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How To Write A Blockbuster
"Teach Yourself How to Write a Blockbuster" is unlike other writing guides in that it instructs you on how to write a plot-based, action-focused book specifically for the commercial market. In addition, it covers one of the most important aspects of publishing a novel: finding an agent. Covers various genres, including romance, thrillers, and mysteries Steers writers toward the hottest trends in fiction
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 23, 2023
Its' really hard to categorize 'on writing' books. This one sits between a relatively straightforward and practical introduction to, at times, diving in depth on some topics. I would recommend this one as a very useful intro type book.
Even though its getting a little older most of the material is still perfectly relevant, maybe the self-publishing etc is out of date, the actual writing advice is on point still.
Even though its getting a little older most of the material is still perfectly relevant, maybe the self-publishing etc is out of date, the actual writing advice is on point still.
May 2, 2012
How to Write a Bestseller
This should interest those of you who are budding writers or wannabe’s. I read this book called ‘How to write a blockbuster’ about a year ago now, in part preparation for my task of writing a book. The book is from the ‘teach yourself range’ by Helen Corner & Lee Weatherly, and contains all the semantics of crafting a story plus all the ins and outs of getting published. In fact, I contacted one of the agents mentioned in the book. I ended up re-reading much of the book several times while writing my first two books. I found the information very useful.
But writing a novel – crafting pure fiction is not as easy as it may sound. I am given some encouragement though, by what Ernest Hemingway said to his friend Scott Fitzgerald, about how it had taken him all morning to write just a paragraph, and he didn’t hold much hope of writing a novel. This of course is when Hemingway was an aspiring writer living in Paris in the 1920’s, before he published his first novel.
This should interest those of you who are budding writers or wannabe’s. I read this book called ‘How to write a blockbuster’ about a year ago now, in part preparation for my task of writing a book. The book is from the ‘teach yourself range’ by Helen Corner & Lee Weatherly, and contains all the semantics of crafting a story plus all the ins and outs of getting published. In fact, I contacted one of the agents mentioned in the book. I ended up re-reading much of the book several times while writing my first two books. I found the information very useful.
But writing a novel – crafting pure fiction is not as easy as it may sound. I am given some encouragement though, by what Ernest Hemingway said to his friend Scott Fitzgerald, about how it had taken him all morning to write just a paragraph, and he didn’t hold much hope of writing a novel. This of course is when Hemingway was an aspiring writer living in Paris in the 1920’s, before he published his first novel.
October 14, 2009
With a title like this, seasoned writers might be forgiven for thinking the scope a little ambitious, particularly for such a slender volume. And whilst it is true that reading this book won't make you the next Dan Brown or J. K. Rowling, it is still a very worthwhile place to start in the "how to" market. Topics covered include building a character, planning a plot, improving dialogue and the key lesson of nearly all creative writing tomes: show, not tell. The book has been written in a very easy-going, approachable format, meaning that it takes next to no time to finish reading it. However, the lessons it teaches are very valuable, and what I found was that it highlighted the areas I needed to focus on in my own writing more thoroughly. I have since read a number of other more focused creative writing books, but this one still remains the best primer on the market, in my opinion.
September 13, 2016
I read this when I was a reader for the Cornerstones literary consultancy a few years ago, as one of the authors is the founder. At the time I found it a useful refresher....but, completely bizarrely, I didn't take on much of the advice myself even though I was trying to write a novel at the time!! Insane!! Of course, what I actually was writing was a memoir...but I didn't know that at the time.
Years later, in the midst of writing a new novel that actually IS fiction, I have found this book to be an amazing refresher in the basics of novel writing - little things like character development, pacing, narrative arc, etc. it's written in a friendly and conversational way, as if the authors are in the room with you, giving you advice. It's a novel writing class in a book. I highly, highly recommend it.
Years later, in the midst of writing a new novel that actually IS fiction, I have found this book to be an amazing refresher in the basics of novel writing - little things like character development, pacing, narrative arc, etc. it's written in a friendly and conversational way, as if the authors are in the room with you, giving you advice. It's a novel writing class in a book. I highly, highly recommend it.
