History YMMV / HowNotToWriteANovel

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: "The Fig Leaf" mentions how some authors will describe a [[AuthorAppeal titillating scene]] in salacious detail, then apologize for it by having the protagonist express their distaste. The book recommends against this, and suggests that if exploitative scenes are to be shown, the author should embrace sleaziness wholeheartedly.

* HilariousInHindsight: 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, ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'', a novel which originated as ''{{Literature/Twilight}}'' fan fiction, [[AscendedFanfic was published]] to massive commercial success.

** Other such bonuses show up everywhere. In "The Long Runway", in a moment not related to the subject they're demonstrating, Reynaldo mentions cancelling his pangolin lessons. While "pangolin" certainly sounds like the name of some sort of musical instrument, a pangolin is an animal vaguely resembling an armadillo.

** Their slam on ShownTheirWork throws in a whopper. The biologist mentions sexual reproduction's origin in algae 2.7 ''million'' years ago. That error is off by a factor of about a thousand.[[note]]To put that in perspective, it's like saying the distance between Los Angeles and New York City is three miles.[[/note]] We 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 StylisticSuck, 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 forever while telling authors they cannot afford to make such mistakes themselves.

** Their slam on ShownTheirWork 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 StylisticSuck, 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 afford to make such mistakes themselves.
** Other such bonuses show up everywhere. In "The Long Runway", in a moment not related to the subject they're demonstrating, Reynaldo mentions cancelling his pangolin lessons. While "pangolin" certainly sounds like the name of some sort of musical instrument, a pangolin is in fact an animal vaguely resembling an armadillo.

* NauseaFuel: "The Unruly Zit".

* ShockingSwerve: "Dear Penthouse Letters" is when a sex scene occurs without foreplay, while "'And One Ring to Bind Them!' Said the Old Cowpoke" has this happen near the end of the novel [[DeusExMachina with no buildup]]. In both instances, it effectively ruins the mood.

* HilariousInHindsight: 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, ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'', a novel which originated as ''{{Literature/Twilight}}'' fan fiction, was published to massive commercial success.

* GeniusBonus: Their slam on ShownTheirWork 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 StylisticSuck, 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 afford to make such mistakes themselves.

* GeniusBonus: Their slam on ShownTheirWork 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 StylisticSuck, 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.

* GeniusBonus: Their slam on ShownTheirWork 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 StylisticSuck, 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.

** The "half a kitten" analogy

* HoYay: "We're Going to Need a Bigger Closet", specifically for unintentional homoerotic subtext.

* {{Squick}}: Nearly all of "Special Effects and Novelty Acts--DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME".

* HilariousInHindsight: In the chapter about how 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, ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'', a novel which originated as ''{{Literature/Twilight}}'' fan fiction, was published to massive commercial success.

* NoYay: "Last Waltz in Santa's Village." It's as horrible as it sounds.

* GeniusBonus / DidNotDoTheResearch: Their slam on ShownTheirWork 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 StylisticSuck, 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.

* {{Squick}}: Nearly all of "Special Effects and Novelty Acts--DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME".

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: The whole book is highly quotable, giving us such lines as "Giving a reader a sex scene that is only half right is like giving her half of a kitten. It is not half as cute as a whole kitten; it is a bloody, godawful mess."