52 books in 52 weeks – Page 2 – Words Worth Writing

11 August 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Write a Mystery Without Plotting it to Death

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 20. I’m a plotter. When starting to write a book for the first time, I can plan for England. I love the planning process. I’ve tried writing by the seat of my pants, but I often run out of steam by about...

52 books in 52 weeks

26 July 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing your non-fiction book

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 19. Alex Gazzola is already very well-known by many of us writers for his Mistakes Writers Make website, and here, to add to his gems of wisdom, is the third in his series of books that go hand-in-hand with the website. Writing...

52 books in 52 weeks

7 July 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: The Literary Agent’s Guide to Writing a Non-Fiction Book Proposal

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 18. The Literary Agent’s Guide to Writing a Non-Fiction Book Proposal by Andy Ross does exactly what it says on the cover. An American book, written by an American literary agent for the American market means that it’s very thorough, and possibly...

52 books in 52 weeks

6 July 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Blogging just for Writers

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 17. When I started blogging, the only people who I knew that blogged were writers. I wasn’t aware of any other kind of blog – or even vlog, as seems to be the rage by now. I recently read an article that...

52 books in 52 weeks

22 June 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Write a Book from Outline to Finish Line

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 16. I bought How to Write a Book From Outline to Finish Line: 10 simple ways to outline your nonfiction book by Shelley Hitz because I wanted to refresh my memory on writing a book proposal. What I should have looked for was...

52 books in 52 weeks

14 June 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing Crime Fiction

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 15. The first thing Writing Crime Fiction by Rosemary Rowe advises you to do is ALL of the exercises in this book – and there are plenty. The second thing it tells you to do is to work on something fresh for the...

52 books in 52 weeks

1 June 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Write Short Romance Kindle Books

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 14. How to Write Short Romance Kindle Books by Nina Harrington, claims to be a 40-minute read/masterclass. My version was part of a bundle, and I think it took me just about an hour to read it from start to finish. It’s a...

52 books in 52 weeks

24 May 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Liz Fielding’s Little Book of Writing Romance

I’ve been a bit busy in recent weeks, mostly catching up on my self-imposed publishing schedule, so I’m a little behind in this. However, I didn’t forget, so … I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 13. Liz Fielding’s Little Book of Writing Romance is a short read of...

52 books in 52 weeks

27 April 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Bird by Bird

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 12. What can I say about Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott? I’ve seen this book raved over by writers far and wide, and by some with whom I’ve been friends for a long time and whose opinions I trust. And so I waited and...

52 books in 52 weeks

27 April 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Just Write That Book Already

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 11. Just Write That Book Already: learn how to avoid distractions, create a writing schedule, and organize your ideas so you can get started on your book today by Joy Farrington, doesn’t, I feel, quite live up to the promise of that zippy,...

52 books in 52 weeks

29 March 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing for Magazines – the essential guide

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 10. Writing for Magazines – the essential guide by Diana Cambridge is, I feel, punching above its weight calling itself an essential guide. Granted, there’s some useful information, but – in my opinion – there are better guides out there, including two of the...

52 books in 52 weeks

21 March 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing Fight Scenes – Professional Techniques for Fiction Authors

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 9. Writing Fight Scenes: Professional Techniques for Fiction Authors by Rayne Hall is the first in a series on writers’ craft* from the same author. It can also be found in the book bundle power pack 1. First, one of my pet niggles: writers’ guides that...

52 books in 52 weeks

14 March 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing Your First Novel – a 60-minute masterclass

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 8. Writing Your First Novel – a 60-minute masterclass by Shelley Weiner bills itself as the first book in the series, but I’m sure I’ve read and reviewed earlier ones, including one I thought was, in fact, the first in the series. But perhaps...

52 books in 52 weeks

6 March 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: A Writer’s Guide to Senior Investigating Police Officers in the UK

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 7. A Writer’s Guide to Senior Investigating Police Officers in the UK by Kevin N Robinson took me just under an hour to read from start to finish. This really isn’t the best way to read it as it’s designed to be “dipped into” as and when...

52 books in 52 weeks

28 February 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing Crime Fiction – a 60 minute masterclass

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 6. Writing Historical Fiction – a 60 minute masterclass by Katharine McMahon took me just over an hour to read from start to finish. I read it on the PaperWhite, and that struggled at first to calculate the total time the book would take to read,...

52 books in 52 weeks

6 February 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing the Cozy Mystery

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 5. Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy J Cohen is another short read, although this one took less than 30 minutes. But I thought that was great as I was able to read it through in one sitting, something I’ll do again, but...

52 books in 52 weeks

3 February 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: How to Write Fiction – a Guardian masterclass

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 4. How to Write Fiction – a Guardian masterclass is similar to the 60-minute masterclass books in that it takes around 60 minutes to read it from cover to cover. There, however, is where any similarities end. The book comprises a number of contributions...

52 books in 52 weeks

2 February 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing Short Stories – a 60 minute masterclass

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 3. Writing Short Stories – a 60 minute masterclass by Shelley Weiner took me just under 60 minutes to read. But I was lucky to get through it as the literary comparisons and the lack of practical exercises that build on each other...

52 books in 52 weeks

17 January 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Writing Crime Fiction – a 60 minute masterclass

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 2. Writing Crime Fiction – a 60 minute masterclass by William Ryan & M R Hall took me more than 60 minutes to read. But as I read this one in instalments, I can’t provide an accurate figure. This book is a no-nonsense, straightforward...

52 books in 52 weeks

9 January 2017

52 books in 52 weeks: Feature Writing – a 60 minute masterclass

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year … and then right in week one was struck down by lurgy. So the first in the series is a little late, but it’s a short enough book. Feature Writing – a 60 minute masterclass by Rob Orchard does exactly what it says on the cover....

52 books in 52 weeks

4 January 2017

New beginnings (* list alert *)

The news that yet another short story magazine has closed its doors to all but a privileged few has knocked me sideways somewhat this past week. It’s not a market I’ve had a lot of success with, but it’s a good market to target anyway and at least the result is a completed short story at the end of it....

52 books in 52 weeks/interview