Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card, Orson Scott Card ISBN: 1-58297-103-X Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: September, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.32 (19 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: An unneccessary toolbox of the obvious
Comment: I've never taken any writing classes aside from the standard high school and college requirements. I read a lot, and I'm starting to write a lot too. If I'm extremely lucky and bust my hump for the next few decades, maybe I'll even enjoy the merest hint of the success Orson Scott Card has found as an amazingly talented writer. Unfortunately, this book isn't going to help me get there. There's nothing in here that I didn't already know, and like I said I haven't got any special experience.
How to Write... isn't so much a how-to book as a shopping list of the most obvious information a fiction writer needs to know. In fact, that information is so obvious that most ordinary people know it intuitively, even if they've never written a page of fiction in their lives. For example, the advice you are given to help you create logical, consistent worlds is something not much more complex then "Create logical, consistent worlds".
The section on story structure will only give you blatantly obvious advice as well, stuff like it's bad to reveal the solution too early on in a mystery and that you should think about a character's motivation for moving forward through the events of your tale. Do you really need to read an entire book to tell you these things? Probably not.
There's nothing in here that will make you say "Of course! This is what my stories have been lacking!" If anything, it will make you feel vastly better about being a writer, because if this is all there is to it (and I suspect that's not the case), writing must be a piece of cake.
There are a few valuable pieces of advice in the book such as where to go to get your stories published and how to further your career as a writer- but these gems only tend to be a paragraph or two, not very detailed and not really worth the price of admission. There are many other books entirely devoted to the useful subjects Card is only able to give you a glimpse of, and your money is most likely better spent on those.
I recognize the merit of being told the obvious at certain points to keep yourself focused, and in that regard this book may serve you well. However, those looking for hard information and valuable writing exercises should pass this selection by or prepare themselves for sore disappointment.
Rating: 5
Summary: One of the most helpful books I've ever read - amazing
Comment: Orson Scott Card's book 'How to write Science Fiction & Fantasy' is an amazing asset to ANY writer getting started with science fiction.
The book clearly outlines everything you need to know to write a great sci-fi novel or short story, and even though nothing is over-analyzed, the reader ends up getting a quite good idea of what's going on and how to create a story the reader will not put down. Card provides extremely helpful advice, with examples from his other books (which, in fact, are some of the best novels I've read in a few years, and trust me, I used to hate reading science fiction). This, and everything else that fills this invaluable little piece of writing is must-know information for any aspiring writer - science fiction or not.
Unbelievably good book - everyone should read this before they write ANY kind of fiction. I wish there were more than 5 stars to give here. This book has both my thumbs in rigamortis (sticking up, of course), all the stars I can give, and whatever else good I can say about it.
Thank you Orson!!
Rating: 5
Summary: Concise, clear, practical, insightful.
Comment: I am a beginning writer of speculative fiction who has always felt unhappy with his stories. Reading this book has given me insight into certain aspects of planning and development that have really been lacking. Among the most useful advice in the book, for me, is the emphasis Card placed on world and character creation before writing; both will change and be refined during the writing of the story, but without spending the time to create them and ask questions of them prior to the story's writing, both end up thin and less believable. Too often I have found myself trying to write a story arond a great Idea or Event with little to no preparation beyond the initial inspiration, only to find the finished work thin and lacking.
This book does not teach you to become a great writing of speculative fiction; what it does is illuminate where your stories might be lacking, where you should spend more time in development, and it lists what kinds of groups and organizations can help you improve both your writing and your stories. For under 140 pages, it is absolutely the best book of its kind. Even if you don't intend to write much SF&F, reading this book will make you a more critical reader of the genre.
One last note: this book will help you improve your Sci Fi and Fantasy stories, it is *not* designed to improve your general writing of fiction. There are other great books out there that specifically address such things as Character creation and development, plot, setting, grammar and style, ect., so such topics are ommitted in this book except where some advice can be given that is specific to SF&F.
 |
Title: Characters and Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing) by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0898799279 Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: April, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
 |
Title: The Writers Complete Fantasy Reference: An Indispensable Compendium of Myth and Magic by Writer's Digest Books, Writer's Digest, Terry Brooks ISBN: 1582970262 Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: November, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.99 |
 |
Title: Beginnings, Middles & Ends (Elements of Fiction Writing) by Nancy Kress ISBN: 0898799058 Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: May, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
 |
Title: The Science of Science Fiction Writing by James E. Gunn ISBN: 1578860113 Publisher: Scarecrow Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
 |
Title: Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction by Cory Doctorow, Karl Schroeder ISBN: 0028639189 Publisher: Alpha Books Pub. Date: 14 July, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
