250 фішок, що їх має знати письменник

by Chuck Wendig

Чак Вендіґ зробив те, чого вкрай потребувала, але не визнавала велика кількість авторів: він запропонував феноменальну книжку про реальний письменницький світ, і зробив її досяжною та зрозумілою для широкого загалу. Практичні, брутальні та чесні поради, зроблені із таким почуттям гумору, що вони назавжди застрягають усередині мозку. Незважаючи на те, чи ви визнаний автор, чи новачок, що тільки шукає свій шлях у письменництві, ви обов’язково знайдете тут щось корисне для себе.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Ebooks, Humor, Crafts, Research

160 pages, Unknown Binding

First published July 16, 2011

About the author

Chuck Wendig is a novelist, a screenwriter, and a freelance penmonkey.
He has contributed over two million words to the roleplaying game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP).

He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is a fellow of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter's Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, will show at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producer Ted Hope.

Chuck's novel Double Dead will be out in November, 2011.

He's written too much. He should probably stop. Give him a wide berth, as he might be drunk and untrustworthy. He currently lives in the wilds of Pennsyltucky with a wonderful wife and two very stupid dogs. He is represented by Stacia Decker of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

You can find him at his website, terribleminds.com.

Reviews

[Zanna ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not boring. Coarse humor, packed with profanity, but funny. The advice seems sound. The only other book I've read so far about writing is On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, which I liked too. Still, this one held its own.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing bug has been gnawing on my brainstem lately so I decided to pick up another writing book on the cheap. In 250 Things You Should Know About Writing, Chuck Wendig serves up 11 lists of 25 items each on various writing subjects. Yes, both Chuck and I realize that adds up to 275, not 250.

Since I've got to pad this review somehow, here is the list of topics covered:
- Being a Writer
- Writing a Novel
- Storytelling
- Character
- Plot
- Dialogue
- Description
- Editing, Revising, Rewriting
- Getting Published
- Writing a Fucking Sentence
- Writing a Screenplay

Chuck covers all these topics in style that's both informative and has the same sense of humor his blog posts have. So, if you don't appreciate his sense of humor, you're not going to be able to stomach this book.

As far as the writing advice goes, most of it is of the common sense variety. I found some of it useful but none of it revolutionary. It's not going to eclipse Stephen King's On Writing or Lawrence Block's Telling Lies for Fun and Profit. The entertainment value is very high for a writing book, though.

If you're a Chuck Wendig fan and need some writing tips, this will serve you well. It's not one of my favorite writing books but you could do a lot worse. And it's cheap. Three out of Five stars.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a good present for your grandmother. Or your maiden aunt. Or for your best friend who has to hide a book called Spellwright from her dad because he'd think it was Satanic. Basically, not for those easily offended, wary of profanity, or probably politically correct -- I don't remember bigoted slurs or gendered insults, but there's such a cornucopia of obscenity that I wouldn't be surprised.

Still, Wendig's book on writing is full of robust sensible advice, delivered with humour and in easily digested chunks. There's very little original advice that can be given on the subject, but Chuck Wendig delivers his spin on it with eloquence.

[Veronica Sicoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The character is the hero, the writer is the villain. Chuck Wendig is the grinning devil sitting on the writer's shoulder.

"If you're not succeeding at writing, you've nobody to blame but yourself."

This is why I love Chuck's advice so much---he kicks your lazy butt from here to Hades and gets your wheels spinning and your gears rattling.

This book takes you through the bowels of writing and sharpens your teeth, reminding you of the reason you wanted to put up with the ordeal of storytelling in the first place: it's a whole lot of fun! Creating people and watching them squirm, all for the audience's pleasure, nailing down big ideas by weaving many tiny plots together, sending your words and your vision sliding down the reader's throat like a gentle warm stream of easy prose... that's what every writer dreams of. Should strive to. Should work the hell toward!

If anything, Chuck's advice in "250 Things You Should Know About Writing"---covering everything from plot, character and dialogue to editing and publishing---will leave you invigorated and eager to work your fingers raw to give the audience what it thirsts for: "this most fundamental conflict of storyteller versus character."

[Наталія Клименко · Rating 1 out of 5]

Нікчемна книжка, після якої хочеться помити руки.

[Поліна · Rating 2 out of 5]

Надто багато гумору "нижче пояса" для мене. Місцями дратувало і викликало огиду. Та і проблеми з українським перекладом теж зіпсули враження.

[Микола · Rating 2 out of 5]

Книжка одночасно дуже жвава і нудна. Головна її «фішка» — тон оповідача. Щоразу, як брався читати, згадував мамину сусідку, яка працює на базарі. Це такі нотатки про письмо від «справжнього автора». Впевнений, що він має аудиторію, яка в захваті. Я — ні, бо оцей грубий панібратський тон (наче алкаш плескає тебе по плечу), фак на фаці, стрьомні жарти — просто не моє.
Але і не кинув, бо це була така динамічна, коротка (і з короткими розділами) книжка-перебивка перед сном.

Чи надихає? Та не дуже? Чи є інсайти? Ну, такі собі, як у всіх таких книжках.
Автор, по суті, не розкриває методу чи підходу, а більше звертається до ставлення. «Пиши швидко, редагуй повільно», «вчи, б#%дь, рідну мову» та подібне. Напор, з якими Чак дає поради, спонукає одразу пригадати прочитане та почуте, щоб заперечити. Так, не один раз було заявлено «робіть нотатки», а я одразу згадую, як Стівен Кінг якось сказав, що нотатник є найкращим засобом для увіковічнення поганих ідей. Не визначайте мову персонажа через діалект — привіт, Ірвін Уелш і так далі.

Виніс із книжки прикольну фразу There's no „there” there.

Та мабуть і все.

[Emma Sea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Otherwise known as the book in which Chuck Wendig presciently foresees pterodactyl erotica.

Wendig is a misogynistic asshole in this book, with his comments about "Kim Kardashian's massive pork roast behind" or "unctuous barnacles scraped from the thighs of Oprah Winfrey". But if you can overlook this, there's some good stuff about writing: "shatter descriptive passage like toffee;" "Our eyes flow over dialogue like butter on the hood of a hot car."

So I do recommend it. Please step around the bigotry.

[Mikeru Desu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Етеншн! багато матюгів, в цілому без особливої конкретики але гарними метафорами.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 3 out of 5]

You’re not going to get any visionary insight from Wendig’s book. What you will get is a lot of practical advice on writing salable commercial fiction delivered in a concise and humorous package. However, be forewarned, Wendig’s humor is not for everyone. It’ll appeal most to frat boys and others who enjoy the gratuitously bawdy.

The book really is arranged as a list of 250 pieces of advice on writing commercial fiction. These items are arranged logically into chapters covering topics such as character, setting, plot, description, screenwriting, and marketing your manuscript. The book offers a good way to review a lot of information if you enjoy the author’s sense of humor.

Rather than recommend the book without reservation, it may make more sense to make a couple lists of my own.

List I: People who will love this book.
-If you watch Robot Chicken and Archer, you’ll love this book.
-If you want to be the next Chuck Palahniuk,…
-If you send freakish porn to co-workers and are shocked by their stunned silence,…

List II: People who will hate this book.
-If you watch Downton Abbey and The MacNeil Lehrer Newshour, you’ll hate this book.
-If you want to be the next Chaucer,…
-If you are a deacon or lay minister in your church,…

Wendig’s language doesn’t leave a lot of room for middle-of-the-road views. His attempts to entertain as he informs will make the book quite readable for some and unpalatable for others. However, I suppose if you’re in the Venn intersect of those who watch both Downton Abbey and Robot Chicken you might have middling views on the book.

[Sleepless Dreamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly helpful and very humorous.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you judge writing advice books? By the sagacity of the advice? By the drive to write and create it inspires? By it’s re-readability? However you cut it, 250 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WRITING gets high marks. The fact that it costs less than a buck and is also filled with some of the filthiest, most original, and most disturbing cursing is really just icing on the cake.

So let’s take each one of these in turn, okay? How’s Wendig’s writing advice? Pretty sharp. Hidden not-so-deep among the expletives are some really insightful, helpful advice. Not cliches like “kill your darlings,” but ways to play with audience expectations to keep them reading. And beyond the helpful writing advice, there is also helpful advice for editing and persevering.

Next, how motivating is it? Pretty freaking motivating. There’s something about the way Wendig writes that is like a slap in the face to snap you out of your funk. After about an hour of reading, you’ll want to get right back to the keyboard and start outlining your next story.

And getting excited about writing–after being armed with fresh advice on writing–well, what more could you ask for? That’s the best bang you can get from a buck.

Oh, and a note about the language. It’s Chuck MFing Wendig, we’re talking about alright? So don’t be surprised when a metaphor about erotic asphyxiation is followed up by a graphic birthing sequence. If you’re not intrigued as to how this relates to writing, move along. But really, if you’re not already a fan of Wendig, what are you doing here? Well, just in case, I’ll end with this. Margaret Atwood recently cited Wendig’s advice as a go-to resource for aspiring writers. F’ yeah!

[Beverly Diehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book; laughed so hard I almost wet myself a few times. Is any of the information brand spanking new? Some; mostly it's things I've heard and read before, but presented in a way that's so entertaining they have a better chance of sticking in the little pea-brain I call my mind.

I love that he doesn't treat Writing as the Great Holy Quest which must be treated with All Due Reverence (cue music; genuflect now.) Lots of profanity (which should not offend anyone trying to write, we use it at if not in our work) and not sugar-coating the very rough road it can be. The only way you would not like it, if you are a writer is if profanity does offend you, even the good-natured tongue-in-cheek kind, or if you take Writing (and yourself) much too seriously.

[Marina Latcko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in 2 sittings, 1 day instead of writing. Everything is great except for extreme and unnecessary overuse of expletive constructions. I'd give 5 stars if not for those constant motherf-ers, vaginas, man-parts, dicks, and the like. Come on, you're a writer, writing for other writers; why to be that vivid? We're not dumb; we can understand from the first reading what is meant. We don't need those colorful similes and examples. Really. We don't.
Otherwise, the advice is great and, yes, I recommend the book.

[Саша Козлов · Rating 3 out of 5]

Книга мені не дуже сподобалася, хоча класні поради тут дійсно є – особливо частина про побудову речення.

Проте цей відгук я пишу, щоб звернутися до видавництва «Фабула». Будь ласка, вичитуйте те, що роблять перекладачі. Я не думаю, що над цим текстом працював редактор: занадто багато одруківок, велика кількість недолугих речень, а через перекладання кожного is і are через дієслово «є» хочеться просто вити.
І так, будь ласка, перекажіть свої перекладачці, що Харпер Лі – це жінка, і її ім’я треба відмінювати відповідно. Дякую!

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very informative yet concise book. I would rate it higher, but the vulgarity is...well, there's a lot of it. I'm happy to have read it once, but I will not read it again. Making uncouth and insensitive jokes may keep people rolling on the floor and help them remember the material, but I am better off without it. The information is relevant to those who desire to write well--but I'm sure there are many other sources worth checking out first.

[Yelyzaveta Korol · Rating 1 out of 5]

Не опускайте руки. Старайтесь, словно какаете. ©

Автор очень старался.
Ощущение, что он сотворил этот высер в горячке.
Да, в книге есть дельные советы, но дерзкими назвать их сложно. А вот мерзкими - самое оно. Подозреваю, что в теории пошлые и мерзкие вставки должны были осесть в памяти читателя, привязав к себе советы автора. Но на практике... этот пласт говна не тонет, и хочется о нём забыть, хочется, чтобы волны памяти унесли его в закат вместе с его отвратительным душком.

[Alona Salona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Мені дуже сподобалась книга! Вона така проста, дуже легко написана, вона про очевидні речі і має у собі приклади дуже гарних порад.
Автор не каже що він на 100% правий, і що писати треба саме так як він каже, але якщо хочаб половина сучасних авторів прочитала цю книгу і дослухалась до деяких дуже важливих та дієвих порад - ми бачили би більше книг із п'ятьма зірочками на Гудрідс.
Дуже раджу до прочитання всім починаючим і не дуже )

[Richard Magahiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like the terribleminds.com website - funny, coarse, honest, direct. Every writer should be able to take a way a few gems from this collection, which actually throws in an extra 25 tips for free.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chuck Wendig is hilarious, he is honest, and he is very smart. I loved reading these tips and tricks, all of this advise, as there is so much in here that really resonates, and speaks the truth. Worth every penny.

[Katy (Queen of the trash nerds) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could do without the rape jokes and alpha male posturing, but the advice is sound. Just...calm down, Wendig. We get that you like graphic sex jokes, but you have one too many.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A no-nonsense approach to understanding craft and industry. You look past the NSFW language and you'll find rare glittering gems buried in every page. A must read.

[Leo McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who has followed Chuck Wendig on Twitter or at his blog - and if you haven't, you should - he's refreshingly free of BS when it comes to advice on writing.

He's helpful, supportive, and doesn't waffle on about airy fairy matters. He's a sit your butt down and write kinda guy - and his 250 things you should know is in the same vein.

It's a 250 Commandments he says you should feel free to ignore, a Desiderata with added swearing. For those who suffer a lack of motivation, or run into writer's block, having this by your computer would be no bad way to start your day. Pick it up, give yourself a jolt of unfettered writer roar, then do what the man says.

Sit your butt down. And write.

[Jana Light · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent advice on writing, immediately practicable. Some of the asides and "color" were a little too profane and ridiculous for my tastes.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has tons of great advice about writing, all in bite-size pieces. There's not a single boring spot to be found in this book. He also makes great use of humor and expletives in explaining his points.

[Kristy Gillespie · Rating 5 out of 5]

* Even though the title is 250 Things You Should Know About Writing, Chuck Wendig actually offers 275 tips- bonus! He mentions how 250 sounds more “rounded” than 275, which I have to agree that it does.

