helpful piece of reference.

View all my reviews >>

A Writer's Time: Making the Time to Write by Kenneth Atchity


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Kenneth Atchity has released a good reference book for would-be writers. I can best sum up the goal of this book with the following sentence: "For people who want to write, but have too many excuses as to why they can't."

Not being one of those people, I didn't take a lot from the motivational side of things, however, the author has good suggestions for time management that will help people prioritize and get started on that novel that they've been dreaming about writing. In the end, Atchity just wants to help you succeed and that's always a good bottom line for any self-help book.

The book is a bit dated in some of it's information, for instance, the computer (word processor) is a new tool to the author, and he recommends filing systems for papers and manuscripts where nowadays we tend to keep and file things electronically.

He outlines a beginner's process to writing fiction and non-fiction novels and good ways to collect and prepare information. There is also a helpful section for those particularly interested in screenplays.

My favorite sections were the first - in which he explains the thought process behind writing and how different parts of your brain work together to come up with ideas and how the best ideas are chosen and applied to the current work. I'd always realized these processes existed, but he was able to provide terms for these processes that make describing and understanding them much easier. I also took a lot from the section regarding publishing and how to submit manuscripts and what editors may be looking for, though I'm not sure how much of this information is still relevant seeing as how we are in an age of new information.

I would definitely recommend this book to new writers who can easily get frustrated when dealing with writer's block as Atchity's tips will help them understand the human mind and overcome the mental blocks they put in place for themselves.

Though not all sections included pertained to my methods or genres of writing, there's a lot of good insight and information from someone who has spent years and years in the writing industry and we should never stop learning and always be willing to take the advice of others. Especially those who are more experienced and successful than ourselves.

View all my reviews >>

A Writer's Space: Make Room to Dream, to Work, to Write by Eric Maisel


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
My main motivation for picking up Eric Maisel's A Writer's Space was because I had recently moved into a new home and was having some trouble setting up my home office to be a comfortable environment in which to write in. This book had a lot of helpful advice on how to set up a good area for yourself where you can be creative and the good energy can flow.

The rest of he chapters on this book deal with mental and meta-physical "spaces" which went a little deeper than what I was looking for. Near the end of the book, Maisel gets into some crazy existential stuff that might make your head hurt. I just write funny stories, so it was a little too deep for my profession. Since it's a small book, I powered through it all, never wanting to pass up good writing advice. But in the end, the target market for this book is people who want to write, but have a million excuses not to do so. It's about centering yourself, making the time to write, and then creating the book or novel you've been dreaming about. There is a lot of good advice within the pages and were I weighed down with a serious case of writers block then this would be a helpful volume to have handy.

The author does a good job of encouraging the reader to do the writing and remains helpful and supportive throughout. He covers tips for both fiction and non-fiction, so any future author can take something from reading this small, yet very inspirational book. Want to write, but unsure of how to get started? Then I highly recommend this book to you! If you're looking for some very deep writing on existential concepts, then oddly enough, you'll find those here as well.

View all my reviews >>

On Writing by Stephen King


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I grew up reading Stephen King books but as my taste in books changed he dropped off my radar. Imagine my surprise ten years later when I discovered that one of my early writing heroes had written a book on the craft!

This isn't your average book about writing. Think of it as The Elements of Style but... entertaining. King's writing rules aren't the law but simply suggestions from a (bestselling) author containing tips and tricks that he had learned over the years that he's been in the business.

Since King is a fiction author most of his advice falls into that genre but a lot of his rules can be applied to non-fiction as well. Regardless of what you're writing I promise that you'll be learning and be highly entertained in the process.

The first half of this book is a memoir that highlights points in Stephen's life that he attributes to making him the writer he is today. If you're a fan of his work as I am then you will find this section interesting of it's own merit and more than likely appreciate his work on a deeper level. You don't need to be familiar with his books in order to enjoy this one, but I promise you'll want to give some of hem a read (or re-read) by the time you are done. You may see a lot of yourself in his memoirs or you might have grown through a very different path but it will have you examining yourself and what brought you to the point of being a writer. Hearing about King's rejections and successes will motivate you to be persistent and not give up. (As if that was ever an option, right?)

The second half of this book hits on his tips and tricks whether hat be finding a good place to write, finding your muse, when to write with the "door open," and when to keep it closed. He shares his thoughts on how to build a writer's toolbox (along with what tools should be inside), and how to draw inspiration out of everything you do, see, or hear.

King uses a ton of examples from other works, both classic and lesser known, pointing out strengths and weaknesses in all. You'll be surprised to find out which classic books he believes to be rubbish!

If read and absorbed correctly you'll start reading with a keen eye while examining the structures, dialog, themes, and details that make great books truly great.

If you're not a writer you can enjoy this book (it DID hit the bestseller list, after all), but if you are out to learn and study the form, King's real world advice will be priceless knowledge.

Highly recommended reading, and I'm sure it will find a permanent spot on your reference shelf right next to Strunk and White.

View all my reviews >>