The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel's Key Moments
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- Create Date：2022-10-22 01:19:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：John Matthew Fox
- ISBN：B0B45CFR3T
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In every novel there are pivotal places that can make or break a book。 Write them well， and you'll have your readers begging for a sequel。 Write them poorly， and your book will get scathing reviews and sell only a handful of copies。 These pivotal places are "linchpin moments，" and in this book you'll learn how to nail these moments。
Based on real advice from editing hundreds of novels， John Matthew Fox guides writers through the process of creating a novel that soars in the reader's imagination。 After reading this book， you'll be a better storyteller， a better self-editor， and a better writer。
In this book you'll learn how to:
Flood your readers with strong emotions
Create memorable beginnings and endings
Describe characters for the first time
Make readers swoon in romantic scenes
Kill off characters （without enraging your readers）
Harness the element of surprise
Based on real advice from editing hundreds of novels， John Matthew Fox guides writers through the process of creating a novel that soars in the reader's imagination。 After reading this book， you'll be a better storyteller， a better self-editor， and a better writer。
In this book you'll learn how to:
Flood your readers with strong emotions
Create memorable beginnings and endings
Describe characters for the first time
Make readers swoon in romantic scenes
Kill off characters （without enraging your readers）
Harness the element of surprise
Reviews
Katie Klein
，
There are moments in our stories that can make or break them。These are “linchpin” moments， and in a world deluged with tomes on craft， John Matthew Fox has brought a new angle and fresh insights to the writing conversation。 The Linchpin Writer is divided into three main sections: firsts （paragraphs， description， dialogue）， emotions （sorrow， wonder， desire）， and endings （chapter， story， character）。 Each chapter concludes with actionable advice and prompts， and to expand on the ideas， Fox offers a There are moments in our stories that can make or break them。These are “linchpin” moments， and in a world deluged with tomes on craft， John Matthew Fox has brought a new angle and fresh insights to the writing conversation。 The Linchpin Writer is divided into three main sections: firsts （paragraphs， description， dialogue）， emotions （sorrow， wonder， desire）， and endings （chapter， story， character）。 Each chapter concludes with actionable advice and prompts， and to expand on the ideas， Fox offers a clear pathway to the resources on his blog， where we can take an even deeper dive into the subject matter。There are insights aplenty for both the neophyte and the seasoned professional， and along with the analysis and breakdown of what works and what doesn’t， Fox proffers stories of his travels and some of the high and low points of his career to deepen the insights and encourage writers to stay the course。 You won’t find detailed instructions on world-building or character development。 That’s already been done by hundreds of other writers in thousands of other books， and that’s not the purpose of The Linchpin Writer， anyway， which is precisely what makes it a welcome addition to any bookshelf。 With its excellent guidance on nailing key moments in your novel， clear and concise explanations for each topic， and encouraging tone， The Linchpin Writer is exactly what we writers need: nothing more， nothing less。The linchpin moment of Fox’s book just might be the final sentence， which is a swift sock to the gut to anyone who calls themselves a writer。 But I won’t spoil it here。 I’d simply encourage you to pick up a copy of The Linchpin Writer， read it， and answer for yourself。 *I was gifted an ARC of this book to review， but this in no way swayed my opinion of it: an easy 5/5 stars for any writer at whatever point of the journey they might be on。 。。。more
Kieren Westwood
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I’ve read a few writing craft books， but I hadn’t read any for some time before I read The Linchpin Writer。 The reason for that is that I’ve often found them quite prescriptive， sometimes vague， and often not all that valuable。 John Fox’s book was entirely different。His advice isn’t ‘do exactly this and you’ll sell 1000000 copies of your first novel’。 It’s not about finding ways to trick or ‘hack’ your audience into loving your book either。 It’s a writing craft book about the love of writing and I’ve read a few writing craft books， but I hadn’t read any for some time before I read The Linchpin Writer。 The reason for that is that I’ve often found them quite prescriptive， sometimes vague， and often not all that valuable。 John Fox’s book was entirely different。His advice isn’t ‘do exactly this and you’ll sell 1000000 copies of your first novel’。 It’s not about finding ways to trick or ‘hack’ your audience into loving your book either。 It’s a writing craft book about the love of writing and it’s full of stories from the author’s experiences as a writer of many years， stories that are rich in wisdom and meaning。But don’t make the mistake of thinking the book isn’t practical too， because it very much is。 Each chapter ends with some exercises you can do that help embed what you’ve just learned。 In addition to that， every point the author makes is reinforced by examples from well-written novels， some of which I didn’t know， but most of which I did。 This allows the advice in this book to be so much more accessible than other advice。 I’ve been writing for 15 years or so， and I took much more away from this book than I have from any craft book I’ve read before。 The linchpin writer reminded me why I love writing， and it helped me see some things differently that I know will really improve my writing。 If you’re looking for a craft book that you’ll love reading and that will directly benefit your own writing， this is the one。 。。。more
Grace Giska
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Like most writers， I gravitate toward books about writing in moments of self-doubt， page paralysis， or plain old procrastination。 I hurl questions at the text; why is the middle of my manuscript flatlining？ How come beta readers shrug when the main character’s dad dies？John Matthew Fox's craft book is centered around the idea that books have a pulse that can be graphed and analyzed， “A seismograph line that [spikes] at maximum interest。” This text was an excellent aid in helping me revise my wor Like most writers， I gravitate toward books about writing in moments of self-doubt， page paralysis， or plain old procrastination。 I hurl questions at the text; why is the middle of my manuscript flatlining？ How come beta readers shrug when the main character’s dad dies？John Matthew Fox's craft book is centered around the idea that books have a pulse that can be graphed and analyzed， “A seismograph line that [spikes] at maximum interest。” This text was an excellent aid in helping me revise my work， although Fox comments that his text could be used to inspire draft work or revision。 This is not a how-to book that I’d recommend to beginner writers。 It reads like a novice-to-advanced writer’s guidebook with exercises and extended reading listed at the end of each chapter。The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel’s Key Moments focuses on the most critical points in any type of writing: the first paragraph， the opening line of dialogue， the climax of a character arc， and the final moments before the story ends。 Fox dissects prime examples of intangible emotions like heartbreak， surprise， and wonder in well-known books such as Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian and John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath。 His expertise and examples skew towards literary fiction but can be applied to all types of writing。His chapter on dialogue was particularly useful。 Fox stressed that every single word should resonate with readers throughout the entirety of the novel。 He describes the first dialogue that appears in a text as “the crowbar which could pry open a whole book。” I love that idea and the examples provided。I was less thrilled with his chapter on sex。 I thought that the author’s confession about his struggles writing juicy sex scenes at the start of his career was relatable to many writers， especially young writers who don’t want their parents or nosy neighbors to know any of their lustful ideas。 But the examples kinda fell flat。 Fox argues that problems in the bedroom make writing feel more real， but they also stall the actions and make me less excited as a reader。 This could just be a difference of opinion or type of writing。Overall， The Linchpin doesn’t just focus on words on the page， it also encourages writers to reflect on the linchpins in their writing lives。 The phrase “self censorship is the most common censorship” really spoke to me。 After all， words on the page will always be easier to work with than ideas trapped behind a wall of insecurities in my mind。 Fox drew examples of “linchpin” moments from his own writing life too。 He spends a decent portion of the book talking about attending retreats， conferences， and book clubs and encourages other writers to do the same。 This felt a touch privileged to me， but I never turn down a chance to hear about the lives of writers who have “made it” in this industry。 And it was fun to be a little fly on the wall。I’d give this book a solid 4 stars。 It’s a quick read， staying under 200 pages。 Fox’s voice in the text invites you to take a seat at the bar and casually talk about how wonderful books are。 This is an author who is head over heels in love with language and storytelling and it feels contagious。Thank you to the author for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
R。S。 Twells
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John Matthew Fox knocks it out of the park with this gripping book on key moments in your novels。 I highly enjoyed his use of storytelling from his own life to highlight his points as well as using examples from novels to get the reader reflecting on their own work。
Tommy Dean
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Fox’s passion for helping writers shines throughout this book！ If you’re looking for ways to improve your writing Fox’s gentle but inspiring voice will guide you toward craft moves that will improve your skill and persistence。 I found the sections on Emotion and Endings particularly helpful！
Emilie Knight
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I think this book could be very helpful to new writers。 It gets in the nitty gritty details that a newcomer might get stuck on， from everything between character intros， figuring out your ending， and even how powerful your first line of dialogue is。 There is one thing that I don't agree with， but not in any dramatic sense。 He emphasizes that you need to go to writing conferences， classes， retreats， and the like， but not everyone can for various reasons。 Those can be important for some， but not e I think this book could be very helpful to new writers。 It gets in the nitty gritty details that a newcomer might get stuck on， from everything between character intros， figuring out your ending， and even how powerful your first line of dialogue is。 There is one thing that I don't agree with， but not in any dramatic sense。 He emphasizes that you need to go to writing conferences， classes， retreats， and the like， but not everyone can for various reasons。 Those can be important for some， but not everyone。 Time management is very important， and he's got an entire chapter about that too， it just that not everyone has the means to go that extra mile。 But overall I really think this writing guide （and part memoir） can really help some writers。 I already started keeping a few tips in mind for my own stories too。 。。。more
Kristin Tenor
，
One of the challenges most， if not all， writers face is how to keep their readers continuously engaged。 In The Linchpin Writer， John Matthew Fox offers practical advice on how one can build a bridge between their characters and audience while also propelling the narrative forward。 Chapters cover not only how to begin and end strong， but also how to create lasting empathy and wonder within the reader through description， dialogue， intimacy， desire， and surprise。 Fox also provides a wide range of One of the challenges most， if not all， writers face is how to keep their readers continuously engaged。 In The Linchpin Writer， John Matthew Fox offers practical advice on how one can build a bridge between their characters and audience while also propelling the narrative forward。 Chapters cover not only how to begin and end strong， but also how to create lasting empathy and wonder within the reader through description， dialogue， intimacy， desire， and surprise。 Fox also provides a wide range of examples where these linchpin moments have been mastered by well-known authors as well as exercises one can apply to their own works-in-progress。 He also strongly encourages readers to visit his website， Bookfox。com， for supplemental resources and course offerings。 Both novice and seasoned writers alike will find something to take away from this craft book。 I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jessica
，
A massive thank you to John for reaching out and sending me a review copy for an honest review。Normally， I don’t review non-fiction but as I am an aspiring author and have begun writing my debut fantasy novel when John reached out to me， I thought this would be the perfect way to learn from a skilled writer/editor on ways in which I could improve my writing。 John’s book is focused on what he describes as ‘linchpin’ moments， those moments where a reader’s engagement is peaked and hooks them into A massive thank you to John for reaching out and sending me a review copy for an honest review。Normally， I don’t review non-fiction but as I am an aspiring author and have begun writing my debut fantasy novel when John reached out to me， I thought this would be the perfect way to learn from a skilled writer/editor on ways in which I could improve my writing。 John’s book is focused on what he describes as ‘linchpin’ moments， those moments where a reader’s engagement is peaked and hooks them into continuing your book。 These are the moments that readers remember in their hearts long after they’ve finished reading。 The book gives practical tips on how to write these linchpin moments across many styles and genres to make them accessible and relevant for many authors。John talks about the need to curate a writing life for yourself， surround yourself with reading， writing， constantly strive to be better and to learn from others， it takes time and dedication and hard work。 John’s advice in this book comes from him studying thousands of books， reading their opening paragraphs， tracking their plots， and analysing their endings。 This is sage advice backed up by a deep evaluation of good books。 Like a science paper backed by years of scientific research。 John can quote fifteen books for every piece of advice he gives and that’s how you know he’s knowledgeable and is someone worth listening to。I like how at the end of each chapter John offers a series of suggested writing challenges， homework if you like， for the reader to go away and do that will enable them to apply the tips from the chapter and improve their writing。 These practical suggestions are really helpful as they bridge the gap between reading about how to improve your writing and taking the steps towards actually implementing them， taking away any anxiety about the application。 Each chapter also points you in the direction of further blog posts that can inform you further about a particular tip if you want to do further research。I like how the book is divided into clear chapters so you can pick and choose which sections you read based on what you feel you need to work on and it makes it easy to dip back in and out of the advice。 Each chapter is filled with little nuggets of advice backed up by examples to prove its value。 This book will make you scrutinise your writing based on your self-perceived flaws。 I very quickly realised that my character descriptions are cliched and it made me go back and revise them based on the advice and they improved dramatically。 I love it when advice can spark creativity and this is exactly what this book will do for you。 The book is interestingly also part memoir， where John informs us about his life as a writer and the lessons he’s learnt along his journey。 It’s fascinating to see how writing has always been a ginormous part of John’s life and the effect meeting other writers has had on his writing。 The way John ties his anecdotal moments with sage advice means this book is light and humorous which makes it far easier to read than other denser writing craft novels。 I would highly recommend this book for writers who want their writing to have an edge， an advantage before querying。 This book will give you the fuel you need to hone and sharpen the climax moments in your book that will impress agents， publishers and most importantly readers。 。。。more
Amber
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Nice introduction to creating a story， but it sort of felt like the goal is to get you to purchases one of his courses。
Patricia
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John Matthew Fox engages writers in discourse on the pivotal tools they can use to engage readers。 At first， I thought this book would be a humble brag about the author's accomplishments， but it was anything but， as I soon found myself gaining valuable tips， while chuckling at some of Fox's anecdotes。 He uses examples from published novels to show how to （or not to） create characters， emotion， and excitement in your stories。 There are a lot of prompts for writing exercises。 But my very favorite John Matthew Fox engages writers in discourse on the pivotal tools they can use to engage readers。 At first， I thought this book would be a humble brag about the author's accomplishments， but it was anything but， as I soon found myself gaining valuable tips， while chuckling at some of Fox's anecdotes。 He uses examples from published novels to show how to （or not to） create characters， emotion， and excitement in your stories。 There are a lot of prompts for writing exercises。 But my very favorite chapter was "How to Kill Your Characters"。 Fox tells you when and how to disappear people in your novels， even though they may be fan favorites， "without enraging your readers"。 Thanks to Book Sirens and the author for an advance reader's copy。 。。。more
Clifford
，
I've been writing fiction for a long time， but I still read books on craft because I know there's always more to learn。 I highly recommend "The Linchpin Writer" because it offers an entirely new （to me） way of looking at the craft of writing fiction。 The book aims at those crucial moments in novels that can make or break a reader's involvement with the story--the beginning， the first lines of the protagonist's dialogue， and so on。 As I am just now in the final stages of revising a new novel， thi I've been writing fiction for a long time， but I still read books on craft because I know there's always more to learn。 I highly recommend "The Linchpin Writer" because it offers an entirely new （to me） way of looking at the craft of writing fiction。 The book aims at those crucial moments in novels that can make or break a reader's involvement with the story--the beginning， the first lines of the protagonist's dialogue， and so on。 As I am just now in the final stages of revising a new novel， thinking about these critical moments--these "linchpins"--has been enormously helpful。 Besides offering helpful observations and tips， the book is written in a delightful， conversational style， loaded with humor。 It also includes writing exercises to help drive home the points in each chapter， and suggestions for where to find more information on the author's popular website， Bookfox。This is an excellent book and you won't be sorry if you spend some time with it。I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Dominique -
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As most craft books are this book wasn't written for entertainment but did help out a lot with my own writing。I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review。 As most craft books are this book wasn't written for entertainment but did help out a lot with my own writing。I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review。 。。。more
Ioanna
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If you want to write your first book then I highly recommend you to read this one before you begin your writing journey。 It will help you a lot。 The author here describes perfectly the steps you have to take in order to create a great story。 I don't really read books that tell you how to write because most of them are like weird manuals but this oneis totally different。 It feels like the author is a good friend of yours who's telling you his experiences and is giving you examples of other popula If you want to write your first book then I highly recommend you to read this one before you begin your writing journey。 It will help you a lot。 The author here describes perfectly the steps you have to take in order to create a great story。 I don't really read books that tell you how to write because most of them are like weird manuals but this oneis totally different。 It feels like the author is a good friend of yours who's telling you his experiences and is giving you examples of other popular writers。 The author used a simple writing style which makes it easy for everyone to understand。 He's also added some links to blogs that will help you more in your journey。Even though I'm not a writer I appreciated this book。 。。。more
Audrey
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As a writer， I'm always happy to come across good writing advice。 The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel's Key Moments happened to be terrific writing advice that made me want to drop everything and throw open my notebook。 It's been my experience that creative writing teachers/mentors/blogs like to keep an upper hand。 Somewhere down the line， they begin preaching that their way is the best way — if not the only way。 John Fox's exercises were a sigh of relief。 He knows there isn't one way to wr As a writer， I'm always happy to come across good writing advice。 The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel's Key Moments happened to be terrific writing advice that made me want to drop everything and throw open my notebook。 It's been my experience that creative writing teachers/mentors/blogs like to keep an upper hand。 Somewhere down the line， they begin preaching that their way is the best way — if not the only way。 John Fox's exercises were a sigh of relief。 He knows there isn't one way to write that's going to fit every book and every author。 Each chapter ends with a series of prompts （keep a pen handy！） that force you to think outside of the box。 Speaking as someone who gets hung up on the 'rights' and 'wrongs' of writing and having a set way of doing things， it was nice to have a push outside of my limited mindset。 Though I didn't have the time to do every lesson at the time of reading this， I am excited to go back and give my undivided attention to the exercises。 It's been a while since I've had such a burst of motivation。Part memoir and part handbook， there is a lot to discover about the writing industry and the craft in under 200 pages。 The writing itself， no surprise， was charming and encouraging。 I'm looking forward to exploring the author's blog and other books。 A huge thanks to the author and his team for sending me a free ARC to read and review！Full review: https://oceanwriterreads。com/2022/08/。。。 。。。more
Katja
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