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About Writing: Your Essential Writing Manual
ABOUT WRITING: YOUR ESSENTIAL WRITING GUIDE by Suz deMello Both of Suz deMello's famed writing manuals, now in one handy paperback. A perfect gift for any writer! Also available in large print: http: //tinyurl.com/AWLgPr Here's what folks said about one of the included books, PLOTTING AND PLANNING: Sue has written a concise manual that is valuable for both beginning and seasoned writers. Going to write a book? Read this first! --Bestselling suspense author Kylie Brant Suz deMello's PLOTTING AND PLANNING is a concise, informative, and entertaining look at writing a novel. --Paranormal author Silver James Regarding the other book that's in ABOUT WRITING: Not only did WRITE THIS NOT THAT! reach #2 on Amazon's writing reference list, but it also garnered many five star reviews: Five stars...good advice and fun to read. --Jo Frye Five stars... Kudos to the author for a well-written manual! --Book CraZ Five stars from me... This short guide covers the essentials and is useful for both new and experienced writers. --Author Catherine Cavendish
132 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
About the author
Suz deMello
79 books56 followersRomance author Suz deMello wants you to know that she has finished the process of re-acquiring rights to her books from various publishers, and then re-editing and repackaging each for indie release.
All her books are available in fresh, re-edited and re-covered new editions.
Befriend her on Facebook to be notified of sales and other events.
https://www.facebook.com/SuzDeMello
About Suz:
Suz deMello says, "I'm a cliche...A vegan yoga teacher from California who loves walks on the beach, cuddling her dogs and romance novels." But she's an award-winning, best-selling writer who's hit several best-seller lists, been short-listed for the RITA and reviewed by such prestigious publications such as Kirkus, Library Journal and Publisher's Weekly.
Suz uses a pseudonym to protect her privacy. But if you're a romance fan, you've probably read one of her 20+ books or have heard of her, since she's known for fast-paced, layered novels charged with humor as well as emotion.
Her personal motto is: Never stop learning, never stop growing. She's had at least five careers she can remember: librarian, trial attorney, Starbucks barista, grant writer, and yoga teacher. Perhaps her most interesting career move was teaching English to preschoolers in China! But she loves to write romance and teach yoga. She also has earned a 2d degree black belt in kenpo karate.
She currently resides in Mazatlan, Mexico, where she practices yoga, cuddles her dogs and walks on the beach every day. And yes, she's writing romance—this time, another Regency.
All her books are available in fresh, re-edited and re-covered new editions.
Befriend her on Facebook to be notified of sales and other events.
https://www.facebook.com/SuzDeMello
About Suz:
Suz deMello says, "I'm a cliche...A vegan yoga teacher from California who loves walks on the beach, cuddling her dogs and romance novels." But she's an award-winning, best-selling writer who's hit several best-seller lists, been short-listed for the RITA and reviewed by such prestigious publications such as Kirkus, Library Journal and Publisher's Weekly.
Suz uses a pseudonym to protect her privacy. But if you're a romance fan, you've probably read one of her 20+ books or have heard of her, since she's known for fast-paced, layered novels charged with humor as well as emotion.
Her personal motto is: Never stop learning, never stop growing. She's had at least five careers she can remember: librarian, trial attorney, Starbucks barista, grant writer, and yoga teacher. Perhaps her most interesting career move was teaching English to preschoolers in China! But she loves to write romance and teach yoga. She also has earned a 2d degree black belt in kenpo karate.
She currently resides in Mazatlan, Mexico, where she practices yoga, cuddles her dogs and walks on the beach every day. And yes, she's writing romance—this time, another Regency.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 18, 2015
*** 4 Cranky Stars ***
About Writing is a guide for aspiring writers on how to write a story and turn it into a manuscript ready for submission. It’s full of tips and hints as well as examples on the “how-to” and “what-not-to-do” steps into the world of literature.
I am a fairly new author with only a couple of books under my belt. Honestly speaking if I had read this guide prior to writing and completing my very first book, I would have given up for the sheer fear of not meeting the guidelines discussed in this book. Having said that, now that I have published a couple of books, About Writing is actually a very helpful tool on how to master my craft.
A rather weird and confusing comment, I know, but if I had read this guide two years ago when I was just “playing” at being a writer and putting my ideas down to my word processor, I would have drowned in self-doubt and told myself a million times that I wouldn’t be able to achieve everything Ms deMello was talking about in the this guidebook. Please don’t get me wrong, it is an easy read, well-written and the points raised in the book were very relevant and explained very well. It’s just the amount of work, research and countless hours a writer has to pour into the story being written in order to turn it into a book which is so daunting.
And yes, turning a story inside your head into a readable book is hard work composed of tears, dreams, angst and almost even blood of the writer. Having been able to submit and publish my first book without any guides or such had been such a lucky turn in my life. Writing a second book after that is terrifying now that I know how this world works.
About Writing couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you so much.
About Writing is a guide for aspiring writers on how to write a story and turn it into a manuscript ready for submission. It’s full of tips and hints as well as examples on the “how-to” and “what-not-to-do” steps into the world of literature.
I am a fairly new author with only a couple of books under my belt. Honestly speaking if I had read this guide prior to writing and completing my very first book, I would have given up for the sheer fear of not meeting the guidelines discussed in this book. Having said that, now that I have published a couple of books, About Writing is actually a very helpful tool on how to master my craft.
A rather weird and confusing comment, I know, but if I had read this guide two years ago when I was just “playing” at being a writer and putting my ideas down to my word processor, I would have drowned in self-doubt and told myself a million times that I wouldn’t be able to achieve everything Ms deMello was talking about in the this guidebook. Please don’t get me wrong, it is an easy read, well-written and the points raised in the book were very relevant and explained very well. It’s just the amount of work, research and countless hours a writer has to pour into the story being written in order to turn it into a book which is so daunting.
And yes, turning a story inside your head into a readable book is hard work composed of tears, dreams, angst and almost even blood of the writer. Having been able to submit and publish my first book without any guides or such had been such a lucky turn in my life. Writing a second book after that is terrifying now that I know how this world works.
About Writing couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you so much.
October 23, 2015
“There are probably as many ways to abuse the language as there are words in it. Learn your craft. Please.” Suz deMello, in her recently released book About Writing: Your Essential Writing Manual, including Plotting and Planning and Write This, Not That! , won me over with that bold statement. As a former college English professor and indie author who is constantly asked for free advice from newbie writers, I myself tend to tell aspiring authors to invest in an editor*. Quite often, (in “shouty caps,” to use E.L. James’s phrase) I say it even louder after I’ve read some of their books, but deMello says what I (and countless other authors, I’m sure) have not said but have been thinking, and it boils down to this: if you’re going to be an author, respect the profession enough to learn the rules.
Much of deMello’s advice can be found in many other treatises, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read her book. In fact, quite the contrary. Writers, especially those who are struggling, should read deep and wide when it comes to matters concerning the craft of writing. I liken it to my experience with math in high school. When I was a freshman, I took Algebra I with Mrs. N. Not only did I get an A, I also understood it and even found it somewhat enjoyable. My sophomore year, I took Geometry, again with Mrs. N, and once more found it fun and easy.
But let me assure you that was the last math class I felt that way about.
See, my junior year—being a glutton for punishment—I took both Algebra II and Trigonometry, and both classes were with Mr. W. Mr. W was definitely a brilliant guy and most of the students in the chairs surrounding me seemed to get what he was saying. Me, though? I might as well have been in Greece…or Mr. W could have delivered his message in Morse Code, and I likely would have gotten as much out of it. I was happy to take a hard-earned C in both classes and decided then that math and I would part ways. But most of the students in his classes did quite well and, looking back, I knew of students who had struggled in Mrs. N’s class the year before. Fast forward to my teaching career, and I can tell you that some students learn well from one professor’s style of teaching while others do much better with someone else. If we all learned the same way (or the first time), there would be but one book offering advice on the writing craft and it would be all we’d need.
I appreciate a number of things about deMello’s approach in her book. First, she offers lots of salient examples, both from her own works as well as from the works of others (both contemporary and classic). It’s one thing to lecture and offer theory and quite another to say, “Here’s what I mean.” deMello doesn’t skimp on the examples, and that’s so important. There is one area in the book in particular—the section on Paragraphs—where I appreciate that she included excerpts from two famous authors who had made odd, unconventional paragraph choices. She emailed both authors, asking why they made that choice. One of them emailed her back and explained why she wrote the paragraphs in question the way she did (“for effect”—and her rationale made perfect sense); the other did not email deMello back to explain, but I appreciated that deMello showed readers that even famous authors make poor choices on occasion…and it doesn’t stop them from being successful. That wasn’t the point she was making, but quite often deMello did point out that successful authors are usually good storytellers and are successful in spite of these errors, not because of them.
Next, while she deals with a lot of topics other books do, she offers her own fresh perspective, and more than once, I would be reading and say, “Yesss!” For instance, “He growled. She snarled. He grunted. She hissed.” deMello talks about dialogue tags in detail, explaining that anything more than “he said/she said” can be distracting and slow the pacing of the story. That’s great advice, important enough that it’s worth repeating.
But she also deals with topics not touched on in other writing manuals. For example, she talks about “pantsers versus plotters” (and “puzzlers” too!). A good many of us in the writing community know exactly what she’s talking about and what those terms mean, but newbie writers might not. A lot of writers who have taken traditional (expository) writing classes may have been told over and over that they needed an outline for effective writing while many creative writers have been told to let the organic flow of the story lead them through the writing process. deMello asserts that there is “an artificial division” between the two, insisting that all writers are actually plotters…and then she goes on to explain why.
deMello also includes multiple perspectives from other writers she interviewed. Some of their insight was great to read but sometimes detracted from deMello’s points. I believe deMello shared their points of view to strengthen her own insights, but I don’t know that all those voices were needed. That said, it again made deMello’s work different from many other books of the craft out there and it does boost its credibility. However, deMello’s work, I think, speaks for itself.
deMello also talks about lessons she’s learned…which again makes her advice credible. More than once, she points out rookie mistakes she’d made early in her writing career or some booboo that slipped past her and her editor. Not only does that show that she’s human, but it’s the same thing a parent does with a child: I’m telling you so you can avoid making the same mistakes I did! She injects humor into the book at points too, once more helping readers (and would-be writers) relax and not take themselves so seriously.
The point she wanted to hammer home more than any other? Don’t be boring. And she gives this advice throughout the book, helping any authors willing to listen and heed her words make sure they be as non-boring as possible.
While I differed with her on minor points here and there, I highly recommend this book on the craft, especially to new authors. It’s fresh; it’s succinct; it’s overflowing with examples; and yet it does not go over tired old subjects the way many creative writing books do. deMello gives advice based on her years as an author and editor. While there are a good many books on the craft that I recommend to students and aspiring authors that are written by creative writing instructors who don’t have a whole lot of real-world experience, deMello’s is based on years in the business and that’s where its strength lies. Read it. Learn from it. Reread it as necessary. You’ll be glad you did.
* In fact, in my own book on the craft, Indie Writer Companion, one chapter (“Your Editor is More Important Than You Think”) is dedicated to the premise that an editor is indispensible.
Much of deMello’s advice can be found in many other treatises, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read her book. In fact, quite the contrary. Writers, especially those who are struggling, should read deep and wide when it comes to matters concerning the craft of writing. I liken it to my experience with math in high school. When I was a freshman, I took Algebra I with Mrs. N. Not only did I get an A, I also understood it and even found it somewhat enjoyable. My sophomore year, I took Geometry, again with Mrs. N, and once more found it fun and easy.
But let me assure you that was the last math class I felt that way about.
See, my junior year—being a glutton for punishment—I took both Algebra II and Trigonometry, and both classes were with Mr. W. Mr. W was definitely a brilliant guy and most of the students in the chairs surrounding me seemed to get what he was saying. Me, though? I might as well have been in Greece…or Mr. W could have delivered his message in Morse Code, and I likely would have gotten as much out of it. I was happy to take a hard-earned C in both classes and decided then that math and I would part ways. But most of the students in his classes did quite well and, looking back, I knew of students who had struggled in Mrs. N’s class the year before. Fast forward to my teaching career, and I can tell you that some students learn well from one professor’s style of teaching while others do much better with someone else. If we all learned the same way (or the first time), there would be but one book offering advice on the writing craft and it would be all we’d need.
