Pimp My Fiction: Write A Bestselling Novel By Learning Powerful Writing Techniques

Pimp My Fiction

Secrets of How to Write a Novel: Learn Writing Techniques from Successful Authors of Creative Writing Guides

Writer’s Resource Series

Paula Wynne

Prado Press

London, United Kingdom

Writers’ Resource Series

A~Z Writers’ Character Quirks: A~ Z of Behaviours, Foibles, Habits, Mannerisms & Quirks for Writers to Create Fictional Characters

&

101 Writers’ Scene Settings: Unique Location Ideas & Sensory Details for Writers to Create Vivid Scene Settings

Pick up free chapters: http://eepurl.com/bSpEOv

More Books by This Author

Also by Paula Wynne

Create a Successful Website

Pimp My Site

Writers’ Resource Series

Pimp My Fiction

A~Z of Writers’ Character Quirks

101 Writers’ Scene Settings

Torcal Trilogy

The Grotto’s Secret – Published 2016

The Sacred Symbol – Due to be published 2016

The Lunar Legacy – Due to be published 2017

Author Contact & Copyright

Copyright © 2016 by Paula Wynne.

Paula Wynne/Prado Press

United Kingdom

www.paulawynne.com/contact

Pimp My Fiction/ Paula Wynne – 2nd edition

First Published 2015 by Prado Press

ISBN-13: 978-1530621743

ISBN-10: 1530621747

Cover Art: Kent Wynne

Editors: Betsy Smith

Book Layout: Slavisa Zivkovic

Publisher’s Note: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, via the web address above.

Dedication

To every aspiring novelist seeking knowledge to write their first bestseller

We are all apprentices in a craft where

no one ever becomes a master.

Ernest Hemingway

Foreword

During a clear-out, I stumbled across a shoe box crammed with 3.5" disks. My heart danced: These were the wonderful stories I had written fifteen years earlier and believed lost. Thrilled, I opened the files and settled down to read.

Oh dear! What predictable word choices, what shallow POV! How could I have thought this was good writing? At the time, I viewed those pieces as proud pillars of my accomplishment.

Comparing my writing then and now, I marvel at how much I’ve grown as a writer. I’ve learnt new skills, developed a strong author’s voice, and gained a nuanced understanding of the craft.

Where I was once an apprentice and then a journeywoman, I’ve reached master level. And as with all trades, writing mastery is not a destination but a portal to further learning.

I didn’t always see it this way. For many years, I wrote fiction in the belief that I knew it all and had to prove it. Success eluded me. Instead of acclaim, I garnered rejections - which in those days came in the form of pre-printed slips: ‘We regret this submission doesn’t meet our current requirements, and wish you luck placing it elsewhere.’

My breakthrough came when I changed my attitude and allowed myself to be simply a seeker with nothing to prove and a lot to learn - what Zen practitioners call ‘beginner’s mind’.

I identified the weaknesses of my writing - feeble plots, dragging pace and wordy style - and set about systematically upgrading my skills. Within months, this paid off. After years of spirit-sapping rejections, acceptances came rolling in. This wave of success has continued - with peaks and troughs - ever since.

Honing my craft to grow as a writer has become a joyful pursuit. Every year, I pick one area to improve, and work on it until my skill leaps to a high level.

For this, I’ve applied different learning strategies. I joined writers’ groups and critique workshops, took adult education and online classes, analysed the works of famous authors and studied how-to-write books. I even went to university part time to earn a Master’s degree in Creative Writing.

To my surprise, the most effective learning methods were the inexpensive ones. I learnt more from books than from the costly university education.

For writers who want to take their craft to the next level, books are ideal. You can find guides for almost any specialist skill you seek. Good books guide, inform, inspire, solve problems, encourage, empower or entertain.

Paula Wynne has compiled the books she found helpful on her journey, and her reviews can serve as your starting point. Which book is most useful for your work in progress? Which will help you most to grow as a writer? Which teaching style do you enjoy? Which aligns with your vision?

Modern publishing methods mean you can download the free samples of several promising books, or click the ‘Look Inside’ feature before you buy. Pick books which teach you what you want to learn, at your level, for your genre, and in a style you enjoy.

Keep in mind that nobody can tell you what you must write. Every writer and every story is different. Good guides don’t make rules, they offer advice. It’s your artistic responsibility to select influences which suit your vision.

For under £100 a year, you can get a college-level education, tailored to your interests. Put together your own programme of study, choose your major and supporting courses, and decide which assignments to write. You won’t have to pay tuition fees, spend your precious time travelling to college or abide by someone else’s schedule.

You can study full-time, part-time or in the brief periods between other commitments. You may decide to study dialogue this term, and plot structure next, or you may pick a new topic every month. Instead of formal assessments, you can invite constructive feedback from your peers.

Of course, you need to apply the techniques you learn to your writing. Pure theory won’t make you an author. Write a lot. Try out many techniques and see how they work for you.

‘Writing can’t be taught,’ some people claim. What they mean is that they can’t teach it, or worse, that they can’t - or don’t want to - learn.

Unlike you. You’ve picked up this book because of your desire to learn new facets of your craft and to become the best writer you can possibly be. Enjoy your journey to mastery.

Rayne Hall

Introduction

It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write.

Let them think you were born that way. ~ Ernest Hemingway

Some writing experts say a novelist’s education is never complete. I believe that! For a long time, I have been obsessed with learning everything to improve my writing. I have acquired a bookshelf of excellent reference books by highly acclaimed authors.

Many of these books have changed my writing, so I wanted to share this list of exceptional books with other aspiring novelists.

These fantastic authors are never far from me as I travel on my writing journey, because I am constantly diving back into their books to remind myself of the powerful techniques they reveal.

More importantly, these books have taught me how to keep my readers intrigued so they stay up at night and keep turning the pages. I wholeheartedly admit that I want to worry my readers (Don’t we all?) and have them desperate to find out what happens next.

One of my beta readers for my first novel, The Grotto’s Secret, told me she was ‘panting for breath at the end of each chapter.’

Wow! How cool is that for an aspiring author to hear?

Why This Odd Title?

One reason is because of my bestselling book on digital marketing. While writing the manuscript, I struggled with a title until one night I bolted upright and had: Pimp My Site in my head.

Not that I liked the word ‘pimp,’ mind. I grew up as a good church-going girl, and as with most people, that word was pretty offensive to me. But after the popular TV series Pimp My Ride became my son’s favourite show on the box, I started getting used to the word. So, Pimp My Fiction matches my second book, in a strange way.

Another reason is because the word ‘pimp’ has lots of meanings. The Oxford Dictionary of English states:

Verb: [with obj.] (informal) make (something) more showy or impressive: He pimped up the car with spoilers and twin-spoke 18-inch alloys.

For relevance to pimping your fiction, the meaning is this:

Verb: [with obj.] (informal) make (our books) more readable or impressive: She pimped her novel with excellent writing techniques and transformed it into a page-turning bestseller.

What This Book Isn’t

This Book is not about promoting or marketing your novel. I am in the process of writing another book, in which I will share my on-the-hoof learning as I build my reader platform. It will also include information on how I started marketing my first novel long before I even finished the final draft. Sign up to my VIP news to find out free copies of that book when it’s ready: www.paulawynne.com/vip-news

The list I have created here does not cover actual writing skills, such as perfecting your grammar and honing your art of using language to make your words flow. I imagine that when you first started writing, you armed yourself with style guides.

Neither does this list give you books about motivating yourself to write with writing prompts or exercises. Just because you are reading this I assume you are motivated enough to want to write great fiction.

Finally, this book is not about me making money. I am not earning commission from promoting any of these books. I don’t give you affiliate links, I simply leave it up to you to find the books you may want to read in your favourite book store or on Amazon. I aim to offer Pimp My Fiction free on all eBook platforms and hopefully Amazon will price-match and give it to you for free as well. This may not happen for a few months so if you paid for the book and download the check lists in this book and then stay on my mailing list, I will send you the FREE updated version with the new books I am currently reviewing.

What This Book Is

Instead, Pimp My Fiction gives you a list of the best writing books and HOW they can improve your writing.

Let’s face it, as aspiring novelists we have to learn from the pros, the authors who have been there and found success in their writing career. If we are to become successful we must emulate them and copy their techniques.

Of course, this can easily be done by reading the great writers in your genre. In fact, that is part and parcel of the learning-to-write process. Read good books and learn new tricks from flourishing authors.

The kind of writer you are will probably be much like me: someone who has written for a long time, and dreamed of seeing their novel published, but deep inside, you’ve known that your manuscript lacks that little something that will cause readers to fizz through it and rave about it.

This list of my personal choices of writing guides will definitely assist new authors with the craft of writing. I say this with confidence because I know without doubt that the knowledge I have gained from them has improved my novel writing.

If you have come across books that are not mentioned here and you feel they should be, do drop me a line via my website, paulawynne.com. I’ll be happy to include your review of the book in any future revisions of Pimp My Fiction.

Before We Begin

I asked Rayne Hall to write the foreword because I feel highly inspired by all her practical advice. Each time I finish one of her books, I pounce straight into my manuscript and hone, hone, hone! I do this when I’m working on scary scenes, fight scenes, and vivid settings.

In fact, I have even used her fight scenes as a blueprint. I did this for my novel The Grotto’s Secret as well as the sequel I am currently writing, The Sacred Symbol.

My beta readers, who read The Grotto’s Secret, told me that the ‘tunnel’ scenes were their favourite parts. The formula was taken directly from Rayne’s template, where she builds up to the climax of a fight scene.

Combine that technique with her advice on vivid settings and scary scenes, then combine it with the other books I mention in the chapter called Blueprints, and a new author has their own template for a novel!

One of the books listed is Jessica Page Morrell’s book Between the Lines. I thought I’d have a bit of fun with Jessica’s review. Along with a listing about her book, I have sprinkled her inspiring advice