May 28, 2020, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story using two words that contradict. Examples include champagne and hard-rock; rosemary and sewage; duck down and firecrackers; sleep and square-dancing. Use one of these or make up your own. Go where the prompt leads!
I’m afraid my brain was unable to come up with something original, soI used one of Charli’s examples!
Sleepy Square-Dance
The upbeat music created a jaunty atmosphere in the air. All around Jack, there were revellers dressed up in what they considered to be true ‘Square Dancing’ attire, i.e. a check shirt, some with fringes, denim, and obligatory cowboy boots.
It was all rather surreal. He was sitting in a church hall in the UK, not America!
Trying to stifle a yawn, he caught eyes with Jill. Oh great, now she’s coming over.
“Come on, sleepy head, I know you’re tired, but a bit of a dance will wake you up!” She grabbed my arm, dragging me up.
There are a plethora of writing craft books out there, and it is mind-boggling to work out which one is worth your hard earned money.
Today, I am so excited to share with you a book that is out today, and TOTALLY worth it!
Many of you know Sacha Black. She’s been on the blogging circuit for a long while, and was the head honcho for the Annual Bloggers Bash Awards too. She’s the proud author of two YA fiction books and has two fantastic non-fiction books out already, about developing your Villains and Heroes.
This time, Sacha has excelled herself with a book about creating perfect prose, in her own inimitable style.
Do your sentences fail to sound the way you want? Are they lackluster, with flat characters and settings? Is your prose full of bad habits and crutches? In The Anatomy of Prose, you’ll discover:
A step-by-step guide to creating descriptions that sing
The key to crafting character emotions that will hook a reader
How to harness all five senses to make your stories come alive, deepening your reader’s experience
Tips and tricks for balancing details at the sentence level
Methods for strengthening each sentence through strategic word choice, rhythm and flow
Dozens of literary devices, and how to utilize them to give your prose power
Tactics for differentiating characters in dialogue as well as making it punchy and unforgettable
A comprehensive prose-specific self-editing check list
How to embody your character’s personality at the sentence level
The most common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid
The Anatomy of Prose is a comprehensive writing guide that will help you create sensational sentences. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned writer, this book will power up your prose, eliminate line-level distractions and help you find the perfect balance of show and tell. By the end of this book, you’ll know how to strengthen your sentences to give your story, prose and characters the extra sparkle they need to capture a reader’s heart. If you like dark humor, learning through examples and want to create perfect prose, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting sensational sentences. Read The Anatomy of Prose today and start creating kick-ass stories.
I was lucky enough to read and review an arc of this book, and I have to tell you, it is a little gem, I kid you not!
My Review
Why is it that whenever I read one of Sacha Black’s craft books, the urge to open up my manuscript, and purge it of stupid errors, is so strong?
Seriously, so many ‘Uh-oh’ moments and dawnings of ‘A-ha!’ realisations!
As I read some parts, they had me moving my head up and down like a nodding dog in the windscreen of an ever-stalling car! “Yes!” my writer’s brain was screaming. “I do that! But, I’d better just reread and double-check to make sure…”
Having read Black’s 13 Steps to Evil: How to Craft Superbad Villains, and 10 Steps to Hero: How to Craft Kickass Protagonists, as well as having devoured her two fiction novels, it was a no-brainer that I was going to read this one.
Don’t they all look amazing?
The name; The Anatomy of Prose: 12 steps to Sensational Sentences; just sounded like it was going to give me a huge helping of useful advice, liberally seasoned with Black’s wit (and colourful language!)
I write, yes, but I also doubt myself and my own skill. Black’s clear-cut words have really helped to hone my own writing.
From thinking about dialogue and descriptions to characterisation, and that biggie… show vs. tell (which I was especially interested in) there are a plethora of topics covered.
What I love about Black’s advice, is that she’s not saying her way is the right way, but one way to approach crafting words. After all, there is no ‘right’ way to write, is there?
But her (sometimes not-so) gentle nudges to make you reread your own work, and think whether you could, in fact, just word that section a little differently, push you onto a much stronger path of prose.
The Anatomy of Prose is like having your own little developmental editor by your side. It’s not going to tell you what to change, but its pearls of wisdom will make you start to reconsider how you string together your sentences, chapters, and novels, starting with those very gems that a book needs… words.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It will definitely be one of my more thumbed craft guides as I continue on my journey as a writer.
Thank you, Sacha!
And here is a little word from Sacha, herself.
If I were you, a writer with a passion to create perfect prose, I’d be clicking this link here, like, RIGHT AWAY!
