Errant Dreams Reviews
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Archive for the ‘Technique’ Category

“Breathing Life Into Your Characters,” Rachel Ballon, Ph.D.

Wednesday, June 28th, 2006

Pros: Fascinating application of psychology to writing that pulls on many theories and disciplines
Cons: Repetitive, slightly self-important in a few places, and a little careless in one or two places
Rating: 4 out of 5
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“45 Master Characters,” Victoria Schmidt

Wednesday, June 28th, 2006

Pros: Beautiful work; magical ideas; really neat stuff; examples you can relate to
Cons: More could be done to help the writer avoid stereotyping with the archetypes
Rating: 5 out of 5
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“The Writer’s Path: A Guidebook for Your Creative Journey,” Walton & Toomay

Wednesday, June 28th, 2006

Pros: Fantastic advice, wonderful exercises and lots of fun!
Cons: Maybe too many examples?
Rating: 5 out of 5
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“The Writer’s Idea Book,” Jack Heffron

Thursday, June 22nd, 2006

Pros: More exercises (”prompts”) than you’ll ever use; lots of helpful advice
Cons: A somewhat mundane feel
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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“Story Starters,” Lou Willett Stanek, Ph.D.

Thursday, June 22nd, 2006

Pros: Will get you thinking; nifty “story starters”; decent “how to write a story” guide
Cons: Lacks context in places; babbles a bit; some starters seem a bit hackneyed
Rating: 3 (4 for just the starters) out of 5
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“Fiction Writer’s Brainstormer,” James V. Smith, Jr.

Wednesday, June 21st, 2006

Pros: Lots of very practical suggestions
Cons: Annoying puzzles; somewhat narrow focus
Rating: 3 out of 5
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“Discovering the Writer Within,” Ballenger and Lane

Tuesday, June 20th, 2006

Pros: Personal voice; day-by-day approach; interesting and useful observations
Cons: Some material will be old hat to experience writers (but then this book is aimed at beginners)
Rating: 5 out of 5
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“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Technical Writing,” Krista Van Laan and Catherine Julian

Friday, June 16th, 2006

Pros: Plenty of information clearly presented; information I wasn’t expecting
Cons: Too much cheerleading
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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