Customer Reviews

How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II: Advanced Techniques For Dramatic Storytelling

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The title says it all, and it lives up to its claim.

James Frey, Edgar Award nominee and author of nine novels, knows how to write a damn good guide for novelists. As the title suggests, 'How to Write a Damn Good Book II' is a follow-up to his first volume and breaks new ground, offering advanced tools and techniques for dramatic fiction.

Fray covers a wide range of issues affecting today's fictioneer, including:

* Defining and delivering suspense
* Creating memorable characters
* Finding and writing a premise
* Developing the writer's voice
* Understanding the author/reader contract
* The 'seven deadly mistakes'
* Writing with passion

Frey's advice is most often rock-solid and he illustrates his points by relating them to classic and well known writers and their works. His view is that great novels share common elements ~ distinct characters, strong narratives, dramatic conflicts and satisfying endings. He identifies them and he shows you how to implement them in your own work.

One of his best chapters is one of his last ~ 'The Seven Deadly Mistakes' ~ which Frey lists as:

* Timidity
* Trying to be Literary
* Ego Writing
* Failure to Learn and Re-dream the Dream
* Failure to Keep Faith with Yourself
* Wrong Lifestyle
* Failure to Produce

This chapter, alone, is worth the price of the book. It offers signposts of what to avoid and how to avoid it.

James Frey takes a fresh approach at an age-old art and produces one of the better books on successful novel writing. He injects a touch of humor and humanity, especially in the final chapter where he shares his many failures on the way to literary success. This, like the rest of his book, shows writers what not to do and what you can achieve.

-- Michael Meanwell, author of the critically-acclaimed 'The Enterprising Writer' and 'Writers on Writing'. For more book reviews and prescriptive articles for writers, visit www.enterprisingwriter.com

James Frey's "Damn Good Novel" books, especially this one, give the aspiring novelist the tools necessary to create gripping, salable fiction.

Like many other aspiring writers, I am a lazy person- collecting writing book after writing book, doing much more reading about writing than actual time at the desk composing fiction. But after reading Frey's books my head was exploding with so many concrete, practical ideas that could be fleshed out immediately that I rushed to write them down- and after having finished his books I have my first draft completed. It is the first time I have been able to piece together ALL the elements for a complete first draft, and all thanks to Frey's wonderful advice.

The most helpful aspect of Frey's books is the way he distills each distinct element of a good novel to its most basic structure, and using acknowledged classic novels as examples he shows how you can create those elements for your own fiction. How does a damn good novelist create reader sympathy for the book's protagonist? How does (s)he structure a plot? Keep a reader glued to the page, thirsty for each new word, sentence, chapter? Let Frey show you how.

In addition to "How To Write a Damn Good Novel" I and II, I recommend Stern's "Making Shapely Fiction" for quick inspiration and James V. Smith's "You Can Write a Novel" for concrete nuts-and-bolts instruction. If you can get your hands on it, "The Weekend Novelist" by Robert Ray is also very interesting.

Out of all these, read both Frey's books, in order. They are as valuable to an aspiring novelist as a four-year degree.

A practical yet far from basic how-to guide, this book concentrates on advanced techniques for fiction writers. Frey has a deep appreciation and understanding of the power of fiction, telling us in the chapter titled "The Fictive Dream and How to Induce It": "When transported, the reader goes into a sort of bubble, utterly involved in the fictional world to the point that the real world evaporates. This is the aim of the fiction writer: to bring the reader to the point of complete absorption with the characters and their world."

Frey explains the finer points of writing powerful fiction, including how to make your reader identify, and not just sympathize with characters; how to go beyond the "hook" to develop engaging "story questions" that sustain curiosity and suspense; how to comprehend and use the notion of "premise" to drive your stories; and how to avoid the "Seven Deadly Mistakes" of the inexperienced writer.

The book balances concept with application beautifully, analyzing what makes good fiction work, and then showing us how to apply this understanding in our own writing; you won't find a better book out there for sharpening and expanding your skills as a fiction writer.

This book covers the basics in a very conversational, provocative way. Frey challenges and provokes in an effort to get writers to re-examine what they're doing and try to do it better. He discusses "the fictive dream and how to induce it," suspense, memorable characters, "premise", narrative voice, and the author-reader contract. By "premise" he means "a brief statement of what happens to the characters as a result of the actions of the story." (p.51). He points out common mistakes with these, but just how "advanced" his tidbits of information are-that is another matter. For example, nothing in the chapter on suspense should be news to someone who has read a few books on fiction writing.
Also, "the seven deadly mistakes": timidity, trying to be literary, ego-writing, failure to re-dream the dream, failure to keep faith with yourself, etc.
His guiding examples of damn good novels are Jaws, The Red Badge of Courage, Gone with the Wind, The Trial (Kafka), Crime and Punishment, and Carrie (Stephen King). Most of the time, Frey's own tastes dictate what constitutes a damn good book and, thus, how one ought to write, so all of his advice needs to be taken with a few grains of salt. Also, there is a great deal more that can be said about fiction writing that this book does not say. The book is also short. Bottom line: you need to read other books too.

As a writer I read about writing to give me new ideas, to deepen my understanding of different theories and approaches to building stories, and for inspiration. This book delivered on all counts. There were times I had to just put it down, meditate on the idea, and then go write.

It caught me right away with this concept"

"The reading of fiction, then, is the experience of a dream working at the subconscious level. This is the reason most sensible people hate the academic study of literature. Academics attempt to make rational and logical something that is intended to make you dream."

I like this is kind of down to earth, practical thinking. Frey suggests that your goal in writing a novel is to virtually bring your reader to a hypnotic state-- one which keeps your reality as the reader's temporary reality.

I also really liked Frey's down to earth conversational style. You really feel you are getting the nitty gritty from him-- no pedantics, no BS, just lots of practical, useful info.

I've been pretty successful as a freelance non-fiction writer, with cover articles in Writer's Digest, the National Enquirer (medical, not gossip) and articles sold to OMNI, Success, Family Health, Philadelphia and more. But I've never sold any fiction. During the last two years, I've read a number of books on story and novel writing. I class this as one of the better ones, with McKee's Story Structure, Bonnet's Stealing Fire From the Gods, and Vogler's Writer's Journey. They've all helped move me forward on my personal writer's journey. While I haven't yet sold anything as of this writing (April 2001) I have a much better understanding of what goes into a good story and, with Frey's help, what doesn't.

I'd love to do a workshop with him, and probably will when he comes to the northeast.

I've studied writing for a while. I've taken courses taught by ramblers who have written successful books. I've studied with phenomenal writers and teachers, but a lot of their stuff was all over the place.

Frey's book is the real deal. Read it, Do it his way,and you'll do well. He's big on picking a theme for your novel and then proving it. If money buys you more trouble than goodness, you have to prove this through the lives of your characters.

If you have a story to tell and want to tell it in novel form, this book holds your feet to the fire. He has a fixit for ever excuse from writer's block to fleshing out your characters.

Enjoy. Dixie Swanson

If writing is a spiritual endeavor for you, then this is one of the books of the bible, James I believe. This book will give you at least 70% of the knowledge you need to become a fulfilled and meaningful writer. The best thing this book did for me was free me from the writer's block enducing thinking that every story must be groundbreaking and completely original. Face it, every story has already been told in the most basic sense, but new characters will always appear, even if some of them may resemble previous story people, certain things about the modern world they live in will make them different. This book helped me to see myself as a weaver of dreams, the waking dream as Frey calls it. I still strive for unusual twists and bizarre situations, but if my story essentially involves a battle between good and evil, I no longer feel like a hack. I now see my true job as a novelist is to make the reader forget real life, and drop him or her into the middle of a strange world that excites them in some way. This has freed my mind and made writing more enjoyable.

I wish I would have bought this book and How To Write A Damn Good Novel I before I spent wasted money on a lot of other how-to books. I really enjoyed reading both of James Frey's How To Write A Damn Good Novel books. I think that ALL writer's should read this book and keep it as a reference for future writing. I know more about how to write a novel with the help of James Frey, than I did reading 10 other books. I would like to tell everyone out there that YOU MUST HAVE THIS BOOK! Before you buy any other how-to books, buy these two first. It will save you a lot of time and a lot of money!

When I read Frey's first book from the library I was madly scribbling notes on all the wonderful things he had to say. I bought the second book thinking that would give me what the first had and more, but I didn't like it as well. It seemed like a rehash and not as well done as the first, which I ended up buying afer all. I think How to Write A Damn Good Novel I is one of the best 've read on how to make your novel coheseive and dramatic instead of melodramatic. Only SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS has given me more concrete and excellent ideas on dialogue and character. Both books have illiminating examples from such novelists as P.D. James, Le Carre, Fitzgerald, and Flaubert to show you how to impletment the craft they describe so well. Both can make you a much, much better writer if you apply the principles described. People who say writing can't be taught need to read these books!

"How to Write a Damn Good Novel, Vol. II" earns its claim as "Advanced Techniques for Dramatic Storytelling" with uncommon advice such as how to create a multi-premise novel and strengthening the narrative voice. Frey far exceeds the typical hints found in most writing books, including his own Volume One. This book covers completely new territory and will be extremely useful if you are interested in writing a dramatic novel. I can think of several best-selling authors who would benefit from the advice in this book. For the newcomer there is a lot of clear and practical information offered. I found the "Seven Deadly Mistakes" chapter particularly interesting and insightful. One warning: this book is definitely geared to a specific type of story - the dramatic novel. It may skew your focus if your goal is writing a satirical or allegorical story, for instance, as it's easy to become caught up in the author's enthusiasm for dramatic fiction.
(Volume I in this series covers more common ground, advice found in other books about writing. Frey has a readable and enjoyable style and uses frequent examples in both books. I add this note because I see my review of Volume II