The Liar's Bible: A Handbook for Fiction Writers

by Lawrence Block

Four-time Edgar Award–winning author Lawrence Block’s definitive essay collection on the art of writing fiction

For ten years, crime novelist Lawrence Block funneled his wealth of writing expertise into a monthly column for Writer’s Digest. Collected here for the first time are those pieces illuminating the tricks of the authorial trade, from creating vibrant characters and generating seamless plots, to conquering writer’s block and experimenting with self-publishing.

Filled with wit and insight, The Liar’s Bible is a must-read for experts, amateurs, and anyone interested in learning to craft great fiction from one of the field’s modern masters.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lawrence Block, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Audiobook

396 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Lawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published in excess (oh, wretched excess!) of 100 books, and no end of short stories.

Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.

His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.

LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.

Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.

LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.

Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.

LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)

LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.

He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.

Reviews

[William King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the best book Block has written about writing (IMHO Telling Lies For Fun And Profit and Writing the Novel are both better) but few people have more useful things to say about the business of writing and being a writer than Mr Block. This is a collection of articles from his old Writer's Digest columns. Some of them, such as the one on writers finances, are still invaluable advice today. Some of them, particularly the ones where he was huckstering for the course he was then teaching, are a little dull. Many of the articles have the nostalgic charm of a 1930's movie. They were written in a time when authors still used typewriters and went downstairs to check the mail at lunchtime to see if any word had come in from a publisher. I'd recommend this book to anybody interested in the writing trade but only after they had read the two books mentioned above. That is the place to start.

[Mohammad · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کتاب در مورد نویسندگی کتاب های داستانیه. فصل های کتاب در واقع هر کدوم یک مقاله بودن که توی سالهای مختلف نوشته شدن. و ترتیب فصل بندی هم به ترتیب زمان انتشار مقالاته. سال های 1981 تا 1987. در نتیجه ارتباط معناداری بین فصول وجود نداره. چند فصل ابتدایی در مورد مشکلات زندگی نویسندگی و نحوه فعالیت و کسب درآمد و موارد مشابه صحبت می کنه. در مورد خود نویسندگی، مثلا ویژگی های و تطابق مکان ها توی واقعیت و داستان، اسم گذاری شخصیت ها و شخصیت پردازی و مواردی از این دست هم مطالبی اومده. چند فصل هم به ویژگی های روانی و ذهنیت مناسب و روش های کنار اومدن با مشکلاتی که توی راه موفقیت در نویسندگی هست پرداخته.
از کارهای داستانی خود نویسنده چیزی نخوندم. احتمالا هم نمی خونم. ولی یکی دو تا از تکنیک هایی که برای نویسندگی آورده بود، همین الان برای من قابل اجراست و مسلما به کار می گیرم.
به نسبت مطالبی که آموزش می ده خیلی طولانیه. داستان سرایی زیادی داره.

[Stan James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone looking for nuts and bolts advice on writing should be warned that this is a collection of some of Block's fiction columns from Writer's Digest, and as such they sometimes provide instruction or advice, but sometimes Block just takes you along on his musings about the writing life.

It's probably also relevant to add that the columns in question date from 1981 to 1987. He mentions typewriters a lot.

And that is probably what I enjoyed most about the book. Some of the writing advice is obviously dated--he has a wonderfully detailed column about self-publishing his own book that isn't particularly relevant to how self-publishing works in the 2010s, but Block has such an affable style that the column still entertains.

The columns also serve to paint a portrait of the author as he draws extensively on his own experience writing and publishing--he had been in the business about 25 years at the time these columns were new--and in a way, this makes the pieces serve as a kind of memoir. Block recounts his early days writing soft porn novels, confesses to questionable behavior in his youth, details his fights with editors, agents and others, and regularly reminds the reader that what works for him may not work for them and to adjust as needed.

If you want a no-nonsense book about writing full of advice on plot, pacing, story structure, characters--you will find that here, to a degree. But more than that, you will get a good glimpse into the life and habits of a particular writer, and a snapshot look back at what the writing life was like in the 1980s.

I wouldn't recommend this as your first book on writing advice, but I would recommend it as one of the books to check out.

[Irena Pasvinter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invaluable read if you are interested in writing. The book is compiled of monthly columns the author wrote for the Writer's Digest in 80s. At first I was afraid it would be an assemblage of dated and fragmented writing advice. Nothing of the sort -- it's a treasure trove of nuts and bolts of writing, and especially of guts of writing, aka what writing fiction really is about, problems, obstacles and dilemmas writers are faced with ("guts" metaphor belongs to the author himself). Though there are plenty of references to typewriters, printed pages and researching in the library and zero mention of Internet and computers, this only serves to demonstrate how easier technicalities of writing had become, allowing to concentrate on the writing itself. And this book may be a great help and inspiration for this purpose. I suppose Lawrence Block's other books on writing "Telling Lies for Fun and Profit" and "From Plot to Print" are even better, or are at least equally good. I'm definitely going to read them too. I've started from this particular book because I had it as on audio -- and what better opportunity could there be for reading than in a traffic jam.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am fascinated by the creative process and there are few excellent examples of this that I have found – there is Koestler’s The Act of Creation insightful in a general way– but I have found only two worth their salt about working creators – Trauffaut’s interviews with Hitchcock collected in Trauffaut/Hitchcock and Thomas Hoving’s two interviews with Andrew Wyeth – published as Autobiography and Two Worlds of Andrew Wyeth – but reading Lawrence Block’s collected columns on writing from Writer’s Digest I have discovered outstanding examples of this somewhat mysterious creative process.

Now I am anxious to read his other collected columns – Block of course writes so fluidly that, as one Stephen King fan commented, I would probably read his grocery list – but he also asks brilliant questions of himself and does a terrific job answering and commenting on these.

This is a must read for anyone intrigued by writers, artists, the creative process or those eager to write whether already published or hoping to be soon.

[Boni Aditya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author seems to have misunderstood the concept of a book, I personally dislike books that are compiled from previously written articles that are barely related to each other. It resembles a coat stitched with a thousand rags picked off the road! I dislike such works. This book is built of columns that talk about various concepts, though all of them are related to Writing, Editing or Publishing or other trades of writing. The book offers sound advice, most of it though the authors own experience, and thus has a greater validity to the claim. The book does not respect the time of the reader, since the book can be cut in half without any loss in value added to the reader. The author has deliberately made the book voluminous, most of the content in just gooey emotional stuff. Yes, there are a many columns that are extremely well written but a few columns like self-publishing, or a piece about getting into the character or any piece written about the emotional dilemmas of the writer are plain and simple, and do not deserve any attention. There are other columns which are more technical in nature, i.e in the sense that they talk about the art of fiction as to decipher the steps involved, the character build up, the isolation set up, and other tricks of the trade that a writer would need are well captured. But this book isn't an exceptional one, i.e. yow will not be exposed to epiphanies and mind blowing revelations, the book is composed of common sense logic and anecdotes of the author and this experiences with his novels, the characters within this, the author has devoted fairly large amount of space for this purpose. Sometimes the same concepts are repeated across various columns and the author did not have the time or did not want to remove them on purpose. WHAT EVER BE THE CASE, this book does not add so much value per page, as does Stephen King's ON WRITING- MEMOIRS OF A CRAFT, which was quite thin and added more value than this entire book combined. I wish the author was more direct and quick to reveal facts.

[Stephen Dedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the 1980s, so some details of the publishing business have dated, but still contains much good advice for writers hoping to be published.

[Cory Tsuhako · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great one by the master.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't say no to this for $2.99 in the Kindle store, and I'm glad I didn't. Block's advice is helpful, interesting and humorous. Here are a few gems from this book.

"A chapter in a novel, I seem to recall having written, ought to be long enough to reach from the preceding chapter to the next one. Similarly, a short story or novel ought to be long enough to extend from the first word to the last. Lincoln said much the same thing of legs—i.e., that they ought to be long enough to reach the ground."

"My approach is intuitive rather than logical, and I’m satisfied that I punctuate correctly. And so, I might add, do other writers, some of whom punctuate very differently than I do. Donald Westlake uses more commas than I do. Brian Garfield uses far fewer. Were I assigned the chore of copy editing their books, I would not dream of adding commas to Brian’s sentences or yanking them out of Don’s. It’s abundantly clear to me that they both know what they’re doing. (Once, incidentally, the two of them collaborated on a novel. How they fought over commas!)"

