Interested in the inner workings of commercial fiction? Then
this book is for you. The authors, both good commercial writers with that extra
talent that separates them from the rest of the field, have produced a book
that gets straight to the heart of what makes fiction commercial but also eminently
readable.
Their advice is illustrated with samples, given in a clear
and easily followed form so that writers can apply their methods to their own
writing. Split into seven sections, the book deals with everything from overall
structure, through opening sequences and tension building and releasing scenes,
to bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion. The path is easy to follow
and the information given in easily digested bites. Plenty of room for manoeuvre
is allowed: this is not a dictatorial piece, but a guide to best practice for
the general writer of good commercial fiction.
For readers, it will give insight to the way in which novels
are constructed and what goes on in the mind of the writer during the building
of the story. For writers, it provides detailed and sensible guidance in the
most effective way of constructing a story and delivering it to your readers.
A small but comprehensive and practical ‘how-to’ book that
should be on the shelves of all serious writers who want their books read by
more than the minority. I shall use it in my future writing and thoroughly
recommend it.
