When I started
this blog, one of the things I wanted to talk about is books. As a writer it’s
important to read, and read a lot. Well I’ve been trying to do just that and I
wanted to share two books of which I just finished reading.
The first book I want to talk about
is K.M. Weiland’s Outlining Your Novel:
Map Your Way to Success. This is an excellent read that I would recommend
to any author who's on the fence as to whether or not they are a
"pantser" or an "outliner". I learned that I am most
certainly an outliner, but the thing that this book enforces, that I really
like, is that it encourages you to outline creatively, whether that means
doodling characters and scenes, mind mapping, or writing your own reviews to
gain a sense of your goals.
A lot of people think outlining will take the va voom out of their writing journey,
which for some people it does, but I like how the author approached the
outlining process and enforced creatively putting together a rough plan that
will keep you on track and help you to avoid writing yourself into a corner. I
think this is something I struggle with a lot. After it's all said and done,
some of us (like me) just want to go, get started, and light those keys on fire
as you blaze through the first draft. Mrs. Weiland encourages readers to slow
down a little and scribble out that rough plan in whatever words necessary to
get that plan on paper. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone
looking for a good read on writing craft.
My Rating (on a scale from 1 to 5):
****
“Writers
often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood
and correctly used, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a
writer’s arsenal. With the help of the book Outlining Your Novel: Map Your
Way to Success, you will learn how to choose the right type of outline for
you, brainstorm plot ideas, and discover your characters.”
Outlining
Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success is published by Pen For A Sword
Publishing and is 192 pages in length.
You can find K.M. Weiland's Website
here.
The second book I finished reading recently
is Julie Kagawa's The Iron King. This
book started off quite quickly getting to the punch after only a few short
chapters. Meghan Chase is a heroine you can root for and totally agree with.
The scenery depicted is beautiful and represents each of the faery courts perfectly.
The romance aspect of the book didn't come into play until halfway through the
book and seemed a little sudden and rushed to me. If I could've made any
suggestions, I would've explored that relationship a little further and at
least give a little more foundation for Meghan's love interest.
Otherwise, this was a pretty riveting read and I would definitely recommend it
to anyone into faeries and faery lore.
My Rating: ****
“Megan Chase has a secret
destiny—one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly
off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when
she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from
afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan
senses that everything she’s known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the
truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a
deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she
cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find
love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his
icy heart.”
The Iron King is published by Harlequin Teen and is 368 pages in length.
You can find The Iron King and other books by Julie Kagawa at her website here.
