Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain

Weiland, and many others describing the usefulness of Swain’s scene-sequel format and motivation response units, I decided to go the source. Cannot recommend this book enough!Īfter coming across Jim Butcher, K.M. This is a must have book for any fiction writer, and a must read for any scribe planning on writing a story. Script writing for movies, editing videos, writing essays. But what I find even more valuable in this tome, is the simple fact that the knowledge shared within its pages can be universally applied to any other creative endeavor.

So many plot, characterization, and sentence structure issues could have been avoided if I had read this book first.

Yes, some of the examples and references are completely out of date, this was written quite a while ago, but the logic is sound. You need to create within the reader a need to care about your character. But if you don't care about the characters, you don't care about the plot, and how do you care about characters? You make them likeable, and to make them likeable requires some kind of emotion. Sure, sure, characters and plot are important. It tells you the building blocks of writing an appropriate sentence or reaction and then reminds you that the most important thing to keep in your book, is emotion. Is give you the basic foundation on what is important to include in your book and how to improve and refine your craft. What this book does, and does well I might add.

Ignore the reviews that say the examples listed in the book are out of date or not well written, that misses the point entirely. Techniques of the Selling Writer is quite possibly the most important book a budding author needs to read.

Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain