Book Review: Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Writing by Randy C Dockens and Robert Irvin

 

The authors of this book explain what they wished they had known when they began their writing journeys: rules are made to be broken, but with purposeful intent, and you, not the rules, are what makes your stories unique from all others. 

Title: Mastering the ABCs of Excellent WritingAuthor: Randy C. Dockens & Robert Irving

Publication Date: April 4, 2024

Pages: 250Genre: Fiction Writing Reference/Authorship/Writing Skill Reference

The authors of this book (one a writer/author; one an editor) explain what they wished they had known when they began their writing journeys. This book will speed up your writing proficiency and aid your goal of being published with excellent material your readers will enjoy.

Why this book on writing? There are two things we learned the hard way and want you to gather the easy way. One, rules are made to be broken—but you want to break them only with intentional purpose. And two, you, not the rules, are what make your stories, your writing, unique from all others.

We cover various writing techniques and how to make your writing something readers will keep enjoying, but we also help you with the artistic side of writing, meaning what’s inside you, your writing technique, and your brand.

This easy-to-enjoy manual is written in a unique alphabetical style, filled with tips and extra-information boxes at the end of each chapter, and has a number of helpful additions following the final chapter.

Buy Links:

Amazon | Randy Dockens Bookstore

Book Excerpt:

There are many books on writing, so why another one?

What I (Randy) discovered as I began my writing journey was that knowing the rules and applying the rules are not necessarily the same thing. You’ve heard the expression: rules were made to be broken. Well, that is certainly true when writing a book. I wish someone had told me this truth in the beginning. In this book, we aim to tell you some important rules, but just as importantly, we aim to tell you when they can be (gently) broken.

The other thing missing from so many books on writing is you. You are what makes your stories, your writing, unique from all others. We want you to include you in your writing. So we’re giving you what we (Randy as an author, and Bob as an editor) wished we had known and understood when we started our writing journeys. Much of what we say in this book will benefit fiction writers, but almost all aspects can benefit nonfiction writers as well. 

If you master everything in this book, will you have a best-seller and start grossing a six-figure income from your books? Unfortunately, no one can guarantee that, and in truth, the answer is likely no. (Books of material have been written on this topic, and a common theory is that it takes seven published books before you begin to make some solid money. That, though, is just a rule of thumb, and maybe that rule also is meant to be broken—or at least bent some—by you.)

If you want to be classified as a good writer and want those who read your work to enjoy your books, then we think this book can help. While there are a lot of science and writing techniques that go into a good piece of literature, there is an art element that is also an integral part of its creation. That’s why no two authors produce identical works. You can give two authors the same story outline and come away with two pieces of literature that have a different twist and may even go in entirely different directions.

The science of the writing, like most of what is in this book, is a key part of that output, but so is the individual creativity of the mind of the author as well. This book will help you with the first part—and hopefully spur you a bit onward in the second. Your imagination is truly the only thing that can help or limit you with that second aspect, however. We aim to assist you with that second part with the lessons in this book. We want this book to help inspire your creativity. These two aspects of writing—given care, diligence, and passion—together will make you an unstoppable force. We hope this book can be an integral part of your journey.

Also, this book cannot contain everything you need to know or will need to learn. Yet it will get you started on the right foot and, we think, save you a great deal of time and effort in what you need to know to produce a quality piece of literature from the outset.

In the end, nothing meaningful from your wonderful mind gets on anyone’s reading stand or nightstand unless you the writer write it. So it starts with writing. And that’s what this book is about. 

My Review: Mastering the ABCs of ExcellentWriting is the result of a collaboration between Randy C. Dockens, an author,and Robert Irvin, an editor, writer, and author. Their aim is to help authorscreate ‘vivid and colorful stories readers want to read.’ They do not promisethat reading their book and implementing the advice will result in a bestsellerand a six-figure income, but they can promise you will be all the better forabsorbing and implementing their sound advice. I am an established author indifferent genres, and I can assure readers this is true. I was very impressedby this book and here is why. The authors are honest and do not make falseclaims or promises. As they point out, each writer is unique and should play totheir own strengths. However, doing this in conjunction with establishedindustry high standards will make for a better book and hence better results.Any author/writer must do their own heavy lifting, but it is much easier if onehas excellent tools/techniques to help. Here is where Dockens and Irvin comein.

Writing tips and advice is a vastsubject to cover and this could end up with the reader floundering between theAbyss of Adverbs and the Tempest of Tenses. Dockens and Irvin have come up witha cute trick: the topics are arranged alphabetically which makes it fun to read(no, really, it does) and easy to locate the area where one is weakest. Info boxesat the end of each chapter give tips from both authors. The wealth ofinformation is shared in a down-to-earth, conversational, and positive tonewith both authors participating and this format works very well. The readerfeels the issues facing them as a potential author are not insurmountable, andthey feel in safe hands. Dockens and Irvin also give several appendices withrefences/end notes to other books and sites readers can visit. This book is areal treasure trove of vital information for both the seasoned author and thenovice writer. I highly recommend it and will most certainly be using it tobrush up on my own writing skills! Five stars!

About the Authors

Dr. Randy C. Dockens has afascination with science and with the Bible, holds Ph.D. degrees in both areas, and is a man not only of faith and science, but also ofcreativity. He believes that faith and science go hand in hand withoutbeing enemies of each other.

After completing his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Auburn University he went on to graduate school atAuburn and completed his first doctorate degree in Pharmaceutics. Hebegan his scientific career as a pharmacokinetic reviewer for the Foodand Drug Administration and later joined a leading pharmaceuticalcompany as a pharmacokineticist, which is a scientist who analyzes howthe human body affects drugs after they have been administered (i.e,absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted).

Through the years, he has worked onpotential medicines within several disease areas, includingcardiovascular, fibrosis, and immunoscience to seek and develop new andnovel medicines in these therapy areas.

He has also had his attention on theacademic study of the Bible. He earned a second doctorate in BiblicalProphecy from Louisiana Baptist University after receiving a master’sdegree in Jewish Studies from the Internet Bible Institute under thetutelage of Dr. Robert Congdon.

Randy has recently retired from hispharmaceutical career and is spending even more time on his writingefforts. He has written several books that span dystopian, end-timeprophecy, science fiction, and uniquely told Bible stories. All hisbooks, while fun to read, are futuristic, filled with science to givethem an authentic feel, have a science fiction feel to them, and allowsone to learn some aspect of Biblical truth one may not have thoughtabout before. This is all done in a fast-paced action format that isboth entertaining and provides a fun read for his readers.

He has also written some nonfictionbooks as well. One is to show how all humans are connected from God’sviewpoint by looking at biblical prophecy. This book shows how allscripture is connected and inclusive of everyone. In addition, he andhis editor have written a book about writing. This book not onlyaddresses the techniques of writing, but what makes writing unique toeach author. It conveys not only how to better hone one’s craft ofwriting but also the brand an author wants to portray. This helps anauthor make their writing unique as well as captivating for his/heraudience. A companion book to this one regarding self-editing techniques will also soon be available.

You can visit Randy’s website at www.randydockens.com. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram.

Robert Irvin has been aprofessional writer and editor for his entire adult life. He started injournalism and worked in all levels of newspaper reporting and editing,from the proverbial cub reporter to bureau chief, night city deskeditor, and newsroom editor. Under his leadership, the Middletown (Ohio) Journal won several top state newspaper placements in 2003-2004. He has written award-winning pieces for several magazines.

In 2005 he chose publishing and wentto Standard Publishing (Cincinnati) where he worked with authors fromacross the nation and internationally on youth ministry materials forthe former Christian-based publisher, which had a rich history servingAmerican and Canadian churches dating to 1869. In 2011, Robert wentindependent. He helped develop a homeschool curriculum site for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine during a two-year period in which he worked for this trailblazing homeschoolorganization. He does the majority of his work with Christian BookServices. He has ghostwritten long portions of books for authors andentire books for a World War II veteran’s memoirs (written 2013-2015 atage 89-91!) and a former NFL quarterback’s story of mentoring his highschool football star son.

Robert has edited virtually every type of book, from business to novels to theology to sports to memoirs toabuse survival stories, and much more. His credits include scores ofbooks. He has spoken at or served as faculty at various writingconferences.

He enjoys family, running, theoutdoors, bad golf (like many, he has the bug, which just won’t goaway), a heated game of Scrabble, virtually any sport, and reading anybook that even remotely interests him.

Robert has a BA from Ohio State University in Journalism. He and wife Joan have four children. Reach Bob at bobirvin642@gmail.com.

Visit him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bobjoan.irvin/ and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobirvin31/.

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