Book Review|| Polly Wants to Be a Writer

Blurb: I suck. I'll never make it. I get writer's block every ten seconds, every day, all the time. I should give up. I can't even finish any of my own stories. I truly suck. I'm sorry for wasting your time. Maybe I'll be a nurse like my mom or sell farm equipment like my dad. Whatever! I'm going to go home and tell Scrum I wish he was dead and get on with my life. In the wake of her parents' separation, Polly, a fifteen-year-old wannabe writer, comes face to face with her inner dragon, a truculent, impatient creature named Scrum who is a talented but frightful critic of her writing. With the help of Ms. Patience Whitford, a literary dragon trainer and leader of a global writing guild, Polly faces the almost impossible task of going beyond her good ideas to finish a publishable piece of fiction. All the while, Polly and Scrum become entangled in a dangerous scheme that threatens the future of every writer on the planet

Amna's rating: 5/5
The fate of every writer is at stake. And it's taking all of 15 year old Polly’s determination to forget that and concentrate on her short story. *Blink*. Another literary dragon wiped of the map. Getting really hard to concentrate on her story now.
"You suck, you’ll never make it," the distracting snide voice breaks in again. She knew she should have muzzled her dragon before getting started on her first draft.
Oh the trials of a writer.
Brilliantly creative with memorable characters, Thomas’s hybrid novel is a one of a kind. Who would have imagined a cross between a writing guide and an exciting urban fantasy narrative. Well, Laura did and she made it work brilliantly.
The storyline is, simply put, awesome. Dragons- check. Despicable Villains- yes. Unique Characters- you've got them. A perfect story ready...But it doesn't end there.
Oh, the writing advice. I have never read any thing like that before and trust me I have read a lot of books and articles on writing. With long arguments either claiming that writing cannot be taught or with detailed step by step procedures you are better of skipping, writing guides are just about the most useless things you can get your hands upon. That is before Polly
Written by a writer experienced in pretty much every writing related field, the advice within is priceless. This is a journey which catches up to you and takes you along in an unstoppable flow. This is a book which gets you writing. This is a powerful book.
The plot is captivating, to say the least. Urban fantasy with dragons and calculating villains keep you hooked on to the book till the very end. Fast paced, funny and serious at appropriate moments, this is perhaps the only writing guide which is actually readable. You learn loads without being overwhelmed. The idea of training your literary dragon is obviously so much more cooler than 'countering writers block'. And Laura knows it.
The best part of this book are the characters which was specially epic for me as I always judge a book through the characters. Reading about Polly is as if the book revolves around you, for any aspiring writer. You see her face similar inner turmoil but this time you have Ms Whitford a qualified dragon trainer at your side to help out. Every character is perfect for its role and there are no extra, unnecessary characters. Motives are clear and everyone is determined to get their way creating mass conflict.
With no unnecessary dialogues or details, the book never lags.It is a seamless read as you don’t have to work through it. As Thomas says she writes in a way that the words don’t exist.
As an aspiring writer this book really jolted me back to my writing and to appreciate the fact that I AM a wannabe. This may seem *cute* to read but upon reading Polly Wants to Be a Writer you'll get what I mean. This is a book I have nothing but praise for.
Recommended:
TSD's Interview with Laura Thomas
Laura's Website

Check Out:

Polly on Goodreads
Polly on Amazon

Author Interview|| Laura Michelle Thomas

 Laura Michelle Thomas is an author and professional copywriter and ghostwriter. She has been mentoring young writers in workshops, camps and courses since 2007.  More recently Laura formed a communications company through which she fosters the development of young writers worldwide through quality contests, conferences, blogging, books, and educational resources. She has been kind enough to give us an interview about her book Polly Wants to Be a Writer: The Junior Authors Guide to Writing and Getting Published.

The Speculative Daily: Can you tell us what this book is about and who you wrote it for?

Laura Michelle Thomas: Polly Wants to Be a Writer is a YA fantasy novel based on the materials I used to teach an eight-week short story workshop for young writers in which the students go from having no ideas on the first day to a fully polished short story of no more than 2,000 words that is ready to submit to a publisher. Several of my students have gone on to publish the stories they wrote during this class, and what is most helpful to them is walking with me step-by-step through the writing process: from idea to formatting and submission. Readers will be able to do the same as Polly, a fifteen-year-old wannabe writer struggles with the same issues.

TSD: What inspired you to write your book?

Laura: Not what, who. I talk to aspiring young writers, writing teachers, and parents with talented literary kids every day. Everyone needs realistic advice about becoming a professional writer. I simply cannot help them all individually, so I wrote a book that will.

TSD: What was your biggest obstacle during the writing process? How did you overcome it?

Laura: Time and space. Writing a novel on speculation (which means that you work on your book for almost a year and have no idea if you will sell a single copy) is very risky, so I always put my paid writing work first. I had to make a choice this year to put my novel first. I have to remake that decision every day. Hiring a talented team of young freelancers to help me serve my copywriting and ghostwriting customers was a really smart thing to do.

TSD: What advice do you have for writers who are thinking about writing a novel?

Laura:If you are serious about getting a book into reader’s hands, be realistic. Are you really ready for a major project? Have you had success publishing and getting paid for smaller pieces of work? If not, try that first. However much time and effort you think it is going to be, multiply that by ten. Also, be sure that you understand the different stages of the writing process. They are all different and will challenge you in different ways. Knowing your inner dragon (that voice in your head that tells you that your writing sucks) and how to use him will truly help if you do decide to tackle a big project like a novel.

You can buy Laura's book 'Polly Wants to Be a Writer' from
Amazon.com|| Amazon.co.uk
IndieBound|| BookDespository