Weekend Writer: The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel’s Key Moments by John Matthew Fox

Hey all, Sam here.

Okay, so I know that I dropped the ball when it came to my Weekend Writer posts in the month of May. Obviously I didn’t manage to get a prompt post created, but I also didn’t share my writing from my prompts in April, so I’ll share that post next week, and then I’ll be back to having writing prompts for June.

Of course, thankfully I do still have time to talk about the writing craft book I had decided to focus on for the month of May, so that’s what we’re doing today. Thankfully I have already decided on my writing craft books for the rest of this year, and I’m really looking forward to discussing all of them. For June, I’ll be talking about Embrace Your Weird by Felicia Day. It’s a re-read for me, but I’m still really looking forward to discussing it with all of you.

All right….a lot of the books I’ve focused on so far this year have been a general guide to the whole process of writing, whether that is gentle writing advice or discussing plotting the entire book. For the month of May, I decided to read a writing craft book that’s been on my shelves for a couple years, one that targets those linchpin moments, those key moments in your story that can be make-it-or-break-it moments for your readers.

So let’s get started.

In every novel there are pivotal places that can make or break a book. Write them well, and you’ll have your readers begging for a sequel. Write them poorly, and your book will get scathing reviews and sell only a handful of copies. These pivotal places are “linchpin moments,” and in this book you’ll learn how to nail these moments.

Based on real advice from editing hundreds of novels, John Matthew Fox guides writers through the process of creating a novel that soars in the reader’s imagination. After reading this book, you’ll be a better storyteller, a better self-editor, and a better writer.

In this book you’ll learn how to:

Flood your readers with strong emotions
Create memorable beginnings and endings
Describe characters for the first time
Make readers swoon in romantic scenes
Kill off characters (without enraging your readers)
Harness the element of surprise

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

As with most of the books that I’ve read for Weekend Writer, I have flagged a bunch of sections in this book. I’ll post a Weekend Writer photo on Instagram if you want to look at my collection of flags in writing craft books. So…I can’t annotate books. Unless it is a workbook, which is specifically designed for me to mark up and write in, I just can’t do it. No shade to anyone who does write or highlight in their books. If it works for you, that’s great. I just…I can’t do it. But I can definitely leave Post-It Flags to mark passages, and if I need to write anything down then I can write down what I need to (or note it on Storygraph or Goodreads or whatever).

Actually, I really like my Kindle Scribe for when I want to take notes in a book. I can highlight passages in an e-book, and the Kindle Scribe allows me to add a digital Post It and use the stylus pen to actually write a note or observation.

I think this book had some nice points to think about when it comes to storytelling. The first chapter was about when you became a writer, and I liked the thought process on it. You don’t become a writer when you get a book deal or publish or go on a tour or hit a bestseller list. You become a writer when you have that moment of creative awakening, when you decide to tell a story and have it written down.

I have been someone who delights in stories my whole life. I loved playing make believe running around on the playground or in my backyard or at the public pool. Whenever I could gather with a couple of friends and indulge in a few hours of coming up with characters and a story together…that was always just the best time.

I started wanting to write books when I was in junior high/middle school. My first novels were pretty short, honestly, probably only novellas based on word count. And they were certainly lacking when it comes to a depth of description. I started posting my stories on fictionpress when I was in high school and through most of college, and it was a great time. I learned a lot more about writing through those experiences. So, I’ve considered myself to be a writer for a long time, and just because I haven’t written as much lately, it doesn’t take away from the fact that I AM still a writer.

The different linchpin moments in this book: from first paragraphs to first descriptions of characters to a character’s first spoken words….and on to other areas, like utilizing emotions like sorrow, wonder, desire…or even how to end a chapter, end the story, or even end the life of a character, there are many impactful and important moments that are moments we need to focus on as writers so we can grab the interest of our readers and keep that interest.

I also liked that this book, like so many writing craft books I’ve picked up, has had writing exercises in each chapter. The exercises give ways to think about our characters and plot and story in ways that I think are to the benefit of our writing overall. I can’t believe it took me so long to pick this book up. Hopefully I’ll be able to work my way through some more writing craft books that have been sitting on my shelves for a while.

I feel like I’ve picked up different things from each writing book I pick up, and it gives me a new perspective on my stories, my worlds, my characters, my plots, and…overall it does make me feel like my writing is getting stronger in the long run. Of course, I could still stand to spend more time writing and a little less time simply studying the craft of writing.

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All right, well that is all from me for today. I’m back to book reviews tomorrow, but Weekend Writer is back next Friday with sharing April’s writing based on the prompts (which you can find here in case you want to join in). Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.