November 9, 2013
I thought this was a great starter book. It gives you just enough information to get you going in the right direction. Sadly I didn't read this, or several other 'how to' books I owned, before I began my writing career because they were mostly soooooo boring. I just wanted to get on with it and learn by my mistakes. This book might well haved saved me time if I'd bothered to read it at the start. It is basic but you need to grasp the basics before you fly, so yes it's well worth a shot, even if that is in hindsight.
November 29, 2018
This book has a lot of the same information on writing fiction that other books like it have. But it is good info, nonetheless. The exercises throughout were nice I plan on trying some of them in the future. This book was published in 2006, so the second half of the book on agents and publishing seemed a bit out of date. I feel that e-books have changed the way publishing has worked substantially in the past 12 years. This book is still well worth your time as a writer who wishes to produce quality fiction.
July 5, 2012
A Little Book that Packs a Big Punch
If you’re hoping to write commercial fiction that is attractive to the trade and readers alike, and you need some help (and at the beginning who doesn’t?) a how-to guide written by the founder of one of the most well respected consultancies operating today – Cornerstones – is a good place to begin. This book won’t disappoint. Not merely good, it’s great.
Helen Corner and co-author Lee Weatherly take the novice writer through the various stages of the craft that is novel writing, from plot and scene structure to the nitty-gritty of writing blockbuster prose. Clear and concise, each chapter is sub-divided, broken down into bite-sized chunks of vital information with inspiring, erudite quotations from writers as luminous and varied as Philip Pullman and Jane Bidder. The layout is as clever and user friendly as the content with chapter headings appearing in the margins on every page for easy referencing and access to sections you may want to revisit. And believe me, you will want to revisit this book, again and again. ‘Try this’ exercises and tips also add value.
But the thing that I especially love about this guide is that it takes you from planning your novel all the way through to how to write a decent synopsis, the agent-author relationship and the reality of being published (only a miniscule percentage of authors make squillions). There’s even a further reading list and useful organisations detailed at the back. Always warm and supportive, Corner and Weatherly are also honest about the realities of this most competitive of industries. At 210 pages How to Write a Blockbuster is compact, but by golly it packs a punch well above its weight. Knockout.
If you’re hoping to write commercial fiction that is attractive to the trade and readers alike, and you need some help (and at the beginning who doesn’t?) a how-to guide written by the founder of one of the most well respected consultancies operating today – Cornerstones – is a good place to begin. This book won’t disappoint. Not merely good, it’s great.
Helen Corner and co-author Lee Weatherly take the novice writer through the various stages of the craft that is novel writing, from plot and scene structure to the nitty-gritty of writing blockbuster prose. Clear and concise, each chapter is sub-divided, broken down into bite-sized chunks of vital information with inspiring, erudite quotations from writers as luminous and varied as Philip Pullman and Jane Bidder. The layout is as clever and user friendly as the content with chapter headings appearing in the margins on every page for easy referencing and access to sections you may want to revisit. And believe me, you will want to revisit this book, again and again. ‘Try this’ exercises and tips also add value.
But the thing that I especially love about this guide is that it takes you from planning your novel all the way through to how to write a decent synopsis, the agent-author relationship and the reality of being published (only a miniscule percentage of authors make squillions). There’s even a further reading list and useful organisations detailed at the back. Always warm and supportive, Corner and Weatherly are also honest about the realities of this most competitive of industries. At 210 pages How to Write a Blockbuster is compact, but by golly it packs a punch well above its weight. Knockout.
September 6, 2008
Oh, God. Together with Orson Scott Card's book on character,t hsi how-to depressed me more than anything by Camus or Kafka. Why? because some of my own favourite light reading would fail allt hese tests. I quite like wandering discursive novels like Gaudy Night, just as I like plump women. Plainly, I'm not going to be seing much of either. These rules, especially the ones for making character likeable, are just laughable. A likeable character is this driving person,t eh kind of person who is always head cheerleader or captian of the team or class president. Why not some space for quiet, dreamy people? Why can't we like them?
It's especially dismal that these Rules segue only too well with late capitalism - likeable characters act like shoppers in the sales, seizing and clutching, without actually being in any way different from a median. Card actually TELLS you not to create an intelligent character unless their intelligence is exercised by solving plot problems.
I think I'm going to get extremely bored with 'bestsellers' written according to these guidelines. I shall take refuge with Joyce and Tolstoy and also rambling writings, like nature writings. Oh, and golden age detective sotires, where the detective is allowed to know things you don't - but then I once spent a really good Sunday looking for ONE quotation from Peter Wimsey - and finding it... which was thrilling.
It's especially dismal that these Rules segue only too well with late capitalism - likeable characters act like shoppers in the sales, seizing and clutching, without actually being in any way different from a median. Card actually TELLS you not to create an intelligent character unless their intelligence is exercised by solving plot problems.
I think I'm going to get extremely bored with 'bestsellers' written according to these guidelines. I shall take refuge with Joyce and Tolstoy and also rambling writings, like nature writings. Oh, and golden age detective sotires, where the detective is allowed to know things you don't - but then I once spent a really good Sunday looking for ONE quotation from Peter Wimsey - and finding it... which was thrilling.
October 10, 2014
This is going to be slightly different from my normal book reviews as this is a non-fiction book and I wouldn't call myself an expert in non-fiction. I'm afraid it's going to be quite short because I loved this book!
Write a Blockbuster and Get it Published is a book that gives you great advice about both the writing and publishing process.
Blockbuster shocked me in how easy it was to read. Usually books like this are full of jargon and it makes you nervous, but not this book. It was so easy to understand, even if you don't know what all these literary terms mean, making it accessible to everyone.
It was crammed with great tips and I particularly liked the 10 things to Remember at the end of each chapter. It's a brilliant way to sum up and drive the points home. It's also a good reference point to read back on when you need some advice or you're stuck. I have a feeling I'm going to pick this book up over and over again just to read specific parts I might need help on.
Most importantly it reminded me that I don't know everything about writing. No one does. It's a craft you never stop learning.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and will pick it up again and again. I recommend it for anyone who's written anything.
Write a Blockbuster and Get it Published is a book that gives you great advice about both the writing and publishing process.
Blockbuster shocked me in how easy it was to read. Usually books like this are full of jargon and it makes you nervous, but not this book. It was so easy to understand, even if you don't know what all these literary terms mean, making it accessible to everyone.
It was crammed with great tips and I particularly liked the 10 things to Remember at the end of each chapter. It's a brilliant way to sum up and drive the points home. It's also a good reference point to read back on when you need some advice or you're stuck. I have a feeling I'm going to pick this book up over and over again just to read specific parts I might need help on.
Most importantly it reminded me that I don't know everything about writing. No one does. It's a craft you never stop learning.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and will pick it up again and again. I recommend it for anyone who's written anything.
June 28, 2012
Pretty much does as says on the cover, this is a practical guide to writing novels for publication and how to proceed from a first draft through the editing process and then submission to agents, etc.
It's been a book I've dipped into over the past couple of weeks and found it provided some interesting tips that I'll likely apply to my next NaNoWriMo project.
Lee Weatherley had certainly put these ideas on pacing, characterization and the like to good use in her own novels (Angel Trilogy). She wrote the first section on writing while Helen Corner wrote the Introduction and Part 2 on getting published, agents and the like.
It's been a book I've dipped into over the past couple of weeks and found it provided some interesting tips that I'll likely apply to my next NaNoWriMo project.
Lee Weatherley had certainly put these ideas on pacing, characterization and the like to good use in her own novels (Angel Trilogy). She wrote the first section on writing while Helen Corner wrote the Introduction and Part 2 on getting published, agents and the like.
January 6, 2012
Engagingly written with some appealing and effective writing tips. Too bad it loses so much credibility for a minor yet glaring mistake - do we blame the abominable recurrences of unnecessarily apostrophe'd "Hogwart's"es on shoddy copy editing or a careless author? And I'll admit I skimmed the end as I wasn't looking for publishing advice so I have no idea how "good" the advice is.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews