Writing Success: Unleash Your Potential by Susie Kearley @KearleySusie

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

On BookBub

How I discovered this book: I was aware of Susie Kearley on Twitter, and out of the blue she asked me if I would be interested in appearing in a feature she was compiling for Writers' Forum magazine, about making money out of writing.  After the article was published Susie asked if she could add it to this book, so of course I said yes, and bought the book. 

This is an honest and objective review, and I confirm that I do not have any financial interest in the book's sales.  The author did not request this review; I chose to buy and read it.

In a Nutshell: Non-fiction, advice for feature writers, inspirational and helpful stories of success.

Keeping it current, this books starts with an introduction outlining publishing and book-buying trends during the year or so of government restrictions on movement, the cancellation of events and the closing of businesses, and about the emotional impact of being 'locked down' on writers.

The next six out of sixteen chapters are an essential guide to freelance writing for magazines/newspapers/anthologies, as well as information on launching a newspaper.  I have no desire to go down any of these roads, but I found this part fascinating.  If anyone is thinking of trying to earn from this sort of writing, I would advise you to buy this book immediately - Susie is an 'old hand', at freelance journalism, and it's packed with information about submissions, pay, and various 'tricks of the trade' that she has learned over the years.  It's clear that she really knows her stuff, and it's a nicely written easy read, too - I was most impressed.

The next part is the first-person story of Peter Jones, a highly successful self-help writer and speaker. I loved this part, and was totally absorbed in his story.

In the second half of the book Karl Drinkwater talks about being a multi-genre, self-published author, Dave Sivers talks about crime writing, there's the aforementioned article in the Writers' Forum, and Susie delves into writing novels based on the classics, the injection of humour into stories, and talks about her own experiences.

At only £1.99 (or free on Kindle Unlimited) it's a great buy for anyone starting out either in the freelance journalism or the self-publishing world.

WRITING A PAGE TURNER by Elizabeth Bailey and Mark Dawson

4 out of 5 stars

Free on Amazon UK

How I discovered this book: I saw this during an Amazon browse and downloaded it out of curiosity, because it was free. 

Genre: Writing advice.

I write a fair few advice blog posts for new writers, and like to find books like this that are worth recommending. This is good; it only takes half an hour to read and gives some no-nonsense tips on how to make your book more of a page-turner by means of cutting the waffle, not head-hopping, etc. It's basic, solid advice, much of which is about what not to do, as well as what to do. It's never a bad idea for old hands to read this sort of thing, too, as it reminds us never to get too self-indulgent; I read a couple of points that made me think, ah yes, I must keep reminding myself of that.

Please note - this book does not tell you how to write a novel, and assumes you have the basic talent, a great plot, and that your characters/story arc already worked out. What it will do is help you to make that story worth reading.

THEMSELF: Confessions of an Open University Creative Writing student by James Kemp

3 out of 5 stars

Non-fiction, Creative Writing short articles

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Review Team

This is a sort of diary, originally produced via James Kemp's blog, of some of his exercises from his course.  It includes some pieces he submitted, and a few other random ones, and poetry.  At the back there is some information on editing, self-publishing and promotion from James's own experience. 

This would be of interest to the absolute beginner, as some of the initial exercises are elementary, the sort of thing one learns at school.  It's nicely written and laid out, and James's manner is honest, pleasant and helpful.

This book skirts the edges of the various subjects it explores, as James's experience in such things as editing and marketing a book via Twitter is limited.  The information is basic, but not unhelpful, though some is incorrect (the minimum price to charge for a book on Amazon UK is 99p, not 77p, for instance). 

To sum up, this is a book for a novice or another creative writing student, and I'd describe it more as an anthology of pieces to dip into, as there are some of practical use and some pieces of fiction.

BACK TO CREATIVE WRITING SCHOOL by Bridget Whelan

4 out of 5 stars

Creative writing tutorial

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team

There are two distinct schools of thought concerning creative writing courses and 'how to' books: those who consider writing a skill that can be taught, and those who think that the ability to write compellingly is an innate talent that you either have or you don't; yes, your craft can be improved upon and can go to pot if you don't watch out, but if you don't have what it takes to keep readers turning the pages, no amount of diligent study/applying of advice will make that much difference.  I stand, arms folded, in the latter camp and thus approached this review choice with cynicism.

However!!! 
I am delighted to report that I now see my view was a little blinkered, and I bow to Bridget Whelan's expertise.

Back To Creative Writing School is a charming, inspiring book that encourages the reader to discover the rhythm and beauty of words.  At first I thought it was just a basic beginner's guide for the student who has never tried to write so much as a descriptive paragraph; some of the instruction goes right back to the things you learn at school (hence the title, I'm guessing), like the difference between similes and metaphors.  Many of the exercises, though, are so clever and unusual that they might help undiscovered talent to bloom—which is, I think, the book's strength.  

By the time I was half way through I'd found myself thinking, 'hmm, yes, that's a good point' several times, to the extent that I'd recommend any fellow 'old hands' to give this a read, too.   I'll be the first to agree that writing is a constant learning process, and it's good to remind oneself of the basics.  I nodded my head in agreement at the examples of the unrealistic, information heavy dialogue often found in debut novels, the explanation about unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, the warning against the dreaded clichés and 'telling not showing', the use of onomatopoeia and alliteration.  The only section I was not so keen on was the one about humour—I reckon that writing 'funny' is something for which you really do need to have an in built knack.  The ability to analyse why something does or doesn't work doesn't necessarily provide the fine skill necessary for effective comic timing.

A few 'thank yous' to Ms Whelan: 1) for the excerpt of James Joyce's The Dead—I have not read The Dubliners since 'A' Level and had forgotten how much I loved it; 2) for making me laugh: I have about 200 superfluous occurrences of the word 'just' in all my first drafts, too!! And 3) I am one of the 3% of people referred to in the book who have the condition synaesthesia (a sensory mix-up in which you see see letters, words and music as colours), and this was a reminder of what a gift it is to a writer.

In short: the innovative exercises in this book won't teach you how to produce a spellbinding novel, but if you do have the talent they could well unlock the door to a new creative world.