I appreciate a number of things about deMello’s approach in her book. First, she offers lots of salient examples, both from her own works as well as from the works of others (both contemporary and classic). It’s one thing to lecture and offer theory and quite another to say, “Here’s what I mean.” deMello doesn’t skimp on the examples, and that’s so important. There is one area in the book in particular—the section on Paragraphs—where I appreciate that she included excerpts from two famous authors who had made odd, unconventional paragraph choices. She emailed both authors, asking why they made that choice. One of them emailed her back and explained why she wrote the paragraphs in question the way she did (“for effect”—and her rationale made perfect sense); the other did not email deMello back to explain, but I appreciated that deMello showed readers that even famous authors make poor choices on occasion…and it doesn’t stop them from being successful. That wasn’t the point she was making, but quite often deMello did point out that successful authors are usually good storytellers and are successful in spite of these errors, not because of them.
Next, while she deals with a lot of topics other books do, she offers her own fresh perspective, and more than once, I would be reading and say, “Yesss!” For instance, “He growled. She snarled. He grunted. She hissed.” deMello talks about dialogue tags in detail, explaining that anything more than “he said/she said” can be distracting and slow the pacing of the story. That’s great advice, important enough that it’s worth repeating.
But she also deals with topics not touched on in other writing manuals. For example, she talks about “pantsers versus plotters” (and “puzzlers” too!). A good many of us in the writing community know exactly what she’s talking about and what those terms mean, but newbie writers might not. A lot of writers who have taken traditional (expository) writing classes may have been told over and over that they needed an outline for effective writing while many creative writers have been told to let the organic flow of the story lead them through the writing process. deMello asserts that there is “an artificial division” between the two, insisting that all writers are actually plotters…and then she goes on to explain why.
deMello also includes multiple perspectives from other writers she interviewed. Some of their insight was great to read but sometimes detracted from deMello’s points. I believe deMello shared their points of view to strengthen her own insights, but I don’t know that all those voices were needed. That said, it again made deMello’s work different from many other books of the craft out there and it does boost its credibility. However, deMello’s work, I think, speaks for itself.
deMello also talks about lessons she’s learned…which again makes her advice credible. More than once, she points out rookie mistakes she’d made early in her writing career or some booboo that slipped past her and her editor. Not only does that show that she’s human, but it’s the same thing a parent does with a child: I’m telling you so you can avoid making the same mistakes I did! She injects humor into the book at points too, once more helping readers (and would-be writers) relax and not take themselves so seriously.
The point she wanted to hammer home more than any other? Don’t be boring. And she gives this advice throughout the book, helping any authors willing to listen and heed her words make sure they be as non-boring as possible.
While I differed with her on minor points here and there, I highly recommend this book on the craft, especially to new authors. It’s fresh; it’s succinct; it’s overflowing with examples; and yet it does not go over tired old subjects the way many creative writing books do. deMello gives advice based on her years as an author and editor. While there are a good many books on the craft that I recommend to students and aspiring authors that are written by creative writing instructors who don’t have a whole lot of real-world experience, deMello’s is based on years in the business and that’s where its strength lies. Read it. Learn from it. Reread it as necessary. You’ll be glad you did.
* In fact, in my own book on the craft, Indie Writer Companion, one chapter (“Your Editor is More Important Than You Think”) is dedicated to the premise that an editor is indispensible.
October 28, 2015
About Writing is just that...A no nonsense book about how to write and how to do it well. I found her style to be easy to understand. I especially found her explanation on POV's to be illuminating as I trip in blissful ignorance through my writing only to suffer the editors wrath time and again.
I will recommend About Writing to my new, and old, author friends.
I will recommend About Writing to my new, and old, author friends.
September 17, 2015
About Writing by Suz deMello is a small, but powerful book for beginners and experienced writers alike. This little book is an excellent reference to remind all authors of the goals of becoming a better author. I love that Ms. deMello started with this quote, “There are three rules to writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” – Somerset Maugham. Is this not the truth? How many times have we endeavored to learn the correct way to write, and then we pick up a best seller and the author has broken all the rules? This being said, Ms. deMello explains in clear language and with excellent examples the building blocks of writing. She offers excellent ideas for developing characters, plot, conflict, and even how to stir up an author’s creative juices. I believe the most important message in this book is “everything in a story should contribute to it, from the biggest monster to the tiniest comma.” I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in improving their writing. Keep it close and read it often.
October 2, 2015
I was given this book as an ARC for an honest review. Suz deMello wrote a fantastic primer for the beginning writer, but it should not be overlooked by the more experienced. It’s nice to have a go-to guide to touch on the things easily forgotten. She touches on everything from character arc to plot points. This is an excellent book to have in your craft library.
December 17, 2016
About Writing is a powerful book for beginners and experienced writers. It's an excellent reference and I'm sure I'll be flipping through the pages more as I visit future manuscripts myself. I would advise writers to give this a read, even if you have many titles under your belt.
October 9, 2015
Advice on writing is like salt—too much or too little spoils the soup. Without adequate guidance, a novice writer, even experienced writers, risk boring their readers or disgusting them with simple but excruciating mistakes. Like the use of ‘very’ – a useless word that creeps in when you’re not looking. Writing tired? Writing lazy? Go back to your work in progress and perform a search and destroy mission on ‘very.’
The other side of the coin is advice that undermines a writer’s confidence to the point that her work is never quite her own. Years ago, I experienced a devastating loss of confidence when I enrolled in a graduate level writing workshop. The instructor had achieved some fame and students fawned over him, but I later discovered he had little patience for female writers. He liked hard hitting action akin to Hemingway. Not everyone writes like that and not all readers enjoy that style. But because I didn’t write that way, I subsequently spent years trying to heal the wounds.
Fortunately, a few books like Suz deMello’s “About Writing” steer the middle way. Just enough salt. Want to know the dumb mistakes you might overlook? Care to think of ways to keep your work in the active voice, propelling your readers forward? Here’s a quick and easy read that hits on the most critical points useful to newbies and experienced writers alike.
The book is presented in two parts. “Plotting & Planning” addresses structural basics such as how to build a scene and follow-up with a compelling sequel that leads to the next scene, a critical junction in every story. Authors naturally build scenes to tell their stories, but it never hurts to take a more analytical view of one’s work especially in the nasty midsection where action can grind to a halt. The second part, “Write This, Not That!” delves more into more subtle errors that can be systemic such as the use of an ‘info dump’ and clichés.
DeMello’s tone is friendly and her style is accessible. She doesn’t waste your time wandering off into esoteric philosophizing about the writing craft. Instead, here is a bucket of tools an author can refer to time and again. When in doubt, here’s the right measure of salt.
The other side of the coin is advice that undermines a writer’s confidence to the point that her work is never quite her own. Years ago, I experienced a devastating loss of confidence when I enrolled in a graduate level writing workshop. The instructor had achieved some fame and students fawned over him, but I later discovered he had little patience for female writers. He liked hard hitting action akin to Hemingway. Not everyone writes like that and not all readers enjoy that style. But because I didn’t write that way, I subsequently spent years trying to heal the wounds.
Fortunately, a few books like Suz deMello’s “About Writing” steer the middle way. Just enough salt. Want to know the dumb mistakes you might overlook? Care to think of ways to keep your work in the active voice, propelling your readers forward? Here’s a quick and easy read that hits on the most critical points useful to newbies and experienced writers alike.
The book is presented in two parts. “Plotting & Planning” addresses structural basics such as how to build a scene and follow-up with a compelling sequel that leads to the next scene, a critical junction in every story. Authors naturally build scenes to tell their stories, but it never hurts to take a more analytical view of one’s work especially in the nasty midsection where action can grind to a halt. The second part, “Write This, Not That!” delves more into more subtle errors that can be systemic such as the use of an ‘info dump’ and clichés.
DeMello’s tone is friendly and her style is accessible. She doesn’t waste your time wandering off into esoteric philosophizing about the writing craft. Instead, here is a bucket of tools an author can refer to time and again. When in doubt, here’s the right measure of salt.
October 9, 2015
It's my book so I obviously love it! It's one of the best things I've ever done other than adopt a shelter dog :)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews