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Rating: 
Summary: Simple and Straightforward
Review: Most how-to-write guides are completely worthless. Once you've learned your grammar and have the concepts of conflict and resolution mastered, the writer's ard lapses into something some people can do and some people can't, and no one really knows why. I keep buying how-to-write books, like this one by Gary Garrison, hoping one will eventually deliver more.Well, this one delivers. By assuming the reader has already tried at least some writing, the paradigm shifts from simple instruction to specific points that green writers often need fine-tuned. Garrison seems more like a copy editor at times, making suggestions for clarity and story efficiency, than a mere how-to writer. The book is slim, little more than a pamphlet, and the conversational tone sometimes comes across as flippant, so not everyone will enjoy working with it. Also, there's only about so much you can learn from reading a book; if you expect your work to be magically transformed by Garrison's charisma and ability, you're in for a sore disappointment. However, this book is more useful than not. The two most useful chapters are Five and Seven. In Chapter Five, Garrison interviews experienced ten-minute play producers, who make some actual nuts-and-bolts suggestions to improve the average young playwright's style. In Seven, Garrison reprints five whole ten-minute plays and asks astute study questions about them. This book is no magic bullet. Writing remains hard work, and plenty of it. However, for a new writer looking to expand skill and depth in writing, this book helps you avoid the pitfalls that beleaguer those who insist on going it alone.
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