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The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes [Paperback]

Jack M. Bickham
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
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Book Description

1 Mar 2001

The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes

When you write fiction, you march onto a minefield. This book gives you a map.

Oh, what tricky terrain you're traveling! You must reckon with: Character, Conflict, Point of View, Dialogue, Editors, Editors, and Editors, who--by returning stories they see as problem-plagued--can burst your hopes of publication.

Where are the problems? Editors rarely take the time to map them out, so Jack Bickham has. In this book, he spotlights the 38 most common fiction writing land mines--writing mistakes that can turn even dynamite story ideas into slush pile rejects. And he guides you in overcoming them.

In to-the-point style, he shows you how to:

  • conquer procrastination--and put ink on paper regularly
  • dump wimpy characters--and build characters ready to act
  • look for trouble--and create conflicts for your characters
  • cut coincidence--and put better-than-life logic into fiction
  • escape the fog--and find and stick to your story's direction
  • free feelings--and fire your fiction with passion and emotion
In short, Bickham helps you take a giant step toward publication.

Read this book. Strengthen your writing. And start setting off explosions where they belong: on the sales charts.


Frequently Bought Together

The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes + What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers + Plot and Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot that Grips Readers from Start to Finish (Write Great Fiction)
Price For All Three: £23.46

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Product details

  • Paperback: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Writer's Digest Books; New edition edition (1 Mar 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0898798213
  • ISBN-13: 978-0898798210
  • Product Dimensions: 15 x 1.1 x 23 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 94,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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WRITERS ARE A FAVORITE SUBJECT FOR CARTOONISTS, FROM CHARLES SCHULZ of Peanuts fame to those who contribute to The New Yorker. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
56 of 59 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable and a great spur 7 Jan 2006
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Everytime I read this book it inspires me to keep on going.
It has shown me several serious mistakes that I had made in my writing of commercial fiction and I would recommend it as the ideal book for any struggling authors - particularly us unpublished amateurs who are still learning with an intent to go commercial.
I find this the perfect book to take to airports or bus stations as the chapters are short and pithy. Each 'mistake' will only take a couple of minutes to read but should arouse much thought about your own work. They say that the only way to become a rule breaker - a maverick who sets their own rules or forges their own style is to know the rules. This book shows you the rules so that if you decide to break them then at least you know what you are doing and why it may or may not work.
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72 of 77 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Although the title sounds negative, this book pulls no punches in telling you exactly what you should be doing with your writing. I particularly found his advice on the craft of writing scene structure useful. I have no hesitation in recommending it - it's a great buy.
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47 of 51 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing and inspirational 22 Aug 1998
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
In this very short volume, Bickham manages to get to the essence of writing good popular fiction. His language is very easy to understand, very easy to apply, and yet reveals his decades of experience. He has distilled it all down into this one book, and it's a must for all those who want to write more effective popular fiction. For those looking for even more, try his 'How to Write and Sell Your Novel', which contains longer, more in-depth treatment of the material.

Warning: For those wanting to write 'literary fiction' or such stuff, this is not the book for you.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Hmm...
I enjoyed reading this book, which did exactly what it said on the cover. However, it is a little out of date and, in places, misguided. Read more
Published 2 months ago by T. Bently
5.0 out of 5 stars No Mistaskes!
Helpful, clear, not too heavy going. Great! A good companion to the postal Writing Course I have begun, not read it all yet but what I have I like.
Published 4 months ago by Wuffi
3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad
I had to wait a month for this book to arrive, although I did receive it within the deadline given of 7th January (it arrived on the 3rd). Read more
Published 4 months ago by dumpledora
4.0 out of 5 stars Useful & easy read
Offers good, solid advice in an easy-to-read style. The advice may be presented in a light-hearted manner at times, but there's some important advice contained in the humour. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Judy Croome
1.0 out of 5 stars Not so in this case.
Some years ago, I recall an off-duty schoolteacher of my acquaintance had given her own niece some advice with which the child's mother, later, did not agree. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ned Middleton
5.0 out of 5 stars Punches well above its weight.
Don't let the length of this book put you off - no waffle just good honest advice which sometimes contradicts what your English teacher told you. But who wants to write essays? Read more
Published 16 months ago by Tinkertoo
4.0 out of 5 stars The 38 Fiction writing mistakes
It's an instructive book and certainly ideal for a beginner, and perhaps useful for those who've been writing for years. I did disagree with some aspects of the book. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Topcat
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent-very practical
Very easy to read and very practical fiction-writing advice. Even after several writing courses, I have found several pieces of advice that I have never thought of, such as the No... Read more
Published 24 months ago by KellyT
4.0 out of 5 stars A must have for budding fiction writers
At the top of my list of helper books for fiction writing. One hundred pages of straight to the point, easy reading, nuggets that will make a big improvement to your writing.
Published on 17 May 2011 by C. Hollingworth
5.0 out of 5 stars The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes Sorted.
This book is a God send for the amateur writer, informative and helpful it deals with many problems and helps by giving solutions. I wouldn't be without it. Read more
Published on 2 Aug 2010 by Kaz
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