First Draft in 30 Days
by Karen Wiesner
List Price:
Our Price: $2.50
You Save: $17.49 (87%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.97 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Karen WiesnerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-03-05
ISBN: 1582972966
Number of pages: 216
Publisher: Writers Digest Books
Book Reviews of First Draft in 30 Days
Book Review: 30-Day Outline
Summary: 3 Stars
Whoever the book titlers are at Writer's Digest, they should be ashamed of themselves. A 30-day outline is a far cry from a 30-day draft. The first draft--the "rough" draft of your book--must be the most painstakingly thought out and executed of all the drafts, be there two, three, five, or six more to follow. It's here, right in the beginning, that you develop your story flow, your pulse, your synthesis of surroundings with characthers and their actions / reactions within the disciplined framework of your plot. I'm sure most successful novelists would tell you that. In no way can a 30-day outline be labeled a 30-day draft. These are two separately, pronouncedly different and distinct writing phases. ##### I have always been a firm believer in outlines, and have always developed one for every one of my books (including my novel, Six Hours Past Thursday). In no way can you, as a writer, feel that you are somehow going to be led by some spontaneous, invisible hand through the jungle of story creation, be it fiction or non-ficion. To me, outlines form the basics of essentialism for a writer. ##### To flip the coin to the other side--objective analysis of Karen Wiesner's First Draft In 30 Days from the standpoint of content--it is first rate. There is nothing arbitrary or random about her call for a tightly-disciplined approach to book creation. Dispersing learned counsel in rapid-fire bursts, she lays out a good sequence for outlining your book. Preliminary thoughts, research, story evolution, formatted outline, evaluate strength, a revistation, and, importantly, putting it on a shelf for a quiet period of rest and final reflection before proceeding into the first draft. A good pecking order. ##### My lone objection is to the misleading title. Hence, the 3-star rating.
Literature & Fiction Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Literature & Fiction Books
Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott
Scribner; Published: 1986-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
The Killing Groundby JACK HIGGINS
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS LTD; Published: 2007; Hardcover; Book
Saving Fish from Drowningby Amy Tan
4th Estate; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Life Expectancyby Dean Koontz
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Constant Princessby Philippa Gregory
Touchstone/Simon & Schuster; Published: 2005; Hardcover; Book
Wolf of the Plains (Conqueror, Book 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harper; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Saharaby Clive Cussler
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Perelandra (Cosmic Trilogy)by C. S. Lewis
Voyager; Published: 2005-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.70
Price in other shops:
The Lord Of The Rings: Part 2 The Two Towersby J. R. R. Tolkien
Harper Collins Publishers; Published: 2001; Paperback; Book
Red Marsby Kim Stanley Robinson
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Masterby Martha Alderson
Adams Media; Published: 2011-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.10
Price in other shops:
90 Days to Your Novel: A Day-by-Day Plan for Outlining & Writing Your Bookby Sarah Domet
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2010-12-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.32
Price in other shops:
The 90-Day Novel: Unlock the story withinby Alan Watt
The 90-Day Novel Press; Published: 2010-10-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.86
Price in other shops:
Write Great Fiction - Dialogue (Write Great Fiction Series)by Gloria Kempton
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2004-10-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.49
Price in other shops:
Writing the Breakout Novelby Donald Maass
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2002-08-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.96
Price in other shops:
From First Draft To Finished Novel: A Writer's Guide To Cohesive Story Buildingby Karen S Wiesner
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2008-09-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.23
Price in other shops:
Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints (Write Great Fiction)by Nancy Kress
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2005-03-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.38
Price in other shops:
The Marshall Plan for Novel Writingby Evan Marshall
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2001-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.59
Price in other shops:
Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) (Write Great Fiction)by James Scott Bell
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2004-10-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.96
Price in other shops:
Book in a Month: The Fool-Proof System for Writing a Novel in 30 Daysby Victoria Lynn Schmidt
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2008-01-28; Spiral-bound; Book
Best price: $2.64
Price in other shops: