REVIEW

Makeover Magic
by Pamela Vanden Bos

Finally! A book about the craft of writing that is worth reading.

Elizabeth Lyon shows writers how to reach their unlimited writing potential in her new book, Manuscript Makeover. This guide is a user friendly, step by step contemporary manual. Each chapter is written with sassy humor and stocked with eye-opening information. It provides readers with a comprehensive makeover revision checklist following every chapter.

As an editor herself, Elizabeth easily provides expert advice. She teaches how to expand one’s voice, enhance character dimension and, the invaluable insight gleaned from avoiding potential problems, and if necessary, how to fix them.

When I read Elizabeth’s statement: “Visualize success: your chat with Oprah, endorsing fat royalty checks, or winning a contest,” I knew I wanted to devour each word in her book. I like the fact she encourages writers to say positive statements and banish nay saying critics.

Manuscript Makeover is broken down into four parts. Here readers find detailed options that focus on sub-topics. Everyone approaches revisions differently. I enjoy flipping through books to find a section that applies to me, and her book makes that easy.

In Manuscript Makeover the reader is shown clear options. Elizabeth states: “If you like building your knowledge block by block, read on. On the other hand, you may be eager to make instant improvements…Then skip ahead to chapter two.”

Part One: Style Speaks
Here Elizabeth shows writers how to learn to breathe life into their characters. She demonstrates how to vary sentence structure to keep the reader interested. If writers take her advice, they will master the art of creating similes in their work. Here is an example of a visual simile by Larry McMurtry: “Buildings as badly painted as old whores.”

Part Two: Craft Works
Elizabeth gives a detailed outline of each genre and sub genre which allows writers to completely understand the five stages of dramatic structure. When revising suspense-creating scenes she advises, “Whatever you can conceive for a scene, you can always make worse. Turn up the volume.” She inspires the writer to dream big. Turn a storm into a tornado, give a dog rabies, or have the winning lotto ticket be a misprint.

Part Three: Characterization Endures
Clearly learn the difference of viewpoint choices when you write. How do you give your character dimension? She encourages writers to do character background and vocabulary homework. “Expand the vocabulary. But not just any vocabulary: Make a list of the kinds of professions or language of your characters…” When I read this section I instantly understood. The words we use, define us. A prim woman uses the word “perspire” because the word “sweat” would not pass her tight lips.

Part Four: Marketing Pays
Manuscript Makeover equips writers with marketing tips, “The query letter is a sales letter, not just a description of your novel.” The guide provides up-to-date techniques on format, grammar, punctuation. “…throw out your old grammar books, notes from high school, admonitions from college English teachers…” Elizabeth says, the correct way to use a comma is before “and” and “or” in a series of three or more items.

No matter what a writer’s skill level, Elizabeth Lyon’s book informs, teaches and motivates. What do writers need to succeed? A dictionary, a thesaurus and a copy of Elizabeth Lyon’s Manuscript Makeover.

Pamela Vanden Bos is a freelance writer who can be found walking her devoted rescue dogs on the sugar white sands along the Gulf of Mexico. Her three grown children and four grandchildren inspire her stories, much to their dismay.

---

Previous page

Back to Table of Contents

Next page