By Noah Lukeman
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Customer tags: writing skills(2), writing(2), elijah joon, authorship, vin diesel, noah lukeman, aaron sorkin
Review & Description
In The First Five Pages, literary agent Noah Lukeman reveals the necessary elements of good writing, whether it is fiction, nonfiction, journalism, or poetry. Lukeman points out errors that will immediately send your manuscript into the rejection pile, including:
- A weak opening hook
- Overuse of adjectives and adverbs
- Flat or forced metaphors and similes
- Melodramatic, commonplace, or confusing dialogue
- Undeveloped characterizations and lifeless settings
- Unoriginal plot and characters
- A lack of plot progression and uneven pacing
With exercises at the end of each chapter, this invaluable reference will allow novelists, journalists, poets, and screenwriters alike to improve their technique as they learn to eliminate even the most subtle mistakes that are cause for rejection. By studying examples of what not to do, writers can learn to spot those bad traits in their own writing.
The First Five Pages not only gives tricks of the trade from a publishing industry insider but will also help writers at every stage take their art to a higher -- and more successful -- level.The difference between The First Five Pages and most books on writing is that the others are written by teachers and writers. This one comes from a literary agent--one whose clients include Pulitzer Prize nominees, New York Times bestselling authors, Pushcart Prize recipients, and American Book Award winners. Noah Lukeman is not trying to impart the finer points of writing well. He wants to teach you "how to identify and avoid bad writing," so that your manuscript doesn't come boomeranging back to you in that self-addressed, stamped envelope. Surprise: Agents and editors don't read manuscripts for fun; they are looking for reasons to reject them. Lukeman has arranged his book "in the order of what I look for when trying to dismiss a manuscript," starting with presentation and concluding with pacing and progression. Each chapter addresses a pitfall of poor writing--overabundance of adjectives and adverbs, tedious or unrealistic dialogue, and lack of subtlety to name just a few--by identifying the problem, presenting solutions, giving examples (one wishes these weren't quite so obvious), and offering writing exercises. It's a little bizarre to think about approaching your work as would an agent, but if you are serious about getting published, you may as well get used to it. Plus, Lukeman has plenty of solid advice worth listening to. Particularly fine are his exercises for removing and spicing up modifiers and his remedies for all kinds of faulty dialogue. --Jane SteinbergIn The First Five Pages, literary agent Noah Lukeman reveals the necessary elements of good writing, whether it is fiction, nonfiction, journalism, or poetry. Lukeman points out errors that will immediately send your manuscript into the rejection pile, including:
- A weak opening hook
- Overuse of adjectives and adverbs
- Flat or forced metaphors and similes
- Melodramatic, commonplace, or confusing dialogue
- Undeveloped characterizations and lifeless settings
- Unoriginal plot and characters
- A lack of plot progression and uneven pacing
With exercises at the end of each chapter, this invaluable reference will allow novelists, journalists, poets, and screenwriters alike to improve their technique as they learn to eliminate even the most subtle mistakes that are cause for rejection. By studying examples of what not to do, writers can learn to spot those bad traits in their own writing.
The First Five Pages not only gives tricks of the trade from a publishing industry insider but will also help writers at every stage take their art to a higher -- and more successful -- level. Read more
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