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donasbooks's review
3.0
For gosh sakes, don't pair adjectives in an attempt to make the descriptions more powerful. The rule of thumb...is...each additional one, the power is halved, not doubled, as many mistakenly think. p31
When you treat the place or setting as an important character, it makes perfect sense to allow that place to open the story, just as any character would. ...[W]eave that setting seamlessly into the inciting incident scene....[D]on't simply include poetic prose in the description. p165
I think these two excerpts highlight both the best HOOKED, a fiction writing guide on story openings, has to offer, and the worst. The best is that much of the advice about openings (and fiction writing generally) is quite useful. For beginning writers who haven't read many writing guides, I can see this book being a favorite. For more experienced writers, you might cringe over how much of this book is review, has nothing to do with openings, or just happens to be good writing sense.
I believe entire chapters could come out, and should have before publication. HOOKED is way too long for it's subject, repetitive and irritating at times. And sadly, it just isn't pleasant to read--the writing is unattractive, and that authorial voice is so intrusive.
The author of this book, Les Edgerton, has a colorful background, as another reader pointed out, and then deleted. He lived a life of crime, and did a bunch of other destructive stuff, and also opened hair salons? He's written several crime novels, entitled such imaginative things as "The Rapist" and "The Bitch." I can't speak for his fiction, but his edgy voice in HOOKED sounds forced (For Gosh Sakes!) and distracts from the read. I think he was striving for humor but he hit stridency instead.
The book is useful, but not pleasant. If you can find a different book on the subject, try that one instead. If not...
✔️August Pick 6/10
Rating 2.5 stars rounded up
Finished August 2022
Recommended for beginning fiction writers; could be appropriate for more experienced fiction writers needing improvement to their openings, but have patience with all the review
*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
When you treat the place or setting as an important character, it makes perfect sense to allow that place to open the story, just as any character would. ...[W]eave that setting seamlessly into the inciting incident scene....[D]on't simply include poetic prose in the description. p165
I think these two excerpts highlight both the best HOOKED, a fiction writing guide on story openings, has to offer, and the worst. The best is that much of the advice about openings (and fiction writing generally) is quite useful. For beginning writers who haven't read many writing guides, I can see this book being a favorite. For more experienced writers, you might cringe over how much of this book is review, has nothing to do with openings, or just happens to be good writing sense.
I believe entire chapters could come out, and should have before publication. HOOKED is way too long for it's subject, repetitive and irritating at times. And sadly, it just isn't pleasant to read--the writing is unattractive, and that authorial voice is so intrusive.
The author of this book, Les Edgerton, has a colorful background, as another reader pointed out, and then deleted. He lived a life of crime, and did a bunch of other destructive stuff, and also opened hair salons? He's written several crime novels, entitled such imaginative things as "The Rapist" and "The Bitch." I can't speak for his fiction, but his edgy voice in HOOKED sounds forced (For Gosh Sakes!) and distracts from the read. I think he was striving for humor but he hit stridency instead.
The book is useful, but not pleasant. If you can find a different book on the subject, try that one instead. If not...
✔️August Pick 6/10
Rating 2.5 stars rounded up
Finished August 2022
Recommended for beginning fiction writers; could be appropriate for more experienced fiction writers needing improvement to their openings, but have patience with all the review
*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
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