The Kick-Ass Writer: 1001 Ways to Write Great Fiction, Get Published, and Earn Your Audience

by Chuck Wendig

The journey to become a successful writer is long, fraught with peril, and filled with difficult How do i write dialogue? How do I build suspense? What should I know about query letters? Where do I start?

The best way to answer these questions is to ditch your uncertainty and transform yourself into a KICK-ASS writer. Chuck Wendig will show you how with an explosive broadside of gritty advice that will destroy your fears, clear the path, and help you find your voice, your story, and your audience.

You'll explore the fundamentals of writing, learn how to obtain publication, and master the skills you need to build an army of dedicated fans. No task is too large or small for the kick-ass writer. With his trademark acerbic wit and gut-punch humor, Wendig will How to build suspense, craft characters, and defeat writer's block. How to write a scene, an ending--even a sentence. Blogging techniques, social media skills, and crowdfunding. How to write a query letter, talk to agents, and deal with failure--and success! Whether you're just starting out or you need one more push to get you over the top, two things are certain--a kick-ass writer never quits, and Chuck Wendig won't let you down in this high-octane guide to becoming the writer you were born to be!

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Crafts, Humor, Audiobook, How To

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2013

About the author

Chuck Wendig is a novelist, a screenwriter, and a freelance penmonkey.
He has contributed over two million words to the roleplaying game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP).

He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is a fellow of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter's Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, will show at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producer Ted Hope.

Chuck's novel Double Dead will be out in November, 2011.

He's written too much. He should probably stop. Give him a wide berth, as he might be drunk and untrustworthy. He currently lives in the wilds of Pennsyltucky with a wonderful wife and two very stupid dogs. He is represented by Stacia Decker of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

You can find him at his website, terribleminds.com.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in my Kindle Unlimited Experiment. For the 30 day trial, I'm only reading books that are part of the program and keeping track what the total cost of the books would have been.

The Kick-Ass Writer is a collection of 1001 writing tips, broken down into 31 lists of 25 items each. I do realize that doesn't quite add up to 1001 but it's still a lot tips.

Here are the contents:
- 25 things you should know about being a writer
- 25 questions to ask as you write
- 25 things I want to say to so-called "aspiring" writers
- 25 things you should know about writing a novel
- 25 ways to be a better writer
- 25 things writers should stop doing
- 25 things you should know about writing horror
- 25 ways to defeat writer's block
- 25 ways to plot, plan, and prep your story
- 25 things you should know about character
- 25 things you should know about description
- 25 things you should know about writing a goddamn sentence
- 25 things you should know about plot
- 25 things you should know about narrative
- 25 things you should know about protagonists
- 25 things you should know about setting
- 25 things you should know about suspense and tension in storytelling
- 25 things you should know about theme
- 25 things you should know about writing a scene
- 25 things you should know about dialogue
- 25 things you should know about endings
- 25 things you should know about editing, revising, and rewriting
- 25 things you should know about getting published
- 25 things you should know about agents
- 25 things you should know about queries
- 25 things you should know about self-publishing
- 25 things you should know about blogging
- 25 things you should know about social media
- 25 things you should know about crowdfunding
- 25 things ways to earn your audience
- 25 things you should know about hybrid authors

There's a lot of useful tips contained in this book but writing, much like photography, is very much a "learn by doing" kind of activity. Still, Wendig dispenses some useful advice leavened with humor. Quite a bit of it feels recycled from his other writing books, though. Probably 80% of it. Considering how many writing books he has in print, I guess I shouldn't be this surprised. However, there's a lot of repetition between the individual topics as well. The most useful tips were in the writing horror section and the topics related to publishing.

while I'm a tremendous Chuck Wendig fan, I don't think I'll be pickign up any more of his writing books. The humor isn't enough to make me forget I've read most of this before. 2 out of 5 stars.

Current Kindle Unlimited Savings Total: $25.73.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book is like being cornered in a bar by some scary biker dude who is babbling advice at you in numbered bullet points. His language is filthy, his breath reeks and he is scaring the hell out of you, but you are stunned to realize that what he's saying makes sense.

It's like that.

