What a gem of a book! And a big thank you to
either Ellie Whyte or Catherine Hudson for putting me on to it – I know one of
you did.
The
Word-Loss Diet isn’t a large tome by any means (thirteen chapters over seventy-one
pages) but its ideas have had a huge impact on my writing. My first drafts are
always too big, but now I have the tools to reduce my word count in a pain-free
manner without sacrificing the plot.
Let me give
you a tiny taste.
How many
times do we use the words, started to,
turned to, and could? Rayne Hall shows why they’re redundant in a concise and
practical manner. The method she uses to explain is in keeping with the dietary
theme – the examples are labelled ‘obese’ and ‘slim’ :)
We all want
to make our writing tight and toned as well as enhance our self-editing skills don’t
we? This book will show you how. And while it’s not recommended for absolute
beginners, I think it makes a great mentorship tool.
I purchased my
copy via Amazon. The Kindle edition is less than $4.00, the paperback version
around $7.00. Whichever one you choose, The
Word-Loss Diet is worth every cent.
Andrea
writes contemporary romance. Her second novel Too Pretty was
released in August 2014 by Rhiza Press. Her first book A Simple Mistake was a
finalist in the CALEB Awards 2012
Andrea would love to hear from you via her website or Facebook page:
http://www.andreagrigg.com/
https://www.facebook.com/author.andreagrigg
Hi Andrea,
ReplyDeleteI can see how a tightening tool like this could knock pages of words off a manuscript. Sounds entertaining too. Thanks for the tip.
Hi Paula - for such a small book it really does pack a punch!
DeleteYes, that's the sort of helpful diet I like, Andrea. I can still have my chocolate while editing. A great book in anyone's language. It's a good idea to write all those dialogue tags and beats and backstory paras. Then once it's all out there to begin the paring down. I really enjoy that part.
ReplyDeleteLove how you think, Rita - both the chocolate and the paring down process comments :)
DeleteThanks Andrea, there's loads of fantastic blog articles on writing tips - just look on Pintrest! But it's always handy to have information all in one document and this one looks really handy.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Susanne - having all the info in one concise book saves a lot of searching. I now refer to this one constantly.
DeleteThanks for the review Andrea. Great to have some tips on reducing the flab in writing.
ReplyDeleteIt's helped me so much, Jeanette. Just had to share!
DeleteThanks, Andrea. :-) Years ago, my writing was so wordy, riddled with bland verbiage. I knew this was my weakness, and looked for a guide to help me fix it - but at the time, there was none. I reckon many writers are in the same situation that I once was. That's why I wrote this book.
ReplyDeleteHi Rayne - thrilled to have you stop by.
DeletePersonally, I think your book should be in every fiction writer's kit. I've also downloaded your one that demystifies Twitter - my next mountain to climb!
Thanks for sharing this resource, Andrea. Good to know it's an affordable price for something so helpful. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Dotti. It's the most practical craft book in my collection :)
DeleteAndrea, I'm going to buy Rayne's book today because it sounds like a super-helpful resource. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the book with us :)
ReplyDeleteYou won't be disappointed, Narelle. Looking forward to hearing what you think of it :)
DeleteI'm simeone else who thinks this is an excellent book, as is Rayne's Twitter book.
ReplyDeleteWell, if an editor thinks it's excellent then that's a great recommendation! And yes, I need to get stuck into the Twitter book too.
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