Current Book

Cycle 3, 2024 (Books on Editing)

Our chosen book for this cycle is:

100 Ways to Improve Your Writing (Updated) by Gary Provost

The live discussion for Cycle 3 will be the first weekend in June 2024.

Cycle 4, 2024

Book is still to be decided. The book club is currently voting for this book.

The live discussion for Cycle 4 will be the first weekend in August 2024.

Past Books

Books are listed with the most recent books reviewed first. If you would like to see the full assessment of the following books, be sure to join the book club on Discord and check out the archives.

Books reviewed in 2024

• Writing Unforgettable Characters by James Scott Bell
  • Reviewed April 2024
  • The Book Club is recommending this book as a quick-reference guide on developing and writing characters with depth.
  • This book is suitable for all writing levels and all genres.
  • Examples contained within are from a range of sources. We felt that writers of all ages (and all genres) would connect with the material.
  • This book is also suitable for all writers on the plotter/panster spectrum, regardless of where you are on the spectrum. All writers are recognised within this book.
• The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
  • Reviewed February 2024
  • The Book Club chose to recommend this book, but with a lot of caveats.
  • This book is NOT for new writers.
  • You need to be comfortable AND confident with story structure before reading this book, as this book will likely confuse you on the basic story structure.
  • Readers should recognize that this book is for character development and understanding the character’s influence on the story.
  • Plotters can use this book as a guide within their character development.
  • Pansters can use the exercises and concepts in the book during their editorial process, assessing what is written.
  • Readers shouldn’t feel afraid to skip over whole sections.
  • At times, the tone used within the writing can be considered as belittling. While we feel that this wasn’t the intent, those who are not English majors should keep in mind that this is not a personal attack.

Books reviewed in 2023

• Structuring Your Novel by KM Weiland
  • Reviewed December 2023
  • This book is recommended to the newer writer, just getting their head around story structure.
  • The book provides a good in-depth description of plot structure and scene structure, with consistent examples throughout.
  • This is a companion workbook for this book too.
  • It was noted that the all-is-lost moment was not discussed in detail like the other plot points, but it was nice to see the antagonistic pinch points discussed.
  • The only major failing that the book club found was that this book does not allow for antagonists that are not of the "good guy vs bad guy" model.
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
  • Reviewed October 2023
  • While the ideas in the book are useful, the Book Club felt that the examples were skewed incorrectly, and too many examples were included of the wrong type. Much of this book focused on "diet culture" and addictions. We also felt that the book could have been a fraction of the size, removing the number of examples and repetition.
  • This book can be motivational, but only if you look at the overall picture and not the details.
  • This book will not be added to the Black Wolf bookshelf.
• How to Write Dazzling Dialogue by James Scott Bell
  • Reviewed August 2023
  • The book will be recommended to writers, but with the understanding that newer writers should read this book in sections, taking in the material in chunks. New writers should also ignore the chapter on experimental dialogue, as it will only confuse them.
• How to Write a Mystery (Editors: Lee Child & Laurie King)
  • Reviewed June 2023
  • The book club decided that the book was worth recommending to others, but with the understanding that this book is structured as an overview of a lot of topics. New writers might find this book overwhelming.
• Voice: The Secret Power of Great Writing by James Scott Bell
  • Reviewed April 2023
  • The book club found this to be a simple and easy-to-read book, filled with useful exercises designed to help you understand what voice is and how to develop your own voice. The book club recommends this book to both new and experienced writers alike.
• How Not to Write a Novel by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman
  • Reviewed February 2023
  • The book club found this to be a funny book, filled with examples of what not to do. It's not a book on how to fix the issues, but on how to identify them. That said, the book club decided that this book was better suited for new to intermediate writers. More advanced writers might not find this book useful.

Books reviewed in 2022

• Story Genius by Lisa Cron
  • Reviewed December 2022
  • The book is worth reading, as long as you are prepared to recognize that there is a bit of a contradiction in the author's philosophy. This is one way to write a story, with exercises that encourage you to develop your depth of perception within the narrative. BUT this is not the only way to write a book, and the full blueprint methodology will not work for everyone.
• The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass
  • Reviewed October 2022
  • It's a good book, but not one for newer writers. Material is intensive, so take notes as you read.
• On Writing and Worldbuilding: Volume I by Timothy Hickson
  • Reviewed August 2022
  • This is a good book on world building, BUT only for those who have a background in reading fantasy and science fiction.
• The Writer's Guide to Psychology by Carolyn Kaufman
  • Reviewed June 2022
  • This book provides a good generalized overview of the topic, providing examples of where fiction gets it wrong (and where they get it right). While it's just an overview, there is enough detail present, so writers can understand the buzz terms, assisting in their research if they need to dive deeper into any of the topics presented.
• Understanding Conflict by Janice Hardy
  • Reviewed April 2022
  • The first two chapters of this book does provide useful information, defining what conflict within writing really is and what it isn't. However, this book did become repetitious with examples that didn't overly make sense if you weren't already familiar with the examples chosen.
  • This book will not be added to the Black Wolf bookshelf.
• The Successful Author Mindset by Joanna Penn
  • Reviewed February 2022
  • This book is easy to read. Much of what is said in this book can be found in other books too, but it was nice to have all this advice presented in the one location.