Synopsis
A Complete Guide to the Craft of Writing Fiction
The Fiction Writing Handbook* is a complete guide for the fiction writer who wants to develop an individual voice and understand the reasons underlying the so-called rules of writing. Although a few rules really are necessary, the vast majority are either dogma or passing fads. Worse, so much advice like “show don’t tell” and “open with action” is often poorly explained and entirely misunderstood, causing writers no end of problems. Similarly, the importance of both character and narrative voice, as well as tone, cannot be overstated.
Writing Myths Exploded
Drawing on twenty years of writing, critiquing, editing and mentoring experience, Dario Ciriello explodes writing myths, shreds conventional wisdom, and dissects the often misleading advice and diktats shouted at writers by books and blogs, agents and publishers. The Fiction Writing Handbook gives authors the necessary tools and insights to retake control of their story and make it unique.
Show Don't Tell, Internal Dialog, Suspense, Tone, and much more clearly explained
Other topics covered in The Fiction Writing Handbook include external and internal dialog, writers' block, traditional vs. indie publishing, PoV (point of view), creating suspense, and much more.
Whether your interest lies in short stories, novels or screenwriting, The Fiction Writing Handbook shows you how to tell your story in your voice and place it before your audience, eschewing novel plotting formulas and cookie-cutter fiction to remain true to your own, exceptional vision while adhering to the few rules that actually matter. Because writing isn’t about prose wonks and industry insiders: it’s about the reader, and most of all it’s about telling a story. Your story.
What reviewers are saying
"I was so impressed by the book I have promised myself that this will be the last book on writing fiction I will ever buy."
"I'm so glad I read this. It's loaded with helpful advice."
"This manual suggests - boldly, sometimes brazenly, and frequently with wry, clever wit - that the ends justify the means; that you are "allowed" to use whatever technique moves you in order to tell your story."
*Originally published in 2017 under the title, "Drown the Cat"
About the Author
Dario Ciriello is a professional author and editor, and the founder (2009) of Panverse Publishing. Dario's first novel, "Sutherland's Rules", a crime caper/thriller with a shimmer of the fantastic, was published in 2013. "Free Verse and Other Stories", a collection of his short Science Fiction work, was released in June 2014. His 2015 novel, a supernatural suspense thriller titled "Black Easter", pits love against black magic and demonic possession on a remote, idyllic Greek island. Dario is currently at work on a new thriller. Dario's nonfiction book, "Aegean Dream", the bittersweet memoir of a year spent on the small Greek island of Skópelos (the real "Mamma Mia"! island), was an Amazon category #1 for several months in 2012. "Drown the Cat: the Rebel Author's Guide to Writing Beyond the Rules" (Panverse, July 2017) is his second nonfiction work. In addition to writing, Dario, who currently lives in the Los Angeles area, offers professional editing, copyediting, and coaching services to indie authors.
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