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YMMV: How NOT to Write a Novel
  • Genius Bonus: Their slam on Shown Their Work throws in a whopper. The biologist mentions sexual reproduction's origin in algae 2.7 million years ago. That error is off by about three orders of magnitude - a factor of about a thousand. (To put that in perspective, it's like saying the distance between LA and New York is roughly three miles.) We certainly also don't have a common ancestor with algae at this time; any common ancestor between humans and algae would have lived long before this. Due to Stylistic Suck, it's impossible to tell if the authors were sneaking in one more example of how important research is, including a little bonus, or failing biology harder than a Kansas school board while telling authors they cannot make afford to make such mistakes themselves.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: In the chapter about how not to pitch a novel, they warn against trying to sell fanfiction to a publisher, instead advising writers to "go back and change all the names". Three years later, Fifty Shades of Grey, a novel which originated as Twilight fan fiction, was published to massive commercial success.
  • Squick: Nearly all of "Special Effects and Novelty Acts—DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME".
    • The "half a kitten" analogy.

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