Summary
Flogging the Quill: Crafting a Novel That Sells is a one-book remedy for a host of beginning novelist ailments, a tune-up for published authors, and a resource for editors. Rich with advice and coaching from editor/author Ray Rhamey, Flogging the Quill ranges wide but with a single focus: lifting a novel manuscript to a publishable, professional level. The first section, “Storytelling,” covers creating tension, creating the “care factor,” determining what drives a plot, the six vital story ingredients, and tools for spotting shortcomings in a narrative. In “Description,” writers learn how experiential description characterizes, and how to handle the tricky character-description hurdle, staging, and overwriting. The “Dialogue” section helps writers avoid leaden overuse of dialogue tags, enliven dialogue with action beats, and deliver the sound of dialogue. The vital “when to tell, how to show” lesson in the “Technique” section has been praised by literary agents and college teachers. This section also coaches on point of view, including the problems that “head-hopping” can cause. In the “Words” section, Rhamey reveals unique insights into the positives and negatives of using adverbs in a fiction narrative, and guides writers in weeding out weak, wasted, and wrong words. Computer tips make writing more productive, and in an interactive “workout” section, writers apply lessons learned to real efforts by beginning novelists and compare them with the author’s take. This all-in-one volume draws on the deep understanding of an editor and writer who brings to the task experience in advertising, screenwriting, and writing and editing novels. Rhamey is the author of the internationally known litblog, Flogging the Quill.
“I’ve read many submissions that were near-misses. If the writers had had the benefit of this book, they’d be published right now.” —Editor and publisher, Laura Abbott
“[I]t’s a must-have for any novelist.” —Bestselling author, Tess Gerritsen
About the Author
Ray Rhamey is a novelist, screenwriter, and editor who has made a living with creativity, writing, and editing for over thirty years. He is currently employed at Washington State University as a writer/editor and video producer. He has done freelance developmental editing of book-length manuscripts since the establishment of his Internet editing service in 2001, specializing in fiction by first-time novelists. His internationally known blog on the craft of storytelling, Flogging the Quill, has been on the Internet for five years and draws 9,000 page hits per month. He also conducts a “Creating a Killer First Chapter” workshop at writing conferences such as the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Write on the Sound, and Mendocino Coast writing conferences.
