THE ICE PICK

1,818 Ways to Write Better and Get Published, by Scott Edelstein. Updated edition of The Writer’s Book of Checklists. Cincinnati, Writer’s Digest Books, 1997. 213 p. $14.99. ISBN: 0-89879-778-0.

With something for beginning writers, as well as amateurs and professionals, this book is a gold mine of very specific and practical information on everything from how “to generate fresh ideas” to “how to fire your agent gracefully.”

The first two sections are aimed mostly at beginners and deal with getting started. The first part offers suggestions on responding to criticism and comments, spotting and ignoring bad advice, and living with rejection or success, plus setting up a workspace and finding the best time for you to write.

The second section helps with things like keeping a journal or notebook, rewriting and editing your work, beating writer’s block, and creating titles.

Like the rest of the book, both of these sections give very practical and detailed advice and information, from choosing the kind and color of your journal to using copyediting marks.

Next, there is one part dealing with fiction (characters, plotting, “how to show instead of tell,” description, dialogue, viewpoint, beginnings, endings, children’s stories, etc.) and another part dealing with nonfiction (research, interviews, etc.). Both parts cover preparing a proposal. Do you need to get to know your characters better or how to qualify an assumption you are making in an article? This is where you will find lists of questions to ask about your characters or advice on what things to bring to an interview.

Most of the book deals with the business end of writing: “Publishing opportunities,” “Finding Information and Support,” “Doing Business with Editors,” “Selling Yourself and Your Services,” “Dealing with Agents,” “Keeping Track of Business,” and “Legal Matters.”

Types of magazines and other markets are listed along with advice on whether they are easy or hard to break into and average pay scales. There are guidelines on how to make business contacts that will help you, how to prepare a manuscript, what to do if an editor is slow to respond, how to handle deadlines, ask for more money, compose a resume or an invoice, arrange a book signing or reading, deal with an agent, fill out IRS forms, alter a written agreement, etc.

The lack of an index is very annoying to me, but overall I have learned a lot from the book and have found it to be extremely useful.

Writers always have lots of questions. This book has lots of answers. I recommend it very highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Dec. 2003.}