Pulp on Pulp: Tips and Tricks for Writing Pulp Fiction

by Kit Sun Cheah

Write Fast. Write Well. Get Paid.

These were the watchwords of old-school pulp fiction: fun, fast-paced, and immensely popular with readers. The pulp era is coming back. Blending timeless lessons from the grandmasters of the pulp era with the genres, tastes and technologies of today, PulpRev forges boldly ahead into the future of fiction. Hugo and Dragon Award nominated writer Kit Sun Cheah teams up with Misha Burnett to compile a selection of essays on the PulpRev aesthetic from some of the leading writers in the movement. Pulp on Pulp covers: * How to plot like a pulp grandmaster * How to write 5000 words a day * The secrets of writing fantastic fight scenes * Worldbuilding and character creation tips * And many more! PulpRev is the Revolution, Revival and the Renaissance of Pulp. Take the plunge into the new pulp era and become the best writer you can be!

Genres: Writing

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2021

Reviews

[Armand Rosamilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goal was to read a few chapters randomly and get some ideas, but I ended up starting from the beginning and reading it straight through. Took lots of notes, too. I am a pulp fiction writer, and lots of insight in these pages. Well worth the price, and worth the reading.

[Jery Schober · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual with different authors and different articles in one book, some useful pieces (violence, fighting, suspense), some that held no use for me personally and some rather weird ones (fan fiction, female characters).

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 60th book to meet my reading challenge for 2024. I wanted to give this one a higher rating. I really wanted to like it more than I did. It was set up as different essays by different authors. A few were excellent, s few more were good, but way too many were worthless and mediocre. By thre d of the book they were just throwing shit up to fill out the pages.

DISAPPOINTING.

[Lutie Ilman · Rating 1 out of 5]

repetitive and shallow. 'pulp era writing tips' does better everything this book attempts, via actual successful pulp writers, and, most importantly, without a dude-bro who's into magical girl anime telling you how to write strong female characters. rich, eh?

[Brandon Mudd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding writing guide

Absolutely loved this book. I’ve been a journalist for more than 30 years, but just started writing fiction over the last few & this book has something for every level of writer. Misha Burnett’s blueprint for a storyteller, the listener of the tale & the room in which it’s told has worked for me brilliantly. The only thing keeping this from being 5 stars is the cringe-inducing chapter on “How to Write Women,” written by a fedora-wearing man, natch. The basic gist is, don’t make your women sullen because it’s off putting. You know, to the male readers. Overlooking that section, this is a great guide for not just pulp, but for any kind of creative fiction.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are several writers in this book, not the same style or quality. Sometimes there is a useful tip. Lots of verbiage; essays go on and on about the same points; were they paid by the word?? And then you come to a mish-mosh jam-up like this quote:

"It's taken me a while to work around to the point, I realize, but I think the groundwork in terms how to see the story in the context of the fictional universe—from the inside, as it were—is important to being able to fully grasp the concept."

Uh, yeah. Readability of this 49-word sentence is 'Post-graduate' 'very hard to read', even after I fixed the apparent missing "of" after "terms". Very odd for a pulp writer.

[Les Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A #PulpRev Toolkit

I have always had a love for the (now) classic writers of pulp fiction. The works of Robert E. Howard, Dashiell Hammett, Hugh B. Cave, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Raymond Chandler have been more formative and meaningful to me than Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, or John Steinbeck. Their stories are larger than life in all the best ways. Imaginative. Entertaining. Captivating.

Apparently I am not alone in my admiration of these and other pulp writers, as there is a movement among some writers today to emulate the tone, style, and prolific output of the masters. Just look for #PulpRev on any social media platform.

This book is something of a toolkit for these #PulpRev writers, offering essays full of advice and analysis on what pulp writing is (or can be) in the 21st Century. There are plenty of callbacks to the old pulp stories, some well known, some obscure. But there are also nods to anime, Star Wars, manga, and other touchstones of geek pop culture. What can these things teach a modern writer? How do they inform what an audience expects?

Despite some noticeable typos, the insights and examinations are interesting. My favorite chapter included advice on how to combine Blake Snyder’s “Save The Cat” story beats with Lester Dent’s Pulp Story Model. While occasionally bordering on the academic, most of the essays are actionable and could be useful (if only as a thought exercise) for writers and readers of any genre.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, useful and interesting compendium for anyone interested in writing or reading modern pulp. Some chapters were more appealing than others; I'm not so much into writing fanfic these days, and the section on strong female characters seemed to be mostly about bashing the Captain Marvel movie (which, disclaimer, I loved), but I eagerly absorbed the stuff about morality, fight scenes, journeys and worldbuilding.

[Martin Ashwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent Manual of Plot, Style and Substance

The pulps are back, this time as genre fiction driven by Indies and self-marketed. Compiling tips from the rising stars of newpub, this handy guide teaches you the one and outs of writing a proper novel in the pulp revival style. Highly reccomended.

[Alan Loewen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Almost Exhaustive Treatise on the World of Pulp Fiction

Amazon sells many books on understanding and writing in the pulp genre and all of them have their strengths. However, Pulp on Pulp: Tips and Tricks for Writing Pulp Fiction is the most comprehensive work on the subject covering aspects of the genre other authors have barely considered.

[Justin Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not essential, just mild advice.

A lot of the essays drones on for too long and got boring quickly. I found Morgon Newquist's one to be the most educational. I also found the formatting to be off in places.

[H.L. Amaral · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Some good essays, some not that great. I also missed some more pulp focused content. We explored recent movies way more than any pulp writer in most of these essays. It was worth a read but it could be way better

[Tony D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guidance for authors

I found a lot of value in this book. If you are an author of any kind I recommend it. Great tips even if you're not writing pulp.