Yours to Tell: Dialogues on the Art and Practice of Writing by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem

Blurb:

Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem are no strangers to the writing business. Between the two of them, they have published more than 600 short stories, 20 novels, and 10 short story collections. Not to mention numerous articles, essays, poems, and plays. They've won the World Fantasy Award, British Fantasy Award, and Bram Stoker Award.

In this book they go over everything from the mechanics of writing, to how to find the time to write, to dealing with all the paper writers tend to collect. They discuss plot, point of view, setting, characterization, and more, all in an informal tone that invites you to become part of their conversation. Learn how to find your stories because they are Yours to Tell.

Yours to Tell is a writing craft book that goes over everything from the mechanics of plot and characterization to the occupational hazards of writing (i.e. being buried in paper) and a writer's schedule. Yours to Tell is conversational in nature with each chapter beginning with a prompt, and both Melanie and Steve talking and giving ideas or solutions for it. Different writers will identify with many of the things they talk about, especially when one writer is a saver and a book collector, and the other writer prefers an electronic life.

There are so many things a writer could get hung up on when writing becomes a business. But focusing on the art of simply writing is important. From the book:

"Writers write, whether they're making money or not, whether they're even publishing or not."

Everyone has a story to tell, and each story will have a new and different perspective. And fiction is especially interesting because readers have to believe in that writer's reality to become part of the book. The chapter on Engaging the Reader was probably most important to me as it goes into the relationship the writer has with the reader, providing great examples and ways authors can engage readers.

Overall, a great book on the craft of writing.

Book Info (Amazon):

• Yours to Tell: Dialogues on the Art and Practice of Writing by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem.
• Apex Books; 2017.
• ISBN13:978-1937009472.
• Paperback and Ebook versions. 

Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher and any opinions are my own. Affiliate links help support the site. Thanks. :)



 
+Renee Shelton
Twitter: @121degreesC