[Aerin O'Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dithered a bit between three and four stars on this. Oh half-star, how I long for your elusive, intermediate embrace.

Here's the thing: Chuck Wendig is undoubtedly a fantastic writer, one of my favorite people working today. He has a fantastic gift for language, and a refreshingly clear-eyed and honest view of the industry. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he Knows His Stuff.

My issue is the format. The book mainly consists of various 25 Things pieces taken from his blog at terribleminds.com. The listicle is a great way to break up often complicated and nuanced issues so that they can be more easily understood. But it gets repetitive. And redundant. And repetitive. It's not a concern for online content, especially when you're only seeing one a week, but it makes the book a little difficult. I found myself reading only a few sections at a time and then having to put it down. The lists also frequently cover the same territory, especially at the beginning. There's only so much you can say about "writing" in the abstract, you know?

When advising a fledgling writer or an old hand looking to hone their craft, I will absolutely point them in Wendig's direction. But I'm probably more inclined to direct them to his blog--or better yet, to his novels so they can see him in action--than to this particular volume.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chuck Wendig dispenses 1001 tips on how to write stuff and not be a dick online. I've not read any of his other work, not even been intrigued by it but he's one of these new, interesting authors (self described as a hybrid) who function in multiple mediums and aren't afraid to self-publish, give stuff away for free or interact with the world as somebody who loves to put words on the page and as such he seemed like somebody whose pennyworth was worth a few hours of my time. AND THEY WERE! If only all authors were this interesting and obviously decent as a human being. His enthusiasm for his craft shines through and his willingness to pass on the hard learned facts of life as an author in the modern world to all of us wannabe wordsmiths should be lauded. Yes, I feel encouraged to write, enthused by my ongoing attempts to avoid procrastination and had my life choices affirmed by somebody who has made similar choices work for them. Who wouldn't be impressed by such a work? But also I was quite entertained by his particular brand of explanation, the many references to donkey sperm and geriatric sex dungeons. So, educational and entertaining combine to form one of the more interesting books for struggling writers as far as I'm concerned and if he gets a bit repetitive, what do you expect from 1001 tips anyway and if you know it all already, then surely you should feel ready to get out there and offer your creative concoction to the world in one of the many ways discussed within. WIN!

[Melanie R Meadors · Rating 5 out of 5]

This writing book is prophetic!!

You can use this book in many different ways. First, the normal way. Read it from cover to cover. You'll definitely want to do that because this baby is FULL of excellent writing advice presented in an entertaining yet oddly motivating fashion. I love Chuck's voice. He seems to say the things I need to hear in the way I need to hear them. Every aspect of writing that I could think of (inspiration, plot, theme, character, querying, websites, marketing...) is covered in this book in easily digestible nuggets.

The second way you could use this book? Well, that's when he get into the metaphysical. Close your eyes and open the book to any random page. ANY. Jab your finger down and read that passage. IT WILL APPLY TO YOUR PROBLEM. Chuck's book will change the way you not only write, but live your life. Read the words behind the words...it's deep, man. Actually, it's even MORE helpful to do this when you are stuck with your story, because even when the advice doesn't apply to the exact problem you think you have, somehow thinking about these small chunks of info is enough to get things moving again in unexpected ways.

In all seriousness, this book, well, kicks ass. It's equal parts funny, inspiring, and instructional. It'll get your writing engines rolling, and kick your career into high gear. So what are you waiting for?

[Zora · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you read his blog, you know what you'll be getting. If adolescent male humor isn't your thing, you should avoid. (I myself like the occasional **** joke, so that wasn't my complaint with it.)

The problem is, it's just not very useful information. I compare it to my favorite how-to writing books (Swain, Bickham, McKee), and it looks like pretty weak tea in comparison. I'm not disagreeing with the advice, which is largely correct. (Yes, do write every day.) It's just not precise advice. This book is like having a buddy come to your race-walk marathon and yell "go, go!" at you. That's nice and all...but it's not a fraction as useful as having a coach tell you how the placement of your foot could be adjusted to improve your time.

[Wayne Marinovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kick-ass indeed.

One of the best writers / publishing guides I have read in the last 24 months. Great little tit-bits of information laced with a clearly disturbed sense of humour

If you don't like a little cursing or references to your pink naughty bits. You might get sidetracked from the insightful advice Mr Wendig shares. Shelve your prudishness and learn with a laugh..

[Elena · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was so try-hard. PLEASE DUDE, NO MORE TORTURED OVERLY SPECIFIC CULTURAL REFERENCES AND METAPHORS AND LONG STRINGS OF POINTLESS ADJECTIVES INVOLVING ANIMALS AND EVISCERATING. like the advice was solid I GUESS but for god's sake, the writing. the writing was so bad.

also, a book published in the year of our lord 2k13 should not have a reference to an "alien squaw" in it. nope nope nope

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

In addition to being a fine author of urban fantasy and near-future YA dystopian epics, Chuck Wendig offers advice on writing via his blog (www.terribleminds.com). His posts on "25 Things"--covering topics from 25 things to know about protagonists to 25 ways to keep your death-spiraling novel from hitting a city full of innocent citizens (okay, I made that one up)-- are pithy, insightful and sometimes NSFW.

That said, they are some of the best writing advice out there. THE KICK-ASS WRITER collects a huge number of these, plus more never-before-seen, and presents them to YOU, O writer, for your edification and delight.

I've read a LOT of books on writing over the years, some from name authors and some from writing coaches. Chuck's stuff is fantastic. It is advice you can apply to your work immediately, it is stuff to take to heart because it is not abstract and theoretical-- it is "here's what's going on and here's how you think about and/or fix it" which is what most of us want.

So do yourself a favor and buy it.

[Jorge Rodighiero · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised about how little useful information I got from this book. It has some good tips, maybe 10, but all the countless others are repetitive and redundant.
As someone else said in the reviews, this may be caused because he forced himself to find 25 things to talk about in each section, when fewer would have been ok for that particular section.
What it quickly got repetitive too was the humor, that tried to be "radical" or something, but it got teenager-y very quickly.

[Nick Wisseman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chuck Wendig’s The Kick-Ass Writer: 1001 Ways to Write Great Fiction, Get Published, & Earn Your Audience won’t change your writing life. But there are some useful tips inside, and at some point, he’ll make you laugh out loud.

As the subtitle suggests, The Kick-Ass Writer is written in list format: each chapter (originally a blog post) contains 25 rapid-fire pieces of advice about a given topic. This approach results in some repetition, and prevents Wendig from doing deep dives or providing detailed examples; I would have preferred a more focused edition—maybe “101 Ways to Write Great Fiction.”

But because Wendig isn’t beholden to any single model of writing, he happily pulls from multiple theories, all while hammering home the point that there’s no one right way. “These are not regulations,” he says in the introduction. The Kick-Ass Writer is just a “bucket of ideas that serve as tools. And not every tool is meant for every job. And not every craftsman finds the value in every tool.” It’s a refreshing perspective; too many books about writing come off as narrow-minded.

Wendig is also a pretty funny dude. Sometimes it feels like he’s trying too hard—I’m not sure I needed a joke in every paragraph—but at his best, he reminds me of a novel-writing version of The Oatmeal. If you’re up for an irreverent take on the craft and business of writing, you could certainly do worse.

(For more reviews like this one, go to www.nickwisseman.com)

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always take the same attitude toward books on business and/or writing. Take what you like and leave the rest. The same advice applies here.

Chuck Wendig clearly knows what he's talking about. His advice is sound, couched in humor (sometimes of a more R-rated variety), and actionable ... even if I don't care for his digs at Smashwords (which is one of those things I'll be ignoring).

Anyway, authors at any level of production will find something useful here, but the book is clearly aimed at those who are getting their first manuscript together. I found the sections on marketing and promotion most helpful at my level of production.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some useful points in this book and plenty of good advice, but the format of the book means it doesn't work well as a cover-to-cover read. Reading endless lists can get tedious, especially since the entire book is formatted that way.

Each section of the book is split into a list of 25 writing tips, each one pertaining to a certain aspect of writing - worldbuilding, for example, or publishing, or writing for particular genres, such as Horror. The lists are also interspersed with Chuck's own brand of humour - which probably wouldn't be for everyone and again, definitely gets tedious when you're reading it for pages and pages at a time. There are only so many jokes about bestiality and getting high off printer ink that I can handle, and after a certain point it started to get irritating. Don't get me wrong, I understand the reasoning behind it - intersperse your advice with humour to keep the reader interested, and on their toes. It makes sense, but unfortunately didn't work particularly well with the format, and the jokes started to seem kind of repetitive after a while.

The most useful part of this book for me was the section that talked about different methods of publishing. So many writers seem reluctant to talk about the process of getting published, but Chuck went in-depth into all the subjects that strike fear into a writer's heart (or this particular writer's heart, in any case.) Agents! Query letters! Marketing! Rejection!! Crowdfunding, self-publishing, social media - this was the kind of information I wanted and I can imagine I'll return to the book quite often to reread this segment, as it was the most interesting to me - and also the most useful.

Writing as a craft is difficult to teach, and something that's hard to learn without doing. I respect Chuck's attempt to give writing advice in this way, and he definitely had some valid points, but the format spoiled it a little for me. I'd recommend reading this in chunks, as and when you need advice on certain aspects of writing, rather than reading it cover to cover the way I did.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, honesty being the best policy, even though I get the feeling Mr Wendig might beat the crap out of me for it, here goes.

This is a good book, but it's not the book you think you're buying.

If you're an aspiring writer and are on the constant hunt for that elusive book to transform you into a god of wordsmithery, or even just help you be a little better at it, this is not it. There is a lot of valuable insight in this book, although a lot of it will be common sense to you if you're already deep in the word-mines, but there will certainly be titbits you'd not considered before.

The problem with offering teachings in the way this book lays it out is that it's a scattergun approach. There are 1001 bullet points, each a paragraph, peppered with almost as many bad puns, making it impossible to retain the information given. You really need a narrative flow to activate your memory, at least most of us do, it's like trying to learn the alphabet from a jumble of random letters instead of from A to Z. Not impossible perhaps, but bloody hard work.

The man knows his stuff, I'll give you that, but still, I think this is more a book of entertainment for those who like to write, than tutelage to make you better at it.

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chuck Wendig is the guy I turn to on Twitter to make me laugh. He always, always, always has a funny antidote, or a way to keep me motivated to write. Or makes fun of himself by illustrating how hard writing can be on a daily basis. This book is just a longer version of that.....very funny antidotes, references to aliens or otherwise, that points out various ways writers fall into traps while attempting a novel or other pieces of writing.

Case in point: One of his recent TWEETs: "Writing and making stuff and being creative can feel lonely and the path to success is a janky-ass-cliff-side trail with rough winds and storms and, I dunno, violent puffins, so its good to not have to do it ALL alone, is what I'm saying. Leave a light on for those still coming."

Amen brother.


Much of his information is something I've already learned or knew, but to steal from another reviewer, it's much like your favorite middle school soccer coach screaming from the sidelines, yelling at you to "knock it off," or "good job buddy! You just need to keep moving forward."

Even if occasionally, or more than occasionally, he makes references to vomiting, non-existent creatures or zombies.

[Nicolás Pinto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful advises, writing with an entertaining voice. Although they are not so new if you already read some 'more famous' book about writing. As I said on the updates, is not the WHAT but the HOW the advises are given: is like a soccer coach just bumping you out with enthusiasm and decision about write and care about what you are doing.

The key part is about The Hybrid Author: the one who can save the worl... No, that's not it. Oh, I know! The one who can do everything and everywhere: self publish, traditional publish, blog and so on. Never stop trying.

I recommend specially to the writers that has some lower moments, to recharge and go back to work with full motivation.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Ben Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good advice and honest expectations. I love Chuck Wendig as an author, and this non-fiction title offered the same witty sense of humor I’ve come to expect from his fiction. Would recommend.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a book to sit down and read cover to cover. This collection of lists of "25 Things" is a good kick in the pants when you need a quick bit of inspiration on a specific topic.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember when I read this, but apparently I never rated it on goodreads!

[Subjuntivo Subjuntivo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This guy trying to be funny (and failing miserably) every two words kills any good there might be in the book.

[Kate Lowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm kind of disappointed in this. Don't get me wrong--I love Chuck. He has a way of cutting right to the meat of things, but it didn't work in this book.

There's a pile of good information in here. Great reminders and lots of encouragement, and a strong slant towards 'do your own thing', which I believe in very much (even if I often let myself be swayed by the 'one true way' crew).

But the format of the book hampered Chuck's message. It was obvious in some sections that he was working hard, trying to find 25 things to talk about. There were parts that felt like they could have been taken care of in 10 tips, but because he was doing groups of 25, he had to find some way to stretch things.

The other thing which diluted the book's message was the humour. Yes, it's entertaining, but it very quickly got tiresome--at least the way we were reading it, three groups of 25 at a time.

My recommendation? This is a great book in small, small chunks. It's an excellent pick-me-up when you're feeling down about your writing. It won't tell you a lot of new stuff, but it will remind you of the stuff that might have drifted to the back of your mind. This would make excellent reading for when you're waiting in the doctor's office, in line at the grocery store, or any other place where you need something you can pick up and put down without losing your place in it.

[Tiger Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I've read a number of Wendig's books on writing so this is a rehash of old material for me, or so I find. Nonetheless it also contained many helpful tidbits that I as a writer really needed to hear at this stage in the game. I think that the book best serves writers, in fact, because Wendig doesn't give nuts and bolts examples of how to accomplish a particular thing (like how to make characters interesting, for example. he just says you ought to strive towards making your characters interesting). Instead, it's a good reminder for authors about what and what not to do. It's also easily absorbed thanks to the twenty five things format.

Annoyances: Sometimes the shtick wears a little thin. Wendig is known for his over the top style and crazy analogies. A lot of times this is fun. Sometimes though it felt like he was trying too hard. Also started to get irritated by the constant references to "hobos" as if hobos aren't real people.

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look, I knew going in that the author has a serious case of pottymouth – anyone who has read his blog knows it. But he also doles out good advice.

I only got 50% through. References to sex (constantly and without context) and his irreverent attitude to everything got old, fast.

In a lot of places, instead of explaining something he brought up as a viable technique, he just sends you to Google it. And a lot of the advice contradicts itself and none of it feels like it will work for me. At 50 % through that tells me all I need to know. DNF.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting to see how many books Wendig has written about writing. Not to mention how many books he's written. I have no doubt he knows what he's talking about and he has much to teach me. But. This feels like something he threw together after someone said "we'll give you $XX if you write this" or "we'll publish THAT book if you write THIS book". It's flippant to a degree that goes way past humor (in my opinion) and there is a lot of duplication. And yet, I'd probably pick up another book about writing that he's written (see sentence #3 above).

[rick. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have heard Chuck Wendig on panels in person and found him charming, but this book is tedious and obnoxious; which is a shame because there is some good advice hidden within. I appreciated the Pelaton instructor-like motivation to encourage actual writing progress as the goal. So, I will save you the time-go write. Go right now and start writing and don't read this book. Or listen to "Writing Excuses" podcast, or something with more investigation into craft, but also write and write and write. You got this (but don't get this).

[JJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another DNf...
Honestly I think to much effort was put into this book to try and stretch it to 1001 writing tips when even 50 or 100 would have sufficed.
The tips repeated themselves and contradicted themselves constantly, all written with grotesque body horror, weird sex jokes and referencing alcoholism contsantly in between. The author also uses non-sensical metaphor contsantly probably to pad out what could have been a 100 page book or even an article if you removed the repitition.

[Noura Noman]

It's good advice. Needs to be less rambly though

There's a lot of great advice in this book. For novice writers and more experienced writers.

Just one thing: 1001 could easily be reduced to 300 and still be fantastic.

[Bryce Calderwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fucking indispensable thoughts, ideas, attitudes, and practices about being a successful professional writer. I don't think I'll ever cease reading in this; I can always open it up to a spot, dive in, and come away with something useful or motivational.

[M. Brian Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is only one place for this book after finishing it; on my desk and right next to my copies of On Writing by Stephen King and The Elements of Style by William Strunk.