A quirky but impactful volume on writing, definitely will be dipped into going forward. My favourite chapter was 'Punch' which took from martial arts the concept of not aiming at the target, but punching past it. ( )

I'd forgotten that I'd really enjoyed DBC Pierre's Vernon God Little until I came across it in my list of books on LT, so I looked for some of his other work and this little red number appealed.

Unlike VGL, this is a non-fiction book full of writing advice from DBC Pierre, but it reminded me how unique and off the wall his voice was in VGL. Although there are plenty of books out there on how to go about writing a novel, somehow this worked for me a lot more. For starters, his own unique writing style throughout has you thinking about what makes writing talent, and he's also a bit like an overgrown teenage rule breaker, with plenty of swearing and the odd crazy / unnecessary chapter on oddball subjects such as the impact (good and bad) that different types of recreational drugs have on your writing creativity and output. BUT, he knows what he's talking about, and there are some really excellent writing tips and information about the writing process, warts and all.

DBC Pierre might not be to everyone's taste, but he's a very intelligent writer, and even if I never write a page of a novel in this lifetime, I think I'll dip in and out of this book plenty in the future as I enjoyed it and feel like a little more will stick with each subsequent visit.

4 stars - slightly batty (if you pardon the pun), but isn't there a little craziness in all the best writers? ( )

useful guide to the insanity of fiction writing. a bit annoying tonally but some home truths. ( )