Tag: Writing

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2022 Wrap Up

Photo by Sebastien Wiertz

Hello Readers,

Well it was a wild year last year, what with Covid still rearing its ugly head, war in the Ukraine, and some crazy weather events, such as the flooding here in Queensland, Australia. On a more personal note, I didn’t succeed in completing my goals for 2022. I only managed to read and review 5 books from my target of 12, I didn’t obtain any new reviews, and I didn’t manage to finish writing some of the stories I had hoped to.

To be honest I was a little slack over 2022. I had a lot of distractions. An X-Box managed to sneak into my life and I was sucked into the worlds of The Witcher, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age 4, and Skyrim. I completed all four games, but it took months of gameplay. It wasn’t one of my goals going into the year, but I’ll take it as an achievement anyway. There were also a few new TV series that came out, the likes of The Witcher: Blood Origin (binged), The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power (binged), and Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon (yet to binge).

These are just some of the reasons (or excuses) why I didn’t reach my goals. I just hope I can be a bit more focused over 2023, try to pick up an extra review or two, and maybe get some actual writing done.

Happy Reading!

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Book Review: Make a Scene by Jordan E. Rosenfeld

Make a Scene by Jordan E. Rosenfeld is a non-fiction title that covers the creating good scenes and other techniques within the craft of fiction writing.

The Cover: The cover is simple and clean with three basic colours, a swirling floral design, and some circular images. It clearly represents a non-fiction title to me. The white font is well contrasted against the bold red behind, but without the title and subtitle, I would not know this is a book about writing. It is a pleasant and professional cover, but personally I think it could be strengthened with some imagery more significant to the theme.

The Good Stuff: This is one of the best books I have read on the craft of writing, and that is saying something when you have been writing for many years and read many books on the subject. Despite the title, this book actually covers a great deal more than crafting a good scene. It talks about POV, setting, character development, plot, dialogue, and so much more. I have had this book sitting on my bookshelf, gathering dust for over 3 years now, in no rush to read it. The title deceptively understates the content of the text within. If I had known what lay between the pages, I would have picked this one up much sooner. I learnt a great deal from reading this book and that blows me away. Maybe I’m now at a level where I have a greater understanding and I’m able to absorb the information and understand it, or maybe this book is just written in such a way that it makes it easy.

The Bad Stuff: Nope, sorry… there isn’t any. I’m super impressed with this title and will be referring back to it again and again in the future.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and wish I had done so sooner. The author talks you through the techniques of writing in a way that makes it easy to understand, enabling you to grasp the skills needed to write a good novel. I very much recommend this title to anyone who feels they have not yet mastered the craft of writing. This one gets a scene-building, story-making, 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Pricing Strategies 2020 by Craig Martelle

Pricing Strategies 2020 by Craig Martelle is a non-fiction title from the Successful Indie Author series that provides authors with strategies on how to price their books.

The Cover: This title’s cover makes it obvious that the book is non-fiction. It is branded to align with the rest of the series in the usual high visibility colours. The images for this series always have a business feel to me, which I suppose is the underlying topic behind being an author, but if not for the series tag, I’d have no idea it was to do with writing. I’ve thought about this a little and I think it would be hard to come up with a cover that represents pricing strategies for book sales. I’m a little disappointed in the cover, but it does fit with the content from the business side of things. The title combined with the series name identifies the content for this one, and the image ties it to the business side of being an author. Overall it fits and is good for purpose.

The Good Stuff: This book covers a great deal, in fact I was surprised at just how much there is to talk about on the topic. I found it a very interesting read that opened my eyes and cemented the importance of writing more books and building a back list. It is written in the same direct, matter of fact, manner as the rest of the series that makes it clear and to the point. There’s no fancy words or bullshit in this series. Craig tells things straight in layman terms and that’s what I love about this author and this series of books.

The Bad Stuff: The worst I have to say about this book is the back matter is the same as the other books. Much the same as any author plugging their website/other titles and thanking those who helped. The fact that I read the back matter again just goes to show this book is worth reading. I can’t really fault this one.

Overall, I found this title to be very informative. I like the authors voice/style, his attitude, and his principles that all come through in this non-fiction series. This one earns itself a dollar making 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Write Compelling Fiction by L.J. Martin and Craig Martelle.

Write Compelling Fiction by L.J.Martin and Craig Martelle is a non-fiction title offering hints and tips on how to write compelling fiction.

The Cover: The cover for this book is a typical non-fiction cover. With its bright yellow cover it stands out, yet sits nicely amongst the brand of books in this series of titles for indie authors. Personally, I don’t feel the image conveys the content of the book, but it does hint that it is to do with writing. The title confirms what to expect from this book and sits clearly on the cover with strong contrast and a nice clean font.

The Good Stuff: I found the content of this book to be on point. It covers a lot of ground on the key factors that make up good writing. It is done in an inspirational way, which is I have found to be a consistent theme with these titles. This book would be a good addition to any writer’s tool box, from beginner to veteran writer. If you do not learn anything new, at the very least it will serve as a reminder of the things to be aware of.

The Bad Stuff: The examples inside this title are mainly based on westerns (which makes sense as one of the authors writes in this genre.) I really wish it had been geared towards the fantasy genre, I think I would have enjoyed it so much more – but hey, you can’t always get what you want. There is some repetition, especially with the prose used to present the concepts and techniques, but again, this makes sense.

Overall, I found this to be a great book about the craft of writing that offers tried and tested techniques used in good writing. This one earns a page turning 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. If you liked this post please share it with your friends on social media.

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Book Review: Emotional Amplifiers by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi.

Emotion AmplifiersEmotion Amplifiers by Angela Ackerman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This title is really a reference book for authors to assist them with their writing. It is a companion to The Emotional Thesaurus which I have not read at this time, but based on this companion, I am interested in getting myself a copy.

The Cover: This is a strong non-fiction cover. The colours and fonts work well and the image fits as a writers companion guide.

The Good Stuff: This book is a great idea and could be very useful to a writer who wants to develop their characters and/or their story in the spectrum of the emotional amplifiers explored. If it just had more reference material on a broader range of emotions, it would be a worthy addition to any writer’s toolbox. My guess is that the content I would like to see in this companion book has already been captured in the authors other work, The Emotional Thesaurus. I hope to find out soon enough.

The Bad Stuff: I know this is only a companion, but the book is very short and there are only about 14 pages of narrative to guide the reader on the use of the contents. The remainder of the book is reference material and I feel the book could have been fleshed out with both more narrative from the author and more reference material.

In my opinion, this book will be a good guide to assist with writing, if only it had more content it could have been an amazing reference tool. I’m giving it 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Writing Active Setting – Characterization and Sensory Detail by Mary Buckham.

Writing Active Setting: Characterization and Sensory Detail (Writing Active Setting #1)Characterization and Sensory Detail by Mary Buckham

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book has been written to help writers improve their skills, focusing on… you guessed it, characterization and sensory detail.

The Cover: I like this cover. The colours work well together and it has a text book type feel to me which suits the non-fiction title. The image ties in with the title, but I don’t feel it fits the subtitle very well. On the whole it is a good cover for the genre, but I feel there is some room for improvement.

The Good Stuff: I picked up a couple of things from this book which have made it a worthwhile read to me. How much each individual gains will depend on their skill level and experience as a writer. If you are a new writer, this book will give you some good advice.

The Bad Stuff: I found there were a lot of examples in the book, and some I did not find to be great examples of what the author was trying to convey. I think the book would have read better with fewer examples. I do understand however, that different people relate to different things, and therefore multiple examples may help them to better pick up and understand the techniques being used.

Overall, for me, this is not a bad book, but the benefits will be relative to the reader’s experience. This could be said for a lot of non-fiction titles and therefore the value will be dependent on the reader in these instances. For me, I’m giving it 3 out of 5 Golden book marks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Art & Craft of Writing – Secret Advice for Writers by Victoria Mixon.

Art & Craft of Writing Fiction: Secret Advice for WritersArt & Craft of Writing: Secret Advice for Writers by Victoria Mixon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As you can guess from the title, Art & Craft of Writing: Secret Advice for Writers by Victoria Mixon is a non-fiction title providing insights into the craft of writing.

The Cover: This cover has a warm feel to it and it works for the non-fiction genre. I’m not a huge fan of the font used, but the black band with white writing makes the text clearly visible.

The Good Stuff: I have been writing for some time now and I’m always looking for new information. There were one or two nuggets in this book for me, but mainly it was that Victoria looks at things from a slightly different angle and explains them in a slightly different way. This resonated with me and I will keep this book on hand for reference in the future.

The Bad Stuff: It’s a pretty short book and a lot of the information has been covered before.

Overall this book is put together from the authors most popular blog posts. In my opinion it is worth a read, you may not get new information from it, but you may look at things with a new found appreciation and understanding. This one gets an ink splattered 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review – Book Reviews by Alex Foster.

Book Reviews: How to get reviews quickly with the methods used by publishers and professional writersBook Reviews by Alex Foster

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book comes with the tag line: How to get reviews quickly with the methods used by publishers and professional writers. It provides advice on how to gain reviews that comply with Amazon’s guidelines.

The Cover: I don’t mind this cover. It is clearly a non-fiction title, the image of the book lends itself to the craft of writing, and the title tells the reader what it is about.

The Good Stuff: This is an informative book and will help you gain reviews if you follow some of the advice. There are definitely some good tips and ideas here, some you can use straight off the cuff, but others you will need to adapt or dismiss to comply with Amazon’s rules.

The Bad Stuff: Some of the techniques listed here may have complied with Amazon’s guidelines when the book was written, but Amazon’s policies continually change and I do not believe all methods are acceptable any longer. So take extra care to ensure you are not breaching the terms and conditions on Amazon or any other platform you are selling your books through, before applying these techniques.

Personally, I did not find this book particularly useful. However, if you are just starting out and trying to gain some reviews, there is some good information in here that may give you some ideas. You will need to be careful that you do not apply outdated techniques though, as it notes in this book, Amazon can be quite strict on authors that do not follow their guidelines. I’m giving this one a 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks based on its limited usefulness to those that are not very well informed on this topic.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review – Creating Character Arcs by K.M.Weiland.

Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 7)Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development by K.M. Weiland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Creating Character Arcs by K.M.Weiland is a guide for authors to help them improve the writing of their character arcs.

The Cover: I think this cover is a fairly good fit. The image shows  a persons journey across a mountain range that peaks in the middle, symbolic of the character arc. The colours work well and the title defines the books content. The fonts are clear too. It is clearly a non-fiction title covering character arcs.

The Good Stuff: I read this all the way through and at the start I was thinking ‘this is all pretty obvious’… and it is, but this book spells it out and makes you aware of the process and methods. It really opened my eyes to how little consideration I have put into planning my character arcs in the past. I will certainly be more aware of this in future and I think I will be inclined to give it greater consideration when I put pen to paper. Hopefully I will see further improvement in my own writing from reading this title.

The Bad Stuff: There were a lot of examples in the book and I know they may be useful to some, especially as the examples cover different genres, but it felt like filler to me. I know that what clicks with one person may not click with another, so having more examples can be beneficial. For me, it seemed like padding out the pages with unrequired wordage.

Overall it was a good read, easy to understand and informative and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a better understanding of character arcs. I’m giving this one a character changing 4 out of 5 Golden Bookmarks!

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review – Zen of eBook Formatting by Guido Henkel.

Zen of eBook Formatting: A Step-by-step Guide To Format eBooks for Kindle and EPUBZen of eBook Formatting: A Step-by-step Guide To Format eBooks for Kindle and EPUB by Guido Henkel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Zen of eBook Formatting is a book for writers who want to know how to format and create eBooks. Written by Guido Henkel, a writer and an experienced programmer, for writers. This book provides a step by step guide on how to correctly format and produce your own eBooks.

The Cover: This is a clean and simple cover that matches the branding of Guido Henkel’s other non-fiction title Zen of eBook Marketing. It is evident from the cover that this is non-fiction and clearly states the topic covered. I like it.

The Good Stuff: This book gives you a great insight into how to format and create an eBook, from cleaning up your manuscript to adding the cover. Guido provides all the code and links to the tools you will need within the pages, making the process as simple as possible. I certainly recommend you read this book if you are looking at publishing your own eBooks online. I have definitely gained some knowledge in the process that I will be putting into practice in the future.

The Bad Stuff: If you are just looking for a book that says do this, then do that, this book may frustrate you a little. There is a lot of explaining, but to be fair, it is of value to know ‘the why’ behind what you are doing. I think the book would benefit from a summary at the end, that details what you have learned in the book without all the explaining in between, and can be used as a quick reference guide.

There is a bit of a learning curve required for this book, so don’t expect it to be really easy. It isn’t hard, but you will need to put a little effort into learning. I constantly refer back the book when I code my stories for publishing, but the more I do it, the easier it gets. This is certainly considered a great addition to my toolbox as an Indie writer. It will save you time and effort, and could even prevent you damaging your brand name as an author by giving you the advice you need to produce quality eBooks. I’m giving it a code dropping 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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