Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but recycles other work, 21 Jan 2003
A very practical, no-nonsense book which takes common problems with weak fiction and attempts to sort out the underlying issues. The format is diagnosis, explanation, cure, following the medical metaphor of the title. It should help all kinds of fiction writers sharpen up their work, especially beginners and intermediates. My major gripe about this book is that there are chunks which come straight out of a previous work by Mr Obstfeld, The Novelist's Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes. I mean whole paragraphs, word for word. I estimate about 30% of the book is lifted from the earlier one. I find this practice to be cynical and lazy. The book should indicate that it contains previous material. That is why I only give it three stars. I have just bought both books from Amazon. Although the two are not identical, with hindsight I wish I had purchased either one or the other. Mr Obstfeld is very keen on giving lots of advice on how to keep the reader interested and turning the page. All very well. But he should take a leaf out of his own book and learn that READERS EXPECT HIM TO SAY SOMETHING ORIGINAL IN A NEW BOOK, NOT JUST DUMP PREVIOUS MATERIAL. You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr Obstfeld. Would you like to explain why you are happy to shortchange your readers in this way ?
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptional, 6 Feb 2004
Many of the 'how to write' books I have read have been of the californian 'hug yourself and tell yourself you're unique' school, offering superlatives but little in the way of concrete advice. This book is radically better.The author analyses clearly what constitutes good and bad writing. Even better, he knows how to give advice on how to improve your work and avoid the traps beginners fall into. The book contains references, examples, novel planning, characterisation, all beautifully explained, all elegantly succinct. Particularly interesting is his dissection of Joseph Campell's Hero with a Thousand faces. Speaking from experience, I advise you to read this book before penning your novel. Really, you won't regret it.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but recycles other work, 21 Jan 2003
A very practical, no-nonsense book which takes common problems with weak fiction and attempts to sort out the underlying issues. The format is diagnosis, explanation, cure, following the medical metaphor of the title. It should help all kinds of fiction writers sharpen up their work, especially beginners and intermediates. My major gripe about this book is that there are chunks which come straight out of a previous work by Mr Obstfeld, The Novelist's Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes. I mean whole paragraphs, word for word. I estimate about 30% of the book is lifted from the earlier one. I find this practice to be cynical and lazy. The book should indicate that it contains previous material. That is why I only give it three stars. I have just bought both books from Amazon. Although the two are not identical, with hindsight I wish I had purchased either one or the other. Mr Obstfeld is very keen on giving lots of advice on how to keep the reader interested and turning the page. All very well. But he should take a leaf out of his own book and learn that READERS EXPECT HIM TO SAY SOMETHING ORIGINAL IN A NEW BOOK, NOT JUST DUMP PREVIOUS MATERIAL. You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr Obstfeld. Would you like to explain why you are happy to shortchange your readers in this way ?
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by Anne Bernays
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