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shannonscotteditorauthor's review against another edition
5.0
I love that this book doesn't just focus on suspense in the crime/police procedural/thriller fiction subgenres. Cleland talks about suspense in general, and offers realistic steps and advice to integrate that suspense into your story. As a burgeoning author as well as fiction developmental editor, these kind of craft books have a twofold effect. I not only can improve my own writing, but help other authors improve theirs as well.
malinuknow's review against another edition
4.0
3 words: Informative, easy-to-digest, and (will be) useful.
I have highlighted and marked sections I found extra interesting and I will definitely go back to this book when I decide to focus a little extra on my own writing.
I have highlighted and marked sections I found extra interesting and I will definitely go back to this book when I decide to focus a little extra on my own writing.
mike_brough's review against another edition
4.0
I have a significant collection of books on writing, built up over the last twenty years. I think the first was Celia Brayfield's Bestseller, the title being itself a good description of the book.
This book is in the same category - inspirational and full of straightforward advice. It's the excerpts from published works, Cleland's and others, that reinforce the advice she gives. They're very well-chosen.
I've read most of this advice elsewhere but Ms Cleland marshalls her material into a coherent whole that takes you on an interesting and constructive journey. She's an excellent guide.
Well worth a read for any aspiring writers or for anyone who, like me, wants to see what makes good fiction work the way it does.
This book is in the same category - inspirational and full of straightforward advice. It's the excerpts from published works, Cleland's and others, that reinforce the advice she gives. They're very well-chosen.
I've read most of this advice elsewhere but Ms Cleland marshalls her material into a coherent whole that takes you on an interesting and constructive journey. She's an excellent guide.
Well worth a read for any aspiring writers or for anyone who, like me, wants to see what makes good fiction work the way it does.
cam_torrens's review against another edition
5.0
Cleland's visual on "highways" and "service roads" when talking about plots and sub-plots clicked for me--much more so than other descriptions of "the B Story." This is a great book on the craft of writing.
juliwi's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing keeps me more engaged with a novel than the slow, creeping sense that something drastic is about to happen, something that will change everything I thought I knew. And this isn't just true for suspense novels, but novels in general.
Cleland's 'Mastering Plot Twists' is a great resource for anyone wanting to start writing or stuck in the middle of their writing. I found the advice useful and the worksheets were interesting to engage with as well. Cleland involves a lot of examples, which was really useful for me since I like learning that way. It might not be for everyone however. I also did feel that as a reviewer this helped me gain new insight into plot twists and properly building up to them.
Cleland's 'Mastering Plot Twists' is a great resource for anyone wanting to start writing or stuck in the middle of their writing. I found the advice useful and the worksheets were interesting to engage with as well. Cleland involves a lot of examples, which was really useful for me since I like learning that way. It might not be for everyone however. I also did feel that as a reviewer this helped me gain new insight into plot twists and properly building up to them.
bookish_babe's review against another edition
4.0
The author successfully breaks down topics but there are more examples than explanations. It's as if someone asks you, "tell me how to make a great movie," and then you just have them watch a great movie rather than actually TELLING them what things made it great. What beats to hit or what to really hone in on.
There are useful tidbits in here and for new authors, this can be really helpful. But if you have a few books under your belt and are just looking to further hone your craft, I'm not sure you'll get as much out of it. I did find the section on character motivation useful as well as the portion on pacing.
If you're an aspiring author or looking to craft a better first book, this would be helpful for you.a
3.5 Stars
There are useful tidbits in here and for new authors, this can be really helpful. But if you have a few books under your belt and are just looking to further hone your craft, I'm not sure you'll get as much out of it. I did find the section on character motivation useful as well as the portion on pacing.
If you're an aspiring author or looking to craft a better first book, this would be helpful for you.a
3.5 Stars
panda_incognito's review against another edition
3.0
There are enough useful insights here that I'm rating this book three stars, but readers need to be prepared for an overabundance of charts, strange phrasing that requires mental translation, examples from terrible stories, and lots of repetition.