Fiction Writing Demystified

Techniques That Will Make You a More Successful Writer

By: Thomas B. Sawyer

Narrated by: Jeffrey Thibeault

At last, a how-to book that explains the nuts-and-bolts of writing solid, entertaining, commercial fiction, written by someone who's been there. Practical, filled with examples and no-nonsense, take-'em-to-the-bank nuggets, Fiction Writing Demystified shows how the imperatives of effective storytelling translate readily to narrative fiction, genre or literary, screenwriting, even to nonfiction, poetry, sermons, or business documents - techniques that will make anyone's writing come alive!

Tom Sawyer knows about successful creative writing - and how to teach the subject, from UCLA to Writers University to the Maui Writers Conference.

Emmy and Edgar-nominated, Showrunner/Head Writer ofthe classic TV series, Murder, She Wrote, he authored the best-selling thrillers The Sixteenth Man, and No Place to Run. He is co-lyricist/co-author of JACK, the opera about JFK that has been performed to acclaim in the U.S. and Europe.

©2002, 2007 Thomas B. Sawyer (P)2012 Thomas B. Sawyer

Critic reviews

"Where was this book when I set out to write my first novel? Smart, funny, dead-on accurate - buying this book is like putting a down-payment on a ticket to the best-seller list. (Linda Fairstein, best-selling novelist, author of The Bone Vault and The Deadhouse)

"Absolutely devoured your book! Pages folded back, underlinings, margin notes. A treasure trove, brother. Fabulous." (Jerry B. Jenkins, writer of the mega-selling Left Behind novels)

"Really wonderful. The most specific and helpful I’ve ever read - not only for the beginner but for the experienced writer." (Barnaby Conrad, best-selling author of the classic, Matador)

Good guide for novice fiction writers

The author's background is in television, so the techniques and examples relate more to screenwriting rather than fiction writing in general. I liked that the author gave plenty of good examples (and some bad) of popular television series that demonstrate techniques in developing plot, characters, dialogue, and suspense. This book is an excellent guide for anyone who hasn't been exposed to basic techniques of fiction writing.

Well worth it

I can never get enough of listening to someone who is good at his/her art/profession. This is one of those opportunities.

Unsystematic information...

This book has the authors opinion on do's and don'ts of general writing (techniques). There is little about getting started and NO STEP BY STEP instructions, which is what I hoped for. You won't learn anything about writing software, publishing, or much about editing. Don't get me wrong, there is a LOT of good information in here, but its not very user friendly (at least in audio format) I would hope the paper copy would contain outlines that summarize the contents into a usable form. There is good information about belittling your reader, story pace and self editing. The author is a screen writer by profession, so expect a lot of his examples and references to be TV and movies. It is kind of funny how often Sawyer says, "This is a cardinal no-no..." and then immediately gives an example of an exception he likes really well. You can easily listen at 1.5x speed. The narration was good. I like 'The Successful Novelist by David Morrell' better. Hope this helps. Later.

Great info, annoying narrator

What did you love best about Fiction Writing Demystified?

It is real advice from a writer who has had great success.

What did you like best about this story?

Sawyer speaks from experience - not just the "success" of having self-published a couple of titles, but from years in the scriptwriting business. He provides great examples from shows we all know.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jeffrey Thibeault?

Someone who knows how to use the letter "T"
Here are a couple of gems from the story:
"Cer- -ain" (for "certain")
"Impor- -ant" (for "important)
"A hundreh- and ten" (seriously?)
Every dropped "t" made it less likely that I would finish the book. It's a good thing Sawyer's writing is so clear and interesting.

Finished and I’m starting it again

I didn’t know how bad I needed this insight! Very much worth the time. And the authors voice is fantastic!