Immediate Fiction

by Jerry Cleaver

St. Martin's Press, February, 2002.
Hardcover, 507 pages.
ISBN: 031228716X

Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver

This book takes the form of a professional writing course, complete with exercises and instruction. One of the best things about the course is its help in teaching writers organizational skills and time management, two of the most crucial skills to being able to complete a novel. The book also provides instruction for breaking writer's block, creating a believable story, self-editing, emotion and getting into print.

Author Jerry Cleaver is the creator of the The Writer's Loft, a successful, independent writers' workshop in Chicago. He has also given story seminars and created an online course for Writer's Digest. In his book, Cleaver writes about his tools and methods for improving the craft of writing and increasing productivity. Like a good teacher, his tone is encouraging and inspiring. Cleaver also provides numerous writing exercises and a plan to get you writing regularly which starts with writing only 5 minutes per day (surely you can find 5 minutes a day!). One of the concepts behind the book is to get you to understand the creative process, so you are able to sit down and begin writing immediately -- as the book's title suggests. Writers who read this book start to finish should be able to do just that, as well as learn many other things about their writing and the craft of writing. A terrific book for fiction writers. Highly recommended.

Immediate Fiction is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the March, 2002 of The Internet Writing Journal.