Successful author, editor and teacher Bryn Donovan loves to make lists, and writers should be very thankful for that. The set of books is sure to motivate, inspire and light a fire under anyone wishing to begin or complete a project.
This set is comprised of three books on writing and can benefit writers no matter their experience, genre, or skill set.
Every aspect of the craft is addressed, from writer’s block or procrastination, straight through to delivering the final product.
This boxed set is highly interactive, with exercises pertaining to many topics recently discussed. If anger or an argument is the issue, for example, readers are encouraged to craft a scene showing this predicament (with prompts from the author) through the eyes of the characters involved.
Speaking of characters, attention is paid to choosing their personality traits, any psychological disorders, their occupation, name, eye or hair color, and even the clothing they wear.
A section on crafting the best title was of particular interest to me, since I consider it a weakness of mine. Another fault of many authors (myself included) is the tendency to avoid writing for fear it won’t be good enough. But a quote provided by Donovan is very encouraging: “…you need to be willing to write, even when you know it’s not going to be perfect.” In other words, just get something on paper and revise it later.
Many authors are frightened about writing sex scenes, though they may be required for the genre being used. But even this receives assistance from Donovan.
The author says her many lists, including actual ideas for stories, are not “cheat sheets” but instead are meant to provide inspiration. A boost of energy and a desire to move forward was certainly the case for this reviewer, and I suspect it will do the same for many others.
If there’s one book (or actually three books) needed to complete any writer’s library, this is it. Expect to refer to it often and receive motivation as you do so.
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