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A Writer's Notebook: Everything I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I was Starting Out.
A WRITER’S NOTEBOOK:
Everything I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Starting Out.
Learning to write well is a solitary and often frustrating task, but help is on the way. Here is the distilled experience of 50 years of writing (and writer’s block) that covers the following in detail, as well as 21 other topics:
Character Plot Setting
Dialog Point of View Voice & Tone
Self-publishing Finding an Agent Promotion
The author shares his experience in writing and publishing 19 books. Save yourself dozens of serious mistakes and years of wasted effort! This book is the bottom line on all aspects of the writer’s experience.
Everything I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Starting Out.
Learning to write well is a solitary and often frustrating task, but help is on the way. Here is the distilled experience of 50 years of writing (and writer’s block) that covers the following in detail, as well as 21 other topics:
Character Plot Setting
Dialog Point of View Voice & Tone
Self-publishing Finding an Agent Promotion
The author shares his experience in writing and publishing 19 books. Save yourself dozens of serious mistakes and years of wasted effort! This book is the bottom line on all aspects of the writer’s experience.
- GenresWriting
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 13, 2013
128 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
John Scherber
61 books33 followersJohn Scherber, a Minnesota native, settled in México in 2007. He is the author of 15 Paul Zacher mysteries, (The Murder in México series), set in the old colonial hill town of San Miguel de Allende, as well as his three award-winning nonfiction accounts of the expatriate experience, San Miguel de Allende: A Place in the Heart, Into the Heart of Mexico: Expatriates Find Themselves Off the Beaten Path, and Living in San Miguel: The Heart of the Matter. In addition, two volumes of the Townshend Vampire Trilogy have appeared, and a paranormal thriller titled The Devil’s Workshop.
His work is known for its fast pace, irreverent humor, and light-hearted excursions into the worlds of art and antiques––always with an edge of suspense. Neither highbrow nor lowbrow, his books are written as entertainments and dedicated to the enjoyment of reading. While he has acknowledged being no single one of his characters, he also admits to being all of them.
His work is known for its fast pace, irreverent humor, and light-hearted excursions into the worlds of art and antiques––always with an edge of suspense. Neither highbrow nor lowbrow, his books are written as entertainments and dedicated to the enjoyment of reading. While he has acknowledged being no single one of his characters, he also admits to being all of them.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 16, 2024
Nice mix of craft, process, and publishing
I expected this to be a book about writing, and the chapters are laid out very neatly with the different parts of the process, including things like finding your voice, developing characters, etc. But there are also significant sections on the writing and publishing process, including revisions, self-publishing (which is what this author essentially recommends), marketing, etc. It's a realistic view of all of the aspects of being a writer, and not just the writing itself. I appreciated these latter sections, though they are a bit intimidating, but there was some very concrete advice in there. It wasn't why I picked up the book, and was a bit surprised at the shift halfway through the book to these more practical aspects rather than those about writing itself. But still a good book and one that I imagine I'm going to reference again and again.
I expected this to be a book about writing, and the chapters are laid out very neatly with the different parts of the process, including things like finding your voice, developing characters, etc. But there are also significant sections on the writing and publishing process, including revisions, self-publishing (which is what this author essentially recommends), marketing, etc. It's a realistic view of all of the aspects of being a writer, and not just the writing itself. I appreciated these latter sections, though they are a bit intimidating, but there was some very concrete advice in there. It wasn't why I picked up the book, and was a bit surprised at the shift halfway through the book to these more practical aspects rather than those about writing itself. But still a good book and one that I imagine I'm going to reference again and again.
May 27, 2020
Worth The Read
I found this book on Amazon, I think through a recommendation by Amazon. I admit, at first it was hard to get into it. I may not have been in the right mood (I did start it right as the coronavirus crisis was starting) or more likely I was bored by it because I've read a lot of writing books and articles over the years and am kinda burnt out. Honestly the only thing that kept me at it was knowing it was on my "Reading" shelf in Goodreads. If I gave it up, all these people would know, maybe. Anyway, I did get really into it about halfway through. I really like Scherber's style. I definitely want to check out his mysteries too now!
I found this book on Amazon, I think through a recommendation by Amazon. I admit, at first it was hard to get into it. I may not have been in the right mood (I did start it right as the coronavirus crisis was starting) or more likely I was bored by it because I've read a lot of writing books and articles over the years and am kinda burnt out. Honestly the only thing that kept me at it was knowing it was on my "Reading" shelf in Goodreads. If I gave it up, all these people would know, maybe. Anyway, I did get really into it about halfway through. I really like Scherber's style. I definitely want to check out his mysteries too now!
March 26, 2020
A helpful nudge from John
Hi John,
Having published one book so far 'Senor Lard Arse & Fat Man' my journey was as you describe in the final chapter of this book. Amazing.
I had no reason to want to carry on since releasing the first book, sales are good as well as reviews. It was just another tick all be it an exciting tick off the bucket list. However I feel the need to start that search for self gratification once again with help from this read.
Thank you for simplifying the process of writing.
Martin
Hi John,
Having published one book so far 'Senor Lard Arse & Fat Man' my journey was as you describe in the final chapter of this book. Amazing.
I had no reason to want to carry on since releasing the first book, sales are good as well as reviews. It was just another tick all be it an exciting tick off the bucket list. However I feel the need to start that search for self gratification once again with help from this read.
Thank you for simplifying the process of writing.
Martin
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews