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The Writer's Little Helper
Big Fiction Advice from a Little Book
There is nothing little about the dynamic fiction-writing advice inside "The Writer's Little Helper." With big ideas, time-saving tips, and revision-made-easy charts, James V. Smith, Jr. offers effective guidance in short, easily checklists, Q&As, and practical tools.This book gives you everything you need to:
Create great characters
Maintain a compelling pace
Craft believable dialogue
Expand your creativity
Revise your work to perfection
Attract agent's and editor's attention
And much, much more
The unique format of the book allows you to read from start to finish or to focus just on areas where your fiction needs work. With valuable and surprising tips on every page, "The Writer's Little Helper" is sure to become your biggest fiction writing aid.
There is nothing little about the dynamic fiction-writing advice inside "The Writer's Little Helper." With big ideas, time-saving tips, and revision-made-easy charts, James V. Smith, Jr. offers effective guidance in short, easily checklists, Q&As, and practical tools.This book gives you everything you need to:
Create great characters
Maintain a compelling pace
Craft believable dialogue
Expand your creativity
Revise your work to perfection
Attract agent's and editor's attention
And much, much more
The unique format of the book allows you to read from start to finish or to focus just on areas where your fiction needs work. With valuable and surprising tips on every page, "The Writer's Little Helper" is sure to become your biggest fiction writing aid.
246 pages, Hardcover
First published December 19, 2005
30 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
James V. Smith Jr.
19 books12 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Author photo is a pencil illustration "Gotcha!" by Marie Antoinette Kelly of Montana, portraitsofthesoul.com
James V. Smith, Jr., is breaking out of the military action-adventure publishing world with his latest novel, Curse of the Kavorka , a Substack rom-com about a Guy who starts up a business wrecking romances that brings him into conflict with organized crime. https://jvsmith.substack.com — Curse of the Kavorka
He writes a nonfiction Substack, The Persuasive Writer about how to hack the minds and charm the hearts of readers using the persuasive secrets of masters in sales and marketing. Principles for both fiction and nonfiction writers.
He has published more than a dozen military action-adventure novels, including the six-book series Force Recon. He wrote the Delta Force series under the pen name John Harriman.
In nonfiction, he's written several how-to books from Writers Digest press, including: You Can Write a Novel , The Writer's Little Helper , and The Fiction Writer's Brainstormer .
He’s a former combat soldier, helicopter pilot, newspaper writer and editor, national award-winning columnist, and magazine editor.
Author photo is a pencil illustration "Gotcha!" by Marie Antoinette Kelly of Montana, portraitsofthesoul.com
James V. Smith, Jr., is breaking out of the military action-adventure publishing world with his latest novel, Curse of the Kavorka , a Substack rom-com about a Guy who starts up a business wrecking romances that brings him into conflict with organized crime. https://jvsmith.substack.com — Curse of the Kavorka
He writes a nonfiction Substack, The Persuasive Writer about how to hack the minds and charm the hearts of readers using the persuasive secrets of masters in sales and marketing. Principles for both fiction and nonfiction writers.
He has published more than a dozen military action-adventure novels, including the six-book series Force Recon. He wrote the Delta Force series under the pen name John Harriman.
In nonfiction, he's written several how-to books from Writers Digest press, including: You Can Write a Novel , The Writer's Little Helper , and The Fiction Writer's Brainstormer .
He’s a former combat soldier, helicopter pilot, newspaper writer and editor, national award-winning columnist, and magazine editor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
October 14, 2009
There's some good advice in this book, but it seems to be targeted at a fairly specific type of writer (the type for whom writing a bestseller of any kind is more important than the writing itself or than writing about what is meaningful to him/her) and the author is too bossy for my taste.
March 1, 2020
This is the most practical writing book I've ever read. It's the writing book I've been searching for all my life and it's the one I've always wanted to have before starting my journey onto writing my work in progress. It's the book to always have nearby when writing and I will always need it.
April 3, 2014
For a book about streamlining your writing skills, this was sure hard to read! It took me forever because my mind kept wandering. Which is odd because It could have been one-third as long. The book was very repetitive and the information was spread out weirdly. The layout of this book made no sense at all. That being said, there was some interesting and useful information buried in there. Not the best "writer's helper" book I've ever read, but I'm glad I read it.
January 14, 2015
How I Came To Read This Book: I think I spotted it at a bookstore first, and then when I got my new library card (yeah I've been without in my new city for the last 1.75 years!) on the weekend I decided to pick up some writing manuals.
The Plot: Each two-page spread of this book (sometimes less) covers off a different element of the writing & editing process, although many of the spreads are actually linked (from a vague assessment, I'm assuming the colours on the edges of the pages link up the similar sections). The idea is to give you a smattering of smart advice in as succinct a form as possible, without overwhelming. This isn't a dreary writer's manual designed to be read in one swoop (although that is how I read it hah), but it's a quick reference guide you can digest in smaller pieces.
The Good & The Bad: In general, I assess writing books based on two things: who or what they're for, and whether their advice is any good. James V. Smith Jr.'s book is a bit hard to classify in terms of audience. Some of the advice is SO perfunctory to someone who is a professional writer - as per, proper spelling and grammar techniques that pop up throughout - that it makes me think this is for a true newb, or at least, someone who doesn't care much for basic editing. But then on the flip side, I also found him to just skim the surface of structure - which is, to me, the key to writing - that I'd be hesitant to give this to a newbie writer. In short, I think this is a good reference manual to have on your desk, but it is certainly not the be all and end all for writing books - it's too simplistic to function independently of other writing manuals. And his explanation of structure was truly dreadful and oversimplified, to the point where I skim-read the structure sections.
That being said, I think this is an excellent resource for editing your work in two respects: both as you're writing, keeping certain suggestions and ideas in mind, and as you're editing, as you prepare a book to be shipped out for potential pick up. I jotted down quite a few notes and actually find the technical formulas for readability to be quite fascinating and helpful, and not something I'd seen in other books before. I'll make a note though, that the author seems to work quite heavily in the mass market world and doesn't give much credo to breaking the rules of fiction (including again, his approach to structure). You might find his insistence on word count and character count to be a little restrictive, but I actually found them intriguing. Yes you can use a seventy-syllable word if you want, but reading comprehension will plummet. Still, it's just something to keep in mind: If you're doing something really off-the-wall with your work, this book probably won't be much use to you either.
All in all I did enjoy this handy little book and thought it provided some fresh new things to think about. I appreciated the brevity of the sections, and I thought the subtitle of 'editing hip shots' that appears on some of those uber basic grammar / spelling pages is an accurate descriptor for the entire book. This is a great resource as you head towards a publication-ready manuscript. Pop it open, check your book against it (of course you should have read it in the first place and used it throughout, but it's good for a final sweep) and then send away.
The Bottom Line: A handy little resource indeed, but a supplementary one to the more detailed writing guides out there.
Anything Memorable?: I did one of the 'reading tests' against the opening scene of a novel I'm working on...and it passed. Across the board. Yay me!
60-Book Challenge: Book #3 in 2015
The Plot: Each two-page spread of this book (sometimes less) covers off a different element of the writing & editing process, although many of the spreads are actually linked (from a vague assessment, I'm assuming the colours on the edges of the pages link up the similar sections). The idea is to give you a smattering of smart advice in as succinct a form as possible, without overwhelming. This isn't a dreary writer's manual designed to be read in one swoop (although that is how I read it hah), but it's a quick reference guide you can digest in smaller pieces.
The Good & The Bad: In general, I assess writing books based on two things: who or what they're for, and whether their advice is any good. James V. Smith Jr.'s book is a bit hard to classify in terms of audience. Some of the advice is SO perfunctory to someone who is a professional writer - as per, proper spelling and grammar techniques that pop up throughout - that it makes me think this is for a true newb, or at least, someone who doesn't care much for basic editing. But then on the flip side, I also found him to just skim the surface of structure - which is, to me, the key to writing - that I'd be hesitant to give this to a newbie writer. In short, I think this is a good reference manual to have on your desk, but it is certainly not the be all and end all for writing books - it's too simplistic to function independently of other writing manuals. And his explanation of structure was truly dreadful and oversimplified, to the point where I skim-read the structure sections.
