(Review of Second Edition)

This book was even better than the original. Very useful for novelists who want to punch up their fiction. I pre-ordered this book because of how much I enjoyed the first one. I very much enjoy books on the craft of writing. Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman are authorities worthy of trust and praise. The book is entertaining and informative.

Great quotes from this book:

"Because above all else, readers pick up a book to have an emotional experience."

"[subtext] allows the character to carry on whatever subterfuge she deems necessary with others while revealing her true emotions and motivations to the reader."

"writers need to show the character's physical and internal responses rather than stating the emotion outright."

And something that irritates me on end when it happens, so I'm especially grateful this lesson is mentioned: "Without the proper context, readers can't be sure which emotion the character is feeling."

The reason people sometimes hide emotion was revealed 3% into the book.

I learned how to avoid writing melodrama (or how to write it, I suppose, if so inclined). And schadenfreude! There's a word you don't encounter every day.

The book is relevant to me because I'm a writer. There was a mention of the weather, how it can impact a character's mood and goals. Everything in these pages had a purpose. It's well organized and designed to be worthwhile reading all the way through. And then coming back as a reference later.

I've followed both of these writers for a long time, as I too write reference books for authors.