Category: 52 books in 52 weeks

17 April 2020

52 books: Writing the Killer Mystery

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over 52 weeks. The initial year has sailed on by, and my last post was so long ago I couldn’t find it on my dashboard. I want to finish the project, though, and only have 6 books left. So I’ve renamed it simply 52 Books, and here is...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

3 April 2020

52 books: Goal Setting for Writers

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over 52 weeks. The initial year has sailed on by, and my last post was so long ago I couldn’t find it on my dashboard. I want to finish the project, though, and only have 7 books left. So I’ve renamed it simply 52 Books, and here is...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

1 April 2020

52 books: Time Management for Writers

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over 52 weeks. The initial year has sailed on by, and my last post was so long ago I couldn’t find it on my dashboard. I want to finish the project, though, and only have 8 books left. So I’ve renamed it simply 52 Books, and here is...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

15 January 2019

52 books in 52 weeks: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 44. Save the Cat! has been the last book on screenwriting that screenwriters will ever need since 2005, and then there was another, and another … until there were five books using this tried and tested method of writing, including … the...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

17 December 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Plan, Outline and Write Your Novel in 30 Days

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. It’s actually taking two years, but here is book 43 anyway. How to Plan, Outline, and Write Your Novel in 30 Days is the latest guide from Amy Deardon. And I have to say … it’s possibly the best book on writing I’ve read in...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

24 August 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing Without Rules

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 42. Thanks to NetGalley and to F&W Media for an advance copy of Writing Without Rules by Jeff Somers. I wasn’t approved to review the book at my first try, but when I asked again on a “wish for it” button, my...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

21 August 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing & Selling your Mystery Novel

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 41. I bought the paperback of Writing & Selling your Mystery Novel by Hallie Ephron very soon after it came out. I loved it so much that, when I saw an electronic version was now available, I bought that one too. The electronic...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

1 August 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: Write a Novel in Ten Minutes a Day

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 40. Write a Novel in Ten Minutes a Day is a book I once promised myself as soon as the next person paid me. When that first payment came in on a Monday, I bought it. And I’m very glad I did....

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

24 July 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: The Business of Writing

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 39, which is also courtesy of NetGalley and Pendragon Cove Press. Thanks to NetGalley and to Pendragon Cove Press for an advance copy of The Business of Writing: Practical Insights for Independent, Hybrid, and Traditionally Published Authors by Kim Iverson Headlee. First...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

19 April 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: Story Starters

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 38. Story Starters is a book of fiction writing prompts from Fiction Attic Press – or New York Times award winning author Michelle Richmond. Michelle has been teaching creative writing for a lot of years, and she’s a widely published author. Therefore I...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

17 April 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: The Busy Mom’s Guide to Writing

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 37. The Busy Mom’s Guide to Writing by Angela Castillo and Jamie Foley, is the first in a series of (currently) three writers’ guides. Later this year, all three books will be available in a boxset, so it might be worth hanging on...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

12 April 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Write a Novel step-by-step

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 36. How to Write a Novel step-by-step is part of a series from Sandy Marsh, and several of the box-sets are free. The subheading for this one is:  Essential romance novel, mystery novel and fantasy novel writing tricks any writer can learn. However,...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

11 April 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Write Fiction Without the Fuss

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 35. How to Write Fiction Without the Fuss by Lucy McCarraher is another of those that does exactly what it says on the cover. I loved this book so much that I even bought the non-fiction title. Instead of having loads of different...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

22 March 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: The Author Blog

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 34. The Author Blog: Easy Blogging for Busy Authors is by Anne R Allen. It was mentioned in a Facebook group recently, so I thought I’d take a look. It didn’t take me very long to read it from cover to cover, so...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

20 March 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Write Pulp Fiction

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 33. How to Write Pulp Fiction by James Scott Bell is probably my favourite how-to-write book from this author. Before the end I was already making notes, trying out the random plot generator and thinking up characters and seedy settings. The author...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

16 March 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: Blockbuster

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 32. I thought it was going to be another of those make-a-fortune-using-my-tried-and-tested-method books by an author who hasn’t actually had (m)any books published, and I admit I resisted buying it for some time. However, I’m glad I gave in eventually, because Blockbuster:...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

15 March 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Write a Novel the Easy Way

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the course of a year. Here is book 31. I first bought* How to Write a Novel the Easy Way! Using the Pulp Fiction Method … to write better novels by Jim Driver & Jack Davies in December 2014. However, I’ve only recently got around to reading it …...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

14 March 2018

52 books in 52 weeks: The Emotion Thesaurus

I’ve got myself a little behind on this. I’ve been reading the books, I’ve just not found the time to write them up. In a bid to catch up, here we go again … I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the course of a year. Here is book 30. The Emotion Thesaurus: a...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

7 December 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Jill Mansell’s A-Z of Happiness

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 29. I didn’t know this one was on my Kindle until it popped up one day during NaNoWriMo and I spent several minutes making sure it hadn’t slipped on there un-ordered by myself. However, the Amazon page told me that I’d actually...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

16 November 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Stop Worrying, Start Writing

A brief interlude from NaNoWriMo … I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 28. Stop Worrying; Start Writing: How to Overcome Fear, Self-Doubt and Procrastination by Sarah Painter is one of those that does exactly what it says on the cover. It’s not a how-to-write book, there are no...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

3 October 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Be a Travel Writer, Live Your Dreams, Sell Your Features

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 27. I have to say I loved this book. And I don’t even aspire to be a travel writer – too much hard work for too little remuneration (unless you make it really big, really quickly, or travel a lot already). But...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

27 September 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Start a Travel Blog and Make Money

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 26. First of all, How to Start a Travel Blog and Make Money by Kirsty Stuart is not a book on how to write travel. It’s how to set up the blog and then make real, tangible money from it. So if...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

25 September 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Write a Novel

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 25. I was a tad disappointed with How to Write a Novel by Jonathan Reid. The sub-title reads: “a blueprint for fiction writing & how to outline your novel using the snowflake method“. The snowflake method is still a mystery to me. I’ve...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

22 September 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Diary of a Scaredy Cat

*** shameless self-plug alert *** I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 24. I couldn’t complete a series on writers’ guides without at least including a plug for my own. Especially as it’s the first in a series, and especially as I’ve been getting some really good feedback. Diary...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

19 September 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 23. If there’s only one book on your shelf or ebook and you want to target UK markets, make it this one (although there are some overseas markets too). Even older versions contain loads of useful material. You need to check the...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks

18 September 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: The Author Organizer

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 22. The Author Organizer: How to anticipate, survive and master the whirlpool of your publishing career by Ella Medler is one of a set of (currently) seven from Paper Gold Publishing. That’s quite typical of me, arriving late to the party. But I...

Categories 52 books in 52 weeks