Ever wondered how to get started on a book? Ever wondered if there was some secret to writing success that you had somehow never learned? Ever felt directionless? Frustrated? Unsure of your main character? This book, by Jeff Gerke will help - "The First Fifty Pages" (How to engage agents, editors and readers, and set up your novel for success). Gerke discusses practical topics such as how to write a proposal for your story, introducing the main character, the inner journey, establishing your story's world, how to conclude the story satisfactorily in this easily digestible book. You can dip in and out of it anywhere and find something helpful. It certainly helped me write my last YA novel, which got the contract. And it's not just about novels. Gerke's advice can be applied to any writing project. The basic structural questions are essentially the same. Here's a snippet from page 103: "Into the lives of all these characters - including you her...