I took a very brief look around for the author, Brenda Hill, through a Google search. Unfortunately, I could not find anything that stood out. The first result on Google was, "1240 people named Brenda Hill in the US: White Pages." First thing to learn from this search: if you're going to be a writer, pick a less standard name. Of course, it's also possible that some folks have become famous despite having a common name.
In any case, I picked this book up at Amazon.com. It was listed as a free book at the Kindle Review. They list free books as they become available on Amazon.com. A search for Brenda Hill on Amazon brought forth a slurry of novels ranging in price from 99 cents to around $40.This particular book, at this time, is listed at 99 cents. Not a bad price at all. Perhaps she does know what she's talking about. It's a nice looking cover, that's for sure.
Now, I am not a published author. Obviously, she has published more novels and books than I have. Thus far, my writing has been limited to being a simple hobby. Well, that's not entirely true. The truth is that I spent a lot of money on getting some children's stories illustrated and one of them has been put together by a graphic designer. They're just awaiting the final touches. So, it's not exactly a lightly taken hobby.
In any case, without further pussyfooting, I shall get into my first argument that she makes. She wrote about one of the cardinal rules that says that thou shalt write about one knowest. She writes that she does not believe in this rule. She says that if folks only wrote about what they knew, they wouldn't need to use their imaginations to write those great stories. However, I disagree entirely. Not because those writers write exactly their experiences, but rather that there is a method to using experiences and applying a simple formula, using symbols, and allegory, one can take ordinary experiences and make them extraordinary. Someone who gets in your romantic business can become a witch, a bad cop can become a terrible dragon, ogre, etc. Another way to look at it, a car becomes a spaceship, etc. Another thing one might do, is to help flesh out a conception of a space, or the setting. Draw a picture, make a 3D model if this setting is used often. Draw the image of the actor or actress so that you don't forget what they look like. The more you can do to develop the visual part of the story, the better able you'll be able to translate that into words so that the reader can then see in their mind's eye what you see.
However, Brenda Hill does bring up two important points that are quite interesting. The first I'll mention is the idea that writing, the act of becoming an author, is a lot less about being gifted by a deity with a magical pen and a lot more to do with working on developing a skill. She mentions having taken many classes, read many books, and she continues to do so. She really points out that this is the road to authorship: hard work. I think she's right on the money with this observation.
The second point she makes is that a story needs to have a good hook. Hill uses questions to hook the reader. She writes the first few paragraphs in such a way that the reader now has to have an answer for a question that is created in the opening. Using that curiosity pulls the reader in. I think this is a clever tool that she uses and it is one I have not thought of before.
There is not a lot to her book. This is not a course on how to become an author. This is just a few thoughts from a professional who has made the craft work for her. It's just a few tidbits. But, you get what you pay for, right? It's 99 cents. I think it is not a bad little read for a little bit of information which might go a long way to helping an aspiring author through their journey to their dreams. I think, perhaps, she ought to have included a pointer to folks looking to read more on the topic. Maybe some books that had helped her on her way to literary success.
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