Casting the Bones: An Author's Guide to the Craft of Fiction

by Robert Gregory Browne

"Casting the Bones is witty and written in a language that writers with no experience and seasoned veterans can relate to. I felt as if we were sitting in a bistro, enjoying a cup of tea, as Browne shared his writing and publishing journey, while doling out well thought out, valuable, and tangible nuggets of writing advice."~Selena Robins, Author of What a Girl WantsWith a career as a professional writer that spans nearly thirty years, bestselling, award-winning novelist and former screenwriter, Robert Gregory Browne, has a wealth of hard-earned knowledge about writing fiction.Now he shares his often unique insights into how writers—from beginners to veterans, both traditional and self-published—can improve and hone their craft. Pulling no punches, and making no false promises, Browne covers the core essentials of fiction with chapters on character, structure, sub-plot, conflict, goals, motivation, and dialogue, that will help you transform your stories into page turners that readers will want to devour.Some of the topics included Your MagicCreating Characters that Jump Off the PageSeducing Your ReadersFinding Your VoiceBuilding Your Story From the Ground UpDialogue Tips & TricksHow to Keep Your Readers InterestedIndie vs. Traditional PublishingAnd many more. If your goal is to create fiction that keeps them coming back for more, Browne's book is a must read.

183 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2015

About the author

Robert Gregory Browne is a bestselling author, Nicholl Fellow, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Gold Alumnus, and a Thriller Award nominated member of the International Thriller Writers.

He has written teleplays for Showtime, Saban, Marvel, and Fox Kids, and has published multiple novels under multiple names in multiple countries with St. Martin’s Press, Penguin Dutton, Signet, and Harlequin. His short stories have appeared in Lee Child’s Killer Year and Sandra Brown’s Love is Murder.

His novel Kiss Her Goodbye was produced for television by CBS TV/Sony Pictures. His novel The Paradise Prophecy was optioned by Temple Hill Productions for ABC Television.

He lives in California with his wife, cat, two dogs, and Jura coffee machine.

Reviews

[L.A. Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine, presenting the necessary objects for a story. I skipped the novella, but I bought some books by authors he suggested.

[Lyss Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

For someone who's read a lot of craft books, this is largely useless except for the chapter on character. It was the only thing I'd never seen before. Most of the other content is basically "I don't have an answer for you because you should figure it out on your own," which is good advice but could have been said in a page. I was also kind of annoyed that the author included his novella in the back as part of the book (not as a preview of his work). The justification was "You can see how I did it" but that doesn't really tell you anything...? Maybe more helpful for very new writers.