However, there are a few issues I had with the book. It is very outdated, with numerous mentions about typewriters and crumpling up wasted pages of writing -- romantic images, but unlikely to help a modern day writer pounding away on a keyboard.

It is also a bit repetitive, which shouldn't be too surprising, as all this advice comes from one author through a series of monthly columns over a period of years (there are over forty columns in total in the book).

Also worth noting is that this book follows a book he wrote titled Telling Lies for Fun and Profit, which is his first compilation of columns he wrote for Writers' Digest magazine, which leads me to believe that the fresher columns lie in that volume, and I would recommend starting there, if you can handle the steeper Kindle price of $9.99.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute treat it is to re-read these columns, nearly 30 years after I first read many of them in the pages of Writer's Digest. I first started reading WD in high school, and subscribed for years, mostly for Lawrence Block's fiction-writing columns. This book collects all of his pieces from that era. Sure, a few pieces of advice -- mostly related to the marketplace for fiction -- have since become, oh, just slightly dated, but most of the wisdom still applies, not just for fiction writers but for all writers. These columns were, indeed, my bible in the early stages of my writing life. I owe a lot to Block, and I'm glad to have the chance to reflect back on how his writing influenced not just my own wordsmithing but also my life.

[Jonathan Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, let me say that Block's books on writing are top-notch, and the columns here on the craft of writing are very good. The only knock on this is the tips on the business of writing are, of course, out of date. Nor surprise, considering these columns date from the early 1980s. That said, definitely worth reading for anyone looking for tips on plotting, character development, etc. Just expect to skip a few columns.

[Tracey Pedersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea why I like this book. It was recommended by an author and I grabbed it when it was on sale or through KU - I forget which. I wondered why I'd want to read a bunch of collected articles that were published forever ago.

I couldn't have been more wrong. This book has fascinating insights and writing info and stories that last the test of time. I'd definitely recommend it and I plan to read Lawrence Block's other books, too.

[Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful practical advice for writers. Much of it is geared toward people who are trying to get paid for fiction, and that is premised on a publishing industry model from several decades ago--but it's nevertheless important to understand the history of how writers and publishers think about working together. The information about the craft of writing is still relevant and illuminating.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully encouraging book about the writing process. While I have never read any of Block's fiction, this is a collection of his Writer's Digest columns. They are filled with practical advice and encouragement. I particularly liked his irreverent tone and honesty. Highly recommended for aspiring writers.

[Derek Rutherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy all of Lawrence Block's about the craft of writing. This series of pieces from his vast history of Writer's Digest columns is no exception. Probably not quite as useful as Spider Spin Me A Web and Telling Lies for Profit and Fun (I think those were the correct titles of earlier collections) but still very valuable and highly entertaining. Recommended.

[Vanessa Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read Block's three previous books in this series, drawn from articles he wrote during 10 years as a Writer's Digest columnist. Definite must-reads for fiction writers or anyone aspiring to be a fiction writer.

This treasure is next on my list!

[Michael Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book picked up at a bargain price for the Kindle. It is a collection of essays from Writer's Digest 25+ years ago, so some of the market-related advice is necessarily dated. The other stuff was interesting, though, and I enjoyed Block's voice.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most abrupt ending ever.

I listen to audiobooks mostly and don't like to know how far into a book I am. Usually (always), I can tell when one's winding down.

This time, I had to check to make sure the audible file wasn't corrupted somehow.

[Jaq Greenspon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this piecemeal - a chapter at a time.

[L.A. Jacob · Rating 1 out of 5]

JUNK. Reading old, dated articles. Not worth the money.

[Craig Childs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of funny, insightful essays about the life of a writer. A must for Lawrence Block fans.

[Jamie Rosen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, but I think a lot of these articles were reprinted in altered form in Writing the Novel. If you have that one, this is the least required of Block's non-fiction works.

[Byron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these reprinted columns contain excellent advice.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of outdated advice in this, but still some useful bits and pieces.

[Oleg Hasanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invaluable source of helpful advice for fiction writers.

[Angelique Jurd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and interesting - an excellent book for those starting out. Less of a guide book, more of an encouragement book.