That being said, I think this is an excellent resource for editing your work in two respects: both as you're writing, keeping certain suggestions and ideas in mind, and as you're editing, as you prepare a book to be shipped out for potential pick up. I jotted down quite a few notes and actually find the technical formulas for readability to be quite fascinating and helpful, and not something I'd seen in other books before. I'll make a note though, that the author seems to work quite heavily in the mass market world and doesn't give much credo to breaking the rules of fiction (including again, his approach to structure). You might find his insistence on word count and character count to be a little restrictive, but I actually found them intriguing. Yes you can use a seventy-syllable word if you want, but reading comprehension will plummet. Still, it's just something to keep in mind: If you're doing something really off-the-wall with your work, this book probably won't be much use to you either.
All in all I did enjoy this handy little book and thought it provided some fresh new things to think about. I appreciated the brevity of the sections, and I thought the subtitle of 'editing hip shots' that appears on some of those uber basic grammar / spelling pages is an accurate descriptor for the entire book. This is a great resource as you head towards a publication-ready manuscript. Pop it open, check your book against it (of course you should have read it in the first place and used it throughout, but it's good for a final sweep) and then send away.
The Bottom Line: A handy little resource indeed, but a supplementary one to the more detailed writing guides out there.
Anything Memorable?: I did one of the 'reading tests' against the opening scene of a novel I'm working on...and it passed. Across the board. Yay me!
60-Book Challenge: Book #3 in 2015
August 13, 2011
This writer's books are a must have for any wanna be writers as well as every writing mentor, teacher, coach out there.
Fiction Writer's Brainstormer is one of my favourite practical writing books of all time.
Excellent.
Fiction Writer's Brainstormer is one of my favourite practical writing books of all time.
Excellent.
March 12, 2014
There were helpful tidbits, and there were not-so-helpful parts. Most of the tools presented would be very time intensive, if utilized (ex: Final Ultimate Pacing Tool and REI editing tool). Much of the author's advice sucked the creativity and fun out of writing.
July 18, 2015
This book is interesting if you're a writer; has many tips that might help you--if you listen--to write better. It's easy to read, and you can move around and read a chapter and then move to another chapter that might interest you; it's not like a novel where you have to read chapters sequentially.
November 10, 2012
Badly written and contradictory. Poorly presented and everything a self-help book should NOT be.
July 6, 2019
Lots of good advice here--mostly a rehash of stuff almost any basic creative writing class might touch on, but still good (and who can't use the reminder now and then?). The organization of information was confusing, but not a big issue for me since I took notes and will simply compile them to my own tastes later. I also disagreed with a few small things related to story structure and planning. Some "tools" the author offers I wouldn't consider useful in my own process. But overall this is a very helpful read, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their writing.
November 10, 2017
Very useful!
April 21, 2018
Some helpful tips but I think one just needs to get on with business of writing . Got a bit bogged down with the formulas & word program use. More into creativity .
July 26, 2020
Good handbook with tons of information about pacing, characters, plot and wording. I didn’t glean as much because I don’t write fiction, so it would be more helpful for those writers.
July 21, 2022
This book was super helpful. It explained things fast-paced and with wit. Definitely recommend.
April 9, 2015
The book is good, especially in motivating the readers. I feel like I can finally get things right.I cannot even wait to apply the things I learn from it.
If there are things that I do not find good in here, these are probably on how I cannot relate on the books, movies, and sitcoms the author keeps on throwing. He keeps using these as examples yet the fact that I do not even know what they are all about makes the lessons indistinct. I also want to point out on how he tells the reader to try inventive words (which are definitely long) then convince the readers to just write simple words (which are definitely short). It's confusing. In the end, I decide to dump his lesson in writing inventive words and focus on the K.I.S.S rule instead.
Lastly, I admit that I skip some of the pages that refer to his bloody REI (Reading Ease Ideal)idea. I don't like how he sees the whole writing as some kind of mathematical problem that needs to be computed. It reminds me of how Colin Singleton (An Abundance of Katherines by John Green)tried predicting the future of relationships through a math formula. Whenever I see any REI related figure in a page, I just scan the paragraphs for any good lessons then skip it.
Overall, the book is good and competitive. (Yes, competitive is the right word.) It encourages the readers that they have the skills in writing and has the capability to publish a best-selling novel.
If there are things that I do not find good in here, these are probably on how I cannot relate on the books, movies, and sitcoms the author keeps on throwing. He keeps using these as examples yet the fact that I do not even know what they are all about makes the lessons indistinct. I also want to point out on how he tells the reader to try inventive words (which are definitely long) then convince the readers to just write simple words (which are definitely short). It's confusing. In the end, I decide to dump his lesson in writing inventive words and focus on the K.I.S.S rule instead.
Lastly, I admit that I skip some of the pages that refer to his bloody REI (Reading Ease Ideal)idea. I don't like how he sees the whole writing as some kind of mathematical problem that needs to be computed. It reminds me of how Colin Singleton (An Abundance of Katherines by John Green)tried predicting the future of relationships through a math formula. Whenever I see any REI related figure in a page, I just scan the paragraphs for any good lessons then skip it.
Overall, the book is good and competitive. (Yes, competitive is the right word.) It encourages the readers that they have the skills in writing and has the capability to publish a best-selling novel.
August 30, 2009
i have read many books about writing, some inspirational, some tactical, some about grammar or plotting or dealing with publishers...this is the first book i have ever read that came across more as a "How to do it" manual. it is perhaps crass and unartistic to assume that it is possible to reduce the craft of writing to a how-to manual, but this author (who has published multiple books) has reduced his field somewhat to give some guidance on how to write "popular" fiction, not the great American novel. as i have read such "popular" books since completing the "Helper", i can see how each and everyone of the books that i like and that are selling like hot cakes have the elements that Smith has highlighted. if you are interested in getting your story out to the masses, this is the book for you.
November 14, 2012
Don't look at the cover. It's a trick, I say, a trick!
So I've read almost every single fiction writing guide in my local library (Not a very extensive collection) and had been saving this, the most unfashionable book on the shelf, for last. What a fool! How many times have I heard, "Don't judge a book by its cover"? Yet it matters not. I have now read this beautiful, beautiful book.
James V. Smith, I applaud your extensive research and the intuitive conclusions you drew from it, and I thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world. When I finally finish my first best seller, your name will sit prominently at the top of all the other thank yous, squashing the rest with its fat greatness.
So I've read almost every single fiction writing guide in my local library (Not a very extensive collection) and had been saving this, the most unfashionable book on the shelf, for last. What a fool! How many times have I heard, "Don't judge a book by its cover"? Yet it matters not. I have now read this beautiful, beautiful book.
James V. Smith, I applaud your extensive research and the intuitive conclusions you drew from it, and I thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world. When I finally finish my first best seller, your name will sit prominently at the top of all the other thank yous, squashing the rest with its fat greatness.
April 28, 2014
This is a great book to help a new writer get focused. James Smith doesn't hold your hand and help you along. He's slashing through your manuscript with a vicious red pen. But guess what, he's right. The Ten Scene Tool on page six is worth the whole book. However, while you are feeling inadequate, he does make you laugh:
"Use hopefully the way you would use a gun. If you don't know how to handle it, leave it alone. You wouldn't say, Hopefully you will die. Even when you mean, It is hoped you will die. You might say, I hope you die. Which still pales next to, Drop dead. If you insist on hopefully, try, Hopefully, I give you this poison."
"Use hopefully the way you would use a gun. If you don't know how to handle it, leave it alone. You wouldn't say, Hopefully you will die. Even when you mean, It is hoped you will die. You might say, I hope you die. Which still pales next to, Drop dead. If you insist on hopefully, try, Hopefully, I give you this poison."
August 2, 2016
If you're a fledgling writer and want an in-depth nuts and bolts 'how to' book then 'The Writer's Little Helper' is for you. Arranged in bite-sized chunks of information with bulleted lists, examples and some exercises it is relatively digestible, providing you take your time reading it. It is at the opposite extreme of Stephen King's advice for writers in 'On Writing', which I personally much preferred. The last few chapters in particularly are overly technical for my taste. If I had all this stuff in my mind when I sat down to write it would stifle my creativity - but that's just me.
July 1, 2013
4.5♥s Highly recommended.
This book is an easy, pleasurable, informative read. It's a little book bursting with tips on everything from sentence comprehension to proposing a blockbuster. I particularly liked the sections on scenes, the first 10,000 words, and the first 1,000 words. I also liked...oh, who am I kidding? I liked it all. The only reason I didn't give it 5♥s was that I struggled a bit with the section on pacing. But that chapter might speak to you, so go for it!
This book is an easy, pleasurable, informative read. It's a little book bursting with tips on everything from sentence comprehension to proposing a blockbuster. I particularly liked the sections on scenes, the first 10,000 words, and the first 1,000 words. I also liked...oh, who am I kidding? I liked it all. The only reason I didn't give it 5♥s was that I struggled a bit with the section on pacing. But that chapter might speak to you, so go for it!
September 19, 2016
This is a handy book a writer could reference in writing fiction. It has valuable guidelines and tools such as the master story model and the ten-scene tool. Some of the examples given for practice can be very time consuming though. On some occasions it seems like a person is computing math.
I like the push Smith gives for overcoming writer's block. I got the impression though that Smith is implying everyone could have a bestseller, if enough work is done. I disagree on this one.
I like the push Smith gives for overcoming writer's block. I got the impression though that Smith is implying everyone could have a bestseller, if enough work is done. I disagree on this one.
May 20, 2010
A great help in writing and it's a very well written book. This book has and will help me out for a long time on everything about writing. This book has inspired me to write and made me believe that I could write a book. If you are looking to write a book I highly recommend you read this book before you start to write it.
The Writers Little Helper is a How To book.
The Writers Little Helper is a How To book.
July 16, 2012
I have only just started reading this book and already have tons of ideas on how to improve my writing. I am excited thinking about how I will incorporate it into what I am currently working on.
It's a great book, and I know I will use it as a reference in the future.
I definitely recommend that any aspiring writers purchase a hard copy of this and keep it around while they read.
It's a great book, and I know I will use it as a reference in the future.
I definitely recommend that any aspiring writers purchase a hard copy of this and keep it around while they read.
December 16, 2015
While the book was interesting I found the overall tone rather condescending, which was rather unappealing. The fact that the targeted audience of the book seems to be aspiring writers it was, in my opinion, a point of failure.
Tone aside, it was a good read and has given me some good starting points to begin looking at taking my writing to the next level.
Tone aside, it was a good read and has given me some good starting points to begin looking at taking my writing to the next level.
January 2, 2012
This is a decent primer and reference for the do's and don'ts of writing. While not authoritative on the subject matter, I found the advice to be generally sound and often parallelled other books on the subject.
September 15, 2012
A handy reference book for quick reminders, but not as inspirational as other books on writing. (BTW, in middle of reading it, while surfing for some other purpose online, I learned I had bougght this 2006 edition when there's a 2011 edition out there. Aargh!)
January 25, 2013
Most impressed with The Writer’s Little Helper. It’s easy reading and constructive with lots of useful techniques, but more than that it practices what it preaches. And it is anything but preachy.
Best of the writing craft books I've read recently. Highly recommended.
Best of the writing craft books I've read recently. Highly recommended.
August 9, 2013
Excellent book for writers! Great tips and suggestions, lots of encouragement, new ways of approaching issues, and I especially liked the graphic organizers for developing (or examining) plot structure. A very handy book! Highly recommended!
December 9, 2013
For anyone who wants to be a writer this is a can't miss.
It's the best fiction advice I've ever read it goes though what i was looking for and also stuff i didn't know i needed.
Great book would differently any writer to read it :)
It's the best fiction advice I've ever read it goes though what i was looking for and also stuff i didn't know i needed.
Great book would differently any writer to read it :)
December 1, 2014
This is the best book on writing I've read. I love all the tips and exercises throughout the book, and the quotes are just spot on! There is not one thing I dislike about this book, and I am happy to recommend it to anyone looking for a how-to-write-book.
March 15, 2016
This little helper is chock full of reminders. I dig this book out when I'm plotting my next project, when I'm editing my last, when I'm stuck and struggling to move forward. Smith has put together a little gem of a book and best of all it won't take up hardly any room in your computer bag/tote.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews