100 Things Every Writer Needs to Know

by Scott Edelstein

Writer, editor, and literary agent Scott Edelstein has done it all--and now this industry insider brings his valuable secrets to both beginning and established writers. Covering everything from building writing skills to dealing with editors to starting a writing business, this all-important guide will get you started and point you in the right direction. With matter-of-fact advice and encouragement from an expert, you'll get the information, inspiration,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399525084
• ISBN13: 9780399525087
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: Tarcherperigee
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

My favorite writing book

If I had to pick ONE THING in this whole book that I found was of value, it would be Chapter 10 beginning on page 16: "You Can Safely Ignore Most of the 'Have-To's' You've Been Taught About Writing."He lists nearly every 'have to' in every writing book (and MOST of them have 'em):You must write by hand.You must write a certain amount of time/words/pages every day.You must have a special place to write.You must have a set writing schedule.You must know how the piece will end before you start.And so on.I nearly stopped writing altogether trying to follow some of those "have-to's" in other books! It's great that some combination of those things work for *some* people, but Edelstein is the only author I've seen who truly recognizes that everyone's writing process is unique and that a large part of writing is discovering what works for YOU. Definitely worth the money!

A Goldmine of Information...

This is one book I would recommend to any writer, aspiring or accomplished. I have to admit that I bought the book thinking I wasn't going to learn anything new. (Call me jaded - I very seldom read any Writer's reference these days that teaches me something I haven't already learned.) In the first few (very brief) chapters, the book confirmed my suspicions. But something prodded me to keep reading. I did. I can't begin to tell you how much I have learned from Mr. Edelstein. This simple book stores a goldmine of information for any writer at any stage of his/her career. Buy it. You won't regret it.

A first step...

I've had this book for a while now, and have discovered it again among my many tomes. Definitely the book for beginner writers or those who wish to know a bit more about their passion. Edelstein writes very comfortable prose allowing for pleasurable reading, without having to unnecessarily strain one's cognitive matter. The information is mostly common sense, but as we humans are not known to have a lot of it (at least this member of the race) I find it positive that Edelstein has gotten it all in such a well-organized book. The prospective buyer will be pleased to find 100 short but concise "chapters" concerning, among other things:- how to get an idea when starting or during difficult times while writing a piece. The "myth" of "writer's block" is also dealt with at length.- how to organize your writing time, and a good deal on writing cycles one can naturally fall into. This includes what methods are useful in planning or mapping out a piece.- how to make a living as a writer, and what options are open to us. The use and necessity (or not) of agents, professional critics, and publishers is also carefully dissected.- what those many strange words (such as "novel", "novella" and "novelette") used in the writing business actually mean. This section also includes a brief description of words used to describe poetry. Quite useful as a quick reference, in my eyes.Most of the advice concerns every type of writing, from poetry, (film/play) scripts and non-fiction. The above is of course only a partial list; I have only attempted to show some of the main points of Edelstein's wonderful work.Of course, this book alone does not (and physically cannot) cover the topics presented extensively, but should rather be used as an index or overview of the writing craft. To delve deeper into such subjects as synopsis writing or how to structure one's novel, you should turn to such works as "Your Novel Proposal" by Blythe Camenson and the "How to write a damn good novel..." series from James N. Frey. As mentioned above this book is very commendable for the beginner writer and is the perfect stepping-stone. We all have to start somewhere, now don't we?

An invaluable reference

I checked this out of the library, renewed it-and now I am going to actually buy it-it really is that good. Scott Edelstein covers every aspect of the writing life and publishing game that you'd want to know about, and he does it in a clear and witty fashion. No patronizing here: he treats the reader as an equal( a refreshing quality)and as a confidant, turning a sometimes harsh light on many aspects of working as an author while also offering many nuggets of help and support. I don't think you could be better armed to write and publish than to read this book-unless you already have a number of professional authors as friends.

an essential source of information for aspiring writers

I am an aspiring writer and find this book very informative. Edelstein has a direct, no nonsense style of writing which should appeal to writers of all genres. A useful guide which I highly recommend.