Quiz & Secret

The Bill Dodds
Pop Quiz for Writers and Wannabes
-and-
How to Write a Book in 16 Weeks

Print it out and take the quiz! Learn the secret!
Come on, it could be worse. You could be sitting in a classroom doing this.
Seriously! People have done just that.
This is some of the actual material from the class.
OK, not the actual material but some of the same information.

True or false:

____ 1. I think I can write as well as (or even better than) some of the writers being published today.

____ 2. We better do more than just take this stupid quiz because I spent hard-earned money/gave up an evening to come to this class.

____ 3. I want to be a writer because I want to make a lot of money and be famous. (OK, I want to make quite a bit of money and be well known.)

____ 4. I have a great idea for a book.

____ 5. I haven’t started it yet because I’m just not ready.

____ 6. Seriously, I’ve got it just about all done. . . in my head.

____ 7. I think some of these are trick questions.

____ 8. I can’t get published without an agent.

____ 9. I can’t get an agent until I’m published.

____ 10. I should have stayed home. Maybe I can pretend to have a bloody nose and walk out.

Complete the sentence/fill in the blanks:

1. I want to write a book about:

2. Its working title is:

3. The main character’s name/theme is:

4. The setting/angle is:

5. In two sentences, the plot/point is:

6. The opening line/lead is:

7. The target audience is:

8. Being very realistic, I think three possible publishers are:

Good! You made it this far.
Now – oooooooooohh—here is the secret
of….

How to Write a Book in 16 Weeks

1. My book will be about _____ words long. (Or ____ pages at 250 words per page.)
(Yes, every word counts. Even little ones.)

2. If I take the number of words and divide it by 16, I get ________.

3. If I take that second number and divide it by six, I get __________.

4. So… I need to write ________ words every day six days a week for 16 weeks to finish my book.

5. There better be more to this class or I will throw my ___________ at Bill Dodds.

Essay:

1. In 10 words or less, explain why you have not written a single word on your book in the past seven days:

2. In 10 words or less, explain why you could not possibly write a single word on your book in the next seven days:

3. In three words or less, explain why your answers to the above two questions are baloney:

4. Look up and scowl at Bill Dodds and list every nasty name you would like to call him. (Raise your hand if you need more paper):

5. On the smaller piece of paper, list what you would like to learn in this class and/or the questions you would like to ask. (Not here. On the smaller piece of paper. Reread the instructions for #5.)

(Hey, cyber test-taker. Really have a question? Send an e-mail to : You won’t get put on a mailing list. He’s not that industrious. Your address won’t be sold. He doesn’t know how to do that. Lucky for you he’s lazy and dim.)