Brief, but what is here is good

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I decided to give this brief instructional book a listen because I love Diana Gabaldon's writing and I wanted to hear her insight into some of her writing methods. I am a writer myself, but have always preferred the "fade to black" mode of including sex scenes. However, Diana has always had a really deft hand with them--the sex scenes in the Outlander series are never gratuitous and always fit seamlessly into the narrative and the character arcs.

I would recommend this eBook/audiobook to (1) people who like Diana Gabaldon and (2) aspiring writers looking for the tips promised in the title. The audiobook runs for 3 hours but I would wager that more than half of that running time is actually the excerpts/examples given from the main novels. Diana's commentary on the scenes is all too brief and often written in bullet points. I wish she had gone into more detail, but her tips and advice are all very sound. It isn't about the graphic stuff, not really--it's about the emotion and she is clear in how exactly that can be accomplished.

What did you like best about this story?

The best portion of the book is towards the end, when Diana breaks down a scene from The Fiery Cross line-by-line. This deep dive into a scene allows her to explain why she made every choice that she did in this particular scene and to showcase how the finished scene demonstrates what she has been talking about: the Rule of 3 and the way she incorporates at least three senses; the way that the scene both moves the story forward and has an emotional purpose; and even how she subtly indicates what is happening without being graphic. This breakdown is very interesting and informative and I wish she had done it with a few more scenes, especially the lengthy excerpt from A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Jamie and Claire post-incident).

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Davina Porter and the narrators from The Scottish Prisoner are excerpted for the sections from the novels and they are all great readers. Diana reads the instructional portions of the book herself. She speaks as swiftly and as charmingly as she always does. She sounds like a real person and it's nice to hear her own inflections (especially how she reads the excerpt from The Fiery Cross, compared with how Davina Porter does it).

Do you think "I Give You My Body..." needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I wouldn't refuse another eBook from Diana after writing craft. I would like it to be slightly lengthier. This is merely an interesting curio and bonus for fans of the Outlander series/aspiring writers.

Any additional comments?

Overall, this was enjoyable and definitely offered some insight into Diana Gabaldon's writing practices but it was very short and I would have liked more scene-by-scene breakdowns.

7 people found this helpful

Thank you, Diana!

This was a master class in how to put together sex scenes, intimate scenes, and realistic interaction between protagonists as well as antagonists.
I've never written an intimate scene before and I like how Diana handles them in her work, so this was an unexpected treat to listen to and learn about the approach she uses.
Writing is an art and it's always best to learn from someone you respect and who is wildly successful.

4 people found this helpful

Great storytelling

I bought this audiobook to get an glimpse into Diana's writing process. Although I am not an aspiring writer, I enjoyed listening to Diana's rationale in constructing Jamie and Claire 's love scene. I read and or heard all of outlander series and it's great to relive major moments under 4 hours.

4 people found this helpful

Stunning display of technical writing talent.

Would you listen to "I Give You My Body..." again? Why?

This is an audio-book that deserves several repeat listenings. There is so much content to consider that you just cannot do it all in one session.

What did you like best about this story?

The narration by Diana Gabaldon is, of course, Herself. The inclusion of clips from the recorded books narrated by Davina Porter brighten and illustrate the technical content. Brilliant combination, and one that I hope others will emulate.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I think this is a first for Diana Gabaldon, but Davina Porter is an established narrative star.

What insight do you think you’ll apply from "I Give You My Body..."?

I am absolutely fascinated by the used of "underpainting" to bring alive a scene.

Any additional comments?

Best of the Year.

4 people found this helpful

Worst narration ever?

I am a huge fan of Diana’s work I had read all of the books but I have to say this one was god awful. Not the story itself or the lesson that she tries to help you learn about writing, just the narration. Dear Diana please do not ever narrate a book again you are not good at it. She basically mumbles and speed read through the entire narration I couldn’t even finish the book it was that bad

2 people found this helpful

very helpful

very helpful as a reader to see what the author looks at when writing. Diana is a little fast when she speaks (if you've listened to interviews you know this) so I went to 75% speed and it was fantastic.

Way too fast

I really love Dianas books but listening to her makes me breathless - does she ever breath while narrating? She talks so fast, I cannot enjoy listening.

Useful for writers and fun in its own right!

Diana Gabaldon has a way with words, and she takes a fun and sensitive approach to the spicy ingredient that made her famous. I also appreciated that she read it herself and also used a few famous (or infamous) examples from her own work. Also a great book for Outlander fans who just want MORE! Well done!

This really is a how to!

While there are clips from Diana’s books, this isn’t a story in any way. Interesting but if your not looking to learn how to write a sex scene it may not be for you.

not quite what i expected

l love outlander series. I expected this book to be more like the outlandish companion 1 and 2, with more commentary from Gabaldon, however it was 85% quotes from her books and 15% hers own commentary, thoughts and insights.
It wasnt bad, but I expected more thoughts from her as an author and less lenghthy examples...