Writing for You: A Novelist's Guide to the Craft of Fiction

by Victoria Grefer

As a writer's handbook, "Writing for You" not only explores the mechanics of creative writing. It also provides emotional support and camaraderie, giving you techniques to triumph over those periods of doubt in your artistic life.

When writing gets tough, that inner editor’s got you down, and you feel like giving up, the most helpful thing in the world is knowing that dips in confidence are normal, we all experience them, and they are in no way a statement of fact concerning your potential.

At over 75,000 words, "Writing for You" was requested by the followers of the creative writing blog, www.crimsonleague.com. It groups information from the blog in new and thought-provoking ways, expands upon the information to be found there, and includes links to other resources to help any writer, whether a beginner or a seasoned pro.

The book also contains personal examples of how one writer developed her writing process over the course of five novels and ten years, to warn, guide, and reassure aspiring writers as they walk their own path toward finishing a novel.

Genres: Writing

188 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2013

About the author

Victoria is a New Orleans girl, born and raised, with an appreciation for the charm of the Deep South. She has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and English and a master’s degree in Spanish literature, all from the University of Alabama. She started college as a journalism major and worked a year as a staff reporter for the Alabama student newspaper, “The Crimson White.” That experience that helped her realize, once and for all, that her love for writing lay with fiction. She started enrolling in creative writing classes the following semester.

From the age of six, Victoria dreamed of becoming a novelist, and her writing career began in the third grade with a series of stories about herself and her friends solving mysteries. In high school she fell in love with the fantasy genre, and started writing fantasy as an undergraduate student. She currently resides in Chicago, IL, where she spends her free time promoting “The Crimson League.” She is a doctoral student at the University of Chicago, where she teaches Spanish and hopes to write a dissertation that links contemporary fantasy literature with the picaresque novel of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Reviews

[Kathy Steinemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 stars.

This book was a pleasant surprise, definitely not part of the growing trash-pile of poorly written indie books on the market. Victoria Grefer has an engaging writing style - and she knows the difference between "lie" and "lay". In fact, I was hard-pressed to find any typos.

She delivers what she promises: A description of her writing process, and sound advice for both aspiring and published authors. Even if you don't agree with everything in the book, you'll find helpful tips that will steer you in the right direction.

I especially enjoyed the chapter about point of view. In one section, Victoria talks about how to use omniscient narration and head-hopping in an effective manner, allowing an author to employ effective transitions while avoiding jarring jumps in POV.

The book also provides links to other blogs and online resources - with suggestions for utilizing them effectively - and an appendix that includes a list of suggested handbooks.

A couple of things kept me from giving Victoria's book five stars.

She refers extensively to her own novels or the Harry Potter series as examples - excellent for anyone who is familiar with those books. However, I haven't read any of them, and at times my mind wandered as I tried to make the necessary associations.

Although the information is excellent, it will be difficult for me to refer back to it as a true handbook. There is no quick way to find the teaching points. She does provide recaps for some chapters. However, I would prefer to see point form summaries, either at the end of every chapter, or in another appendix at the end of the book.

It doesn't have an NCX table of contents, which some readers might find bothersome.

I definitely enjoyed the book. And I picked up several useful pointers in its pages.

I would recommend it as a helpful resource for any author.

[Margit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grefer had a lot of good advice, but her rambling, casual style wore on me, so I had to read the book in short bursts. I would recommend the book to new writers, especially those seeking to self-publish.