Off the Bookshelf: WRITING FICTION FOR ALL YOU'RE WORTH, by James Scott Bell

Don't you looooove January, when you're not only full of resolutions to improve your life, but you still have the energy to follow through? This year, like last year, my resolutions include reading at least one book each week, and clearing off a shelf or two in my to-be-read bookcase. Problem: I have probably twice as many books waiting to be read in e-format as I do in paper ...

WRITING FICTION FOR ALL YOU'RE WORTH not only fulfills my reading goal for the week, but helps me in my quest to keep improving my writing skills, finding new ways to approach the age-old conundrum of just how, exactly, do I write compelling characters, weave intriguing plots, and keep up a pace that makes readers keep turning pages until 2am?

I like Bell's easy-to-read style, his sense of humor, his illustrations, and the fact he comes at it with a common sense attitude. No, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to writing -- at least when it comes to style, voice, the schedule for writing the book, creating characters and situations, descriptions, on and on and on ... but there ARE hard-and-fast rules when it comes to the mechanics. Bell talks about discipline and offers examples of tactics he uses to get the creative juices flowing, how to figure out what you want to do, and avoid what doesn't work. I like the little exercises/checklists at the end of each section to sort of remind readers what they just learned. What's intriguing is that his book is lifted from his writing blog ... which means there's a lot more where that came from. Gotta check it out one of these days, for new insights. Or read his other writing books.

Lots more wisdom and guidance where that came from. After I get a few dozen more books off my to-be-read list ...