Peter Seibel: How to write a book

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I think this should really be called "How to write a nonfiction book", or even more specifically, "How to write an instructional/informational book". In reading about the writing methods of several great authors (e.g. Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams), they tend to have an idea of where they are going but write linearly, hammering things out line-by-line. This makes a book much more narrative, gives it a better flow, adds a natural sort of suspense, and ensures overall coherence. Even a nonfiction book which is giving a narrative-like account on some topic would benefit from this linear approach.

So while the article is good for certain applications, I feel the title should have been clarified. To me, the methods laid out seem to take a lot of the fun and spontaneity out of writing. Personally, even for something as brief as an essay, I don't use an approach nearly as thorough as what he laid out, and I regularly get good marks on my essays. Just my 2 cents.

Peter's sites are paced with info check them out.

Coders at Work Question List http://www.codersatwork.com/questions.html

List of Interviewees - Name Sorter http://www.codersatwork.com/shuffle.fhtml

Peter's Blog http://www.gigamonkeys.com/blog/

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