* Some of my favorite tips include:

1. Your Voice Is Your Own- “Write like you write, like you can’t help but write, and your voice will become yours and yours alone.” Basically, don’t be a poseur.

2. A Good Story- “A good story entertains but a great story knows that it has in its arsenal the ability to make us feel something.” I seem to do a decent job at this. Often when people read one of my short stories or poems they’re left sad, angry, or wanting more. Recently I attended a poetry workshop and one of the women in my critique group mentioned that my poem Father’s Rubik’s Cube bothered her because the daughter (me) seemed to have no compassion for her father. Her observation was spot on. At that moment when I was writing the poem, that’s how I felt. It’s important to be honest and raw.

3. What the Audience Wants- “The audience wants the protagonist to be happy, to be well. They want things to work out. They want conflict to resolve. The story cannot have these things and still be a good story.” Well then clearly, I write amazing stories

4. Black and White- “Black and white grows weary. More interesting is how dark and many shades of gray characters may become before brightening.” Love this one!

5. Writing is A Craft- “Writing is a craft, storytelling is art.” Without passion, there is no art.

6. You Are The Dealer- “You are the dealer, the character is the drug.” It’s a symbiotic relationship, for sure.

7. Act Upon the World- “Act upon the world rather than have the world act upon him.” Or as Wendig colorfully describes: “Don’t let the character be a dingle berry stuck to the ass of a toad as he floats down river on a bumpy log.”

8. Bring the Pain- “Bring the Pain, amp the misery, escalate the conflict.” In a nutshell, don’t be boring.

9. Dialogue is Easy Like Sunday Morning- Wendig suggests that the author use a lot of dialogue for a fast flow but make sure its complicated and challenging to a point. An example- using Amanda Bynes (former actress and obsessive tweeter) twitter rants in your novel is probably not the best form of dialogue. Ugly is her word of choice. Not much variety = shows that your character has a limited vocabulary.

10. Use Said- “Use said and asked 90% of the time. This is something that I learned from attending conferences. Before that my characters were murmuring, stuttering, tweeting, twerking, etc. all over the place!

11. Let the Character- “Let the character sign their own work.” You should be able to identify characters by their voice. Grandpa shouldn’t speak the same as his granddaughter.

12. Describe the Weather- “Describe the weather only if it matters.” I tend to describe the weather quiet a bit, probably too much but I’ve noticed that a lot of authors do this. It’s just so tempting to use weather to evoke mood.

13. Best Advice- “The biggest and best chance you have to get published is to write something that not only doesn’t suck, but is actually pretty goddamn good. Go figure.”

* For more tips, purchase Wendig’s book: http://www.amazon.com/Things-Should-A... You’ll be glad that you did. I only shared 13 tips out of 275 which is ____ %. Sorry, don’t know off the top of my head- I’m a writer/reader, not a mathematician, peeps.

* Be sure to follow his blog Terrible Minds- http://terribleminds.com/ramble/blog/ It’s hysterical and makes me snort!

[Sunil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chuck Wendig knows his shit and he is going to shove that shit down your throat AND YOU WILL LIKE IT. While a lot of Wendig's writing advice is basic stuff (focus on character, avoid passive voice, etc), he manages to make even the most obvious tips fresh and entertaining through pure style alone. It's funny and conversational, as if he's in the room yelling at you. With love. Vulgar, mildly offensive love. The advantage of his particular voice is that he makes you think about writing in a whole new way, as you understand why he has chosen each tip to be part of each hallowed 25. The tips generally flow together with a coherent theme, with some callbacks and continued jokes. I do wish he provided more examples to show how putting each tip in practice improves the sentence/story/character, but that could impede the rat-tat-tat form of the lists. In the end, I agree with the title of the book: these are 250 things you should know about writing. Well, 275.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is worth reading just for Wendig's prose. The man swears like Pavarotti sang. The writing advice is solid AFAICT, there's relatively little in there that you won't find in dozens or hundreds of other writing books (and much of it can be found on his blog), but it's delivered in nice bite-sized pieces that are really entertaining.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hysterical, vulgar, honest, direct, informative...
It’s filled with swearing, twisted humour and weird metaphors.
He doesn’t pamper or mollycoddle the writer. I’d describe his writing advice as shock treatment meant to make writers sit up and listen...delivered with the intention of encouraging writers to stop procrastinating and just get the job done!

[Yuliia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Трава зелена, небо синє, а в кожної оповіді повинен бути сюжет...
250 (фактично 275) "порад", більшість з яких абсолютно ні про що (ви не знаєте що таке пасивний стан? Отже, пасив - це ...). До того ж ціла купа скабрезних жартів та метафор (серйозно, 9 з 10 порад обов'язково мають прив'язку до геніталій чи злягання), від яких виникає гостре бажання помити руки.