Saturday Solicitation: How I Write by Janet Evanovich

This Saturday Solicitation is devoted to Janet Evanovich's How I Write. It is co-authored by Ina Yalof and Alex Evanovich. It differs dramatically from King's On Writing, which I reviewed earlier, in advice, pacing, and format. I read How I Write in one sitting, over about 3 hours. It isn't terribly long, but I usually find non-fiction reading a labor intensive project akin to my college days pushing textbooks. Mrs. Evanovich's style of writing definitely aided the fast reading pace. She is witty, quick to the point, and genuine. I will admit that I have never read an Evanovich book, as I am not a romance reader and I stopped reading mysteries with Nancy Drew many summers ago. Even though I dislike a small portion of How I Write, the personal discourse of it makes me think I should pick up one of the Plum books. We'll see.

The book is full of the same information as all other writing books. Check the table of contents when you look up the book and you'll find creating characters, writing mechanics, structure, and editing. This book also includes a pretty hard nosed looked at getting published. It is finished off with words of encouragement, an inside look at Mrs. Evanovich's writing life, and reprinted examples of items found throughout the book. None of the information is new. If you look, you'll find every bit of the information free online. However, the presentation of the material makes for a pleasant reading experience. She advocates a sort of minimalistic outlining and character profiles, but it works for her so I won't judge. Something I found hilarious: While King outright suggests that aspiring writers blow up their televisions and read a damn book, Mrs. Evanovich actually suggests watching television or a movie to help stimulate creativity. Different minds.

What I like about this book: First of all, the presentation of How I Write is great. King's On Writing reads like a textbook. It makes sense when you realize he has a degree to teach English. Mrs. Evanovich does not have a degree in English or writing or what-have-you. She started as an artist and moved on to writing. This book is presented in choppy sections that consist of blurbs of information and question and answer segments drawn directly from the author's website over the years. She offers great advice for those that want to be a writer: you either ARE a writer, or you are NOT a writer. Pick your role and play the part. I like that. It is very honest. A lot of her advice is the same advice found elsewhere, but that is because it is solid. Write every day. Make writing your job. Get over the blank page. It was interesting to read that she doesn't believe in writer's block.

What I didn't like about this book: I took exception to one part of this book. Included in the publishing section is a small bit about self-publishing. Mrs. Evanovich is not exactly subtle in her disdain for those that choose to self-publish. Granted, this book was published in 2006, well before self-publishing and eBooks started becoming so popular. In 2011, I wonder if her comments still stand.

Saturday Solicitation

My first review for Saturday Solicitation is of a book that I have been meaning to re-read for a while now: Stephen King's On Writing. As I have sat and read this past week, I realized that I must not have given this book the full read that it deserves. I vaguely remember the big points in this book. The first half is a memoir that explains how Mr. King grew up to be the writer he is. The second half is writing instruction that includes a writer's toolbox, paragraph building, grammar and word usage, plotting and characterization, a recommended reading list, and writing assignments/corrected writing sample. I remember all of that being there, so when I picked the book up a few years ago, I must have read some of it at least.

I didn't know that Stephen King went to college to be a teacher. An English teacher at that. I found out that Mr. King hates outlines almost as much as I do. That was neat. He uses his medium to explain what is and what isn't helpful to a writer, including writing skills and writing location. He uses real examples of literature to discuss writers with large vocabularies. He talks about how planning and outlining doesn't work for him and compares his style of writing to digging up fossils. He lets the story unfold as it will with the characters driving it on, instead of outlines, character notes, and rigid plot layouts. Basically, he is a pantser like I am.

What I liked about this book: The memoir made me laugh, made me cry, made me cheer. It is touching and an incredible look at King's development. King gives some incredible writing advice that works for everyone, from beginner to professional. His writing is clear, without the political correctness of many other "writing manuals" on the shelf. If you genuinely want to improve your writing skills, check out this book.

What I didn't like about this book: Okay, so this is not a narrative. I am not usually fond of non-fiction because it makes me feel like I'm back in college reading text book after text book for a grade. On Writing confused my reader sensibilities sometimes. It was difficult to change gears from the often hilarious uncensored look at King's early life to his theories on writing. I could have done without the memoir as the writing advice goes. The other way is true too. I could have done without the writing section and just read the memoir. Neither part was bad. It was just difficult for me to go from one to the other in a single reading session. Perhaps for the first time reader, stop reading after the memoir ends for a little bit before starting the writing part.

Currently reading...

I am a huge fan of juvenile and young adult fantasy. I've been a Harry Potter fan for ten years. I read The Chronicles of Narnia at least ten times since I picked it up as a child. The Abhorsen Trilogy is the first and only series I have bought in a box set. Twilight and Eragon were great (even though I hate the movies for all of them). Nancy Drew is my first love. I am a perpetual child when it comes to literature that I want to read over and over again. That isn't to say that I do not read adult fiction/fantasy. Anne Rice's Beauty Trilogy is well worn on my bookshelf. I am a fan of Sookie Stackhouse, Anita Blake, and Mercedes Thompson too.

Right now, I'm reading the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. There are five books in the series and I am currently on book 2. Normally, I read this kind of book really fast. Due to scrambling to finish my own novel and family commitments, I have not been able to sit and read as I would like. Anyways, about Fablehaven.

This series has everything I love in fantasy. Fairies, trolls, satyrs, dark evil creatures, magic, dragons, betrayal, curses, and more. It follows the exploits of two children, brother and sister Seth and Kendra Sorenson, in a nature preserve for mystical creatures. The premise is great. The characters are believable. The pacing keeps me rushing forward. In short, I am in love with Fablehaven. I wish I lived there. Grandpa Sorenson should adopt me.

I am not very good at "bashing" a novel. If I finish a book, its because I have enjoyed it. Even if there are little things about the writing that irritate me, I can overlook it when the story is good. If I don't like something, chances are, I know it within the first 30 pages and will just stop reading. If the story cannot compel me to continue reading, even an editorial masterpiece will not help. This series is great. I cannot pick out anything that has bothered me so far. I'll update this if I find something between now and the end of the series.

If you are looking for a good, fun read, check this one out. It works for all ages, in my honest opinion.