Errant Dreams Reviews
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Archive for the ‘Writers' Books & Tools’ Category

“The Well-Fed Self-Publisher,” by Peter Bowerman

Thursday, November 9th, 2006

Pros: Focused; great depth; detailed; very practical
Cons: Narrow in focus
Rating: 5 out of 5

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“Writing for the Soul,” Jerry B. Jenkins

Friday, October 27th, 2006

Pros: Inspirational, frank, entertaining, refreshing
Cons: Perhaps slightly rambling
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Erotic Romance,” by Alison Kent

Tuesday, October 24th, 2006

Pros: Frank, blunt, and straightforward; entertaining; eye-opening; thorough
Cons: Not a one
Rating: 5 out of 5

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“Novelist’s Boot Camp”, by Todd A. Stone

Wednesday, October 11th, 2006

Pros: Great for inducing discipline; fantastic revision advice; turns the writing process into a (comparatively) simple process of following checklists
Cons: Metaphor/shtick gets driven into the ground; overdoes the “more/bigger is better” advice
Rating: 4 out of 5

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StoryWeaver 3.1 for Macintosh OS X

Monday, September 25th, 2006

Pros: Walks you through the development of your story
Cons: Some tedium; unworkable due to frequent crashes
Rating: [1.5 out of 5*]

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“Sun Signs for Writers” by Bev Walton-Porter

Monday, September 11th, 2006

Pros: Advice relevant to your personality; very attractive and fun-to-read book
Cons: Section on character creation doesn’t include suggestions for avoiding stereotypes
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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“Between the Lines: Master the subtle elements of fiction writing”, Jessica Page Morrell

Tuesday, September 5th, 2006

Pros: Incredibly insightful and analytical; presents solid, helpful techniques that I just haven’t seen broken down and analyzed anywhere else
Cons: So much information to assimilate!
Rating: 6 out of 5

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“The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier”, Bonnie Trenga

Tuesday, August 1st, 2006

Pros: Entertaining, sly, informative, memorable, easy to reference, quick to read
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5

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“Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, Expanded Edition,” by Natalie Goldberg

Wednesday, July 26th, 2006

Pros: Gorgeous, inspiring, deep, wise, truthful, blunt, supportive
Cons: Not everyone is ready to listen
Rating: 5 out of 5

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“The 3 A.M. Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises That Transform Your Fiction,” by Brian Kiteley

Monday, July 17th, 2006

Pros: Tons of exercises; plenty of variations; many technique suggestions; the exercises have a purpose beyond simple inspiration
Cons: Occasional mild confusions; some discussions of techniques/trends you might not understand without a college literature or writing education
Rating: 5 out of 5
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