![]() ![]() I know you’ve said that every writer has their own process and they must discover what works for them. Nonetheless, in your discussions of the craft of writing, you often speak of guidelines for writing or, at least, for the finished product. For example you speak of things to avoid, such as prologues or flashbacks. Have you encountered any occasions where the writer completely breaks the rules or ignores the guidelines that you’ve established (at least for yourself), and what shouldn’t work, works brilliantly?Īll the time. That’s why I slap the “many roads to Oz” disclaimer on everything I teach. The thing about rules and guidelines is that most of them are there because they protect the reader from the writer. Take prologues, since you mentioned them. Writers love prologues, as a writer I love prologues, because they’re the easiest way to get back story in. But as a reader, I hate prologues because I want to get to the story, and there’s all this crap in my way. Here’s the thing: when your reader opens your story, she wants to love it. You own her for the first page at least, she’s on your side. Now what are you going to put on that page, the protagonist you want her to invest in for the entire book, or some stuff from the past that you need the reader to know before she meets the protagonist? Because if it’s the stuff you need her to know, she’ll try to connect with it, only to find out that the character in the prologue is not the protagonist of the story, she’s the protagonist as a little kid or the antagonist plotting evil or whatever. So you’ve just thrown away your best shot at grabbing the reader and for what? Because it was easier for you? Prologues are stupid writing. Pretty much every rule or guideline out there came out of writers being self-indulgent and caring more about making their jobs as writers easier than about taking care of the reader. That’s why it’s as important to understand the theory behind the rule as it is to follow the rule. She lives in Devon, England, and has two young children.That way when you decide to break it, you’ll be able to tell if it really will make the book better, or if you’re just screwing the reader over because you’re too lazy to take the high road and do it right. Her novels for teenagers include Split by a Kiss, Swapped by a Kiss and Kiss Date Love Hate. Rule 3: Be civil in discussion, feedback, and critiques. Rule 2: No explicitly sexual responses, hate speech, or other harmful content. Luisa Plaja loves words and books, and she used to edit the book review site Chicklish. Rule 1: Direct prompt replies must be good-faith attempts at new stories or poems. You can give the book a rating, for example a mark out of five or ten, if you like! Are there any books or series you would compare it to? 5. For example: younger readers, older readers, fans of relationship drama/mystery stories/comedy. Summarise some of your thoughts on the book by suggesting the type of reader you'd recommend the book to. Was the story too scary for your liking, or did it focus on a theme you didn't find interesting?.Did you find it difficult to care about a main character, and could you work out why?.Did you wish the ending hadn't been a cliffhanger because you found it frustrating?.Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. Talk about why you think it didn't work for you. Hopefully youll find something you can use in it the last rule, at the very least. Mention anything you disliked about the book Did the story grip you and keep you turning the pages?ģ.Were certain types of scene written particularly well - for example sad scenes, tense scenes, mysterious ones.?.What was your favourite part of the book, and why?.Who was your favourite character, and why?.You could try answering a couple of the following questions: Discuss what you particularly liked about the bookįocus on your thoughts and feelings about the story and the way it was told. If the book is part of a series, it can be useful to mention this, and whether you think you'd need to have read other books in the series to enjoy this one. Start with a couple of sentences describing what the book is aboutīut without giving any spoilers or revealing plot twists! As a general rule, try to avoid writing in detail about anything that happens from about the middle of the book onwards. If you're stuck on what to say in a review, it can help to imagine you're talking to someone who's asking you whether they should read the book. Whether you've loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books you've read. ![]() Author Luisa Plaja offers her top tips for how to write a brilliant review of the latest book you read - whether you liked it or not. ![]()
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