{"product_id":"5-editors-tackle-the-12-fatal-flaws-of-fiction-writing-9780986134715","title":"5 Editors Tackle the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDon't fall victim to the 12 fatal flaws of fiction writing\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFiction writers often struggle to improve their craft\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd the biggest challenge comes from the inability to see what isn't working. The prose feels off. The scene isn't gelling. The dialogue sounds stilted or clunky. But they don't know why or how to fix it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis book lays it all out\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e5 Editors Tackle the Twelve Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing\u003c\/em\u003e demonstrates the deadly dozen pitfalls on the road to a strong story, along with revisions that show writers exactly how to avoid novel failure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo other writing craft book offers such detailed instruction in how to spot and remedy the major flaws of fiction writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat makes this book an important addition to a writer's bookshelf?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMore than 60 Before and After passages \u003c\/strong\u003eshowcase each of the twelve fatal flaws, which are then picked apart and examined to help writers spot these flaws in their own writing and fix them.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFive editors with extensive background \u003c\/strong\u003ein both editing fiction and writing novels bring a wealth of insights, examples, and solutions to these flaws, using various genre styles and POVs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEach chapter ends with \u003cstrong\u003ea checklist \u003c\/strong\u003eto help writers seek and destroy these fatal flaws in their manuscript, followed by \u003cstrong\u003ebonus Before and After passages \u003c\/strong\u003eto help them test what they've learned.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis in-depth guide to self-editing is an invaluable resource for any writer of any genre. It \u003cem\u003eshows, not just tells, \u003c\/em\u003ehow to write better fiction. Using it, you'll be armed with the tools and skills you need to conquer the twelve fatal flaws of fiction writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eHere are some of the 12 fatal flaws: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eOverwriting\u003c\/em\u003e-the most egregious and common flaw in fiction writing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eNothin' Happenin'\u003c\/em\u003e-Too many stories take too long to get going. Learn what it means to start \u003cem\u003ein medias res\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eWeak Construction-\u003c\/em\u003eIt sneaks in at the level of words and sentences, and rears up in up in the form of passive voice, \u003cem\u003eing\u003c\/em\u003e verbs, and misplaced modifiers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eToo Much Backstory-\u003c\/em\u003ethe bane of many manuscripts. Backstory has its place, but too often it serves as an info dump and bogs down pacing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003ePOV Violations-\u003c\/em\u003eHead hopping, characters knowing things they can't know, and foreshadowing are just some of the many POV violations explored.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eTelling instead of Showing-\u003c\/em\u003eWriters have heard this admonition, but there's a lot to understanding how and when to show instead of tell.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eLack of Pacing and Tension-\u003c\/em\u003eMany factors affect pacing and tension: clunky passages, mundane dialogue, unimportant information, and so much more.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eFlawed Dialogue Construction-\u003c\/em\u003eWriters need to learn to balance speech and narrative tags and avoid \"on the nose\" speech.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e\"Underwriting\"-\u003c\/em\u003ejust as fatal as overwriting. Too often scenes are lacking the necessary actions, descriptions, and details needed to bring them to life.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eDescription Deficiencies and Excesses-\u003c\/em\u003eLearning how to balance description is challenging, and writers need to choose wisely just what to describe and in what way.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eDon't be left in the dark. Learn what causes these flaws and apply the fixes in your own stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo one need suffer novel failure. You don't have to be brilliant or talented to write strong fiction. You just need to be forewarned and forearmed to be able to tackle these culprits. And this book will give you all the weapons and knowledge you need.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"This book should be on every writer's bookshelf.\"\u003c\/em\u003e -Cheryl Kaye Tardif, international best-selling author\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ubiquitous Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527473238290,"sku":"9780986134715","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2ce548af-f197-4cfd-b014-9defb7a95c3d.jpg?v=1731302796","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/5-editors-tackle-the-12-fatal-flaws-of-fiction-writing-9780986134715","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}