Blog 4 - The First Five Pages... by: Noah Lukeman

Hey There! It's time for another blog from TheAMWriter.

This blog is for the book The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman. I heard about this book from a friend and said that it was a good read.

On the Back Cover:
"Whether you are a novice writer or a veteran who has already had your work published, rejection is often a frustrating reality. Literary agents and editors receive and reject hundreds of manuscripts each month. While it's the job of these publishing professionals to be discriminating, it's the job of the writer to produce a manuscript that immediately stands out among the vast competition. And those outstanding qualities, says New York literary agent Noah Lukeman, have to be apparent from the first five pages. The First Five Pages reveals the necessary elements of good writing, whether it be fiction, nonfiction, journalism, or poetry, and points out errors to be avoided, such as:

- A weak opening hook
- Overuse of adjectives and adverbs
- Flat or forced metaphors or similes
- Melodramatic, commonplace or confusing dialogue
- Undeveloped characterizations and lifeless settings
- and Uneven pacing and lack of progression

My Review
I really enjoyed reading this book. Noah Lukeman gives the reader a inside look at what helps writers get their books published. He lets the reader know what the agents and publishers look for in pieces of work. I found this book very helpful and will be using it as a reference book when writing my books. I would like to be a published author someday so I want to know the ins and outs of the writer/writing life. I think this book has helped in that way. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to write, or wants to be a published writer in the future. 

Now on to my contest winnings!

For Contest #1 - a signed bookmark from Victoria Schwab to celebrate her 7 weeks until her debut novel The Near Witch (See picture below)

For Contest #2 - I received another signed bookmark for The Near Witch, and also a signed bookplate signed and personalized from the lovely Victoria Schwab. (See picture below)

I send my thanks to Victoria Schwab for having the contests, and sending signed bookmarks, and bookplate. I definitely look forward to reading her debut novel, The Neat Witch. You check out Victoria Schwab on YouTube under the YA Rebels.

This concludes my blog for today. I'll do another posting tomorrow with another book. Thank you if you have recently subscribed to me, and Happy Reading!