Robert L. Bacon's book HOW TO WRITE WHAT PEOPLE WILL PAY TO READ! is a comprehensive guide to writing fiction and (hopefully) getting it published. His book addresses everything from broad topics such as plot authenticity and plot believability, to specifics such as the use of commas and dashes. It's arranged in a straightforward, easy-to-use way. There are two sections: ON WRITING and ON PUBLISHING. Topics within these sections are listed in alphabetical order. This helps make it a good reference tool. On the other hand, many writers, editors, educators, and speakers will want to absorb it from cover to cover.
As a writer and editor myself, I was particularly interested in the section Specific Manuscript Flaws That Can Cause Rejection. Among flaws Bacon lists are: certain plot elements seemed contrived, the characters were not interesting, the scenes were not fully developed, there was not adequate conflict, and the premise was poor. Heaven help us if we don't have a good premise. If that's the case, maybe we should look seriously at the book's last section, Writing New Material– When It’s Time to Write Something Else. As Bacon points out, "For writers...text is the ultimate elixir, and it always amazes me at how quickly most of us can 'recover' (from rejection) once we get the creative juices flowing once more."
HOW TO WRITE WHAT PEOPLE WILL PAY TO READ! is a 324-page e-book. The price is $2.99 American, $3.25 Canadian. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KMFYDZQ/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb
Elma Schemenauer, author of 75 books published in Canada and the USA, editor of many more, elmams@shaw.ca, http://elmasalmanac.blogspot.ca/, http://www.elma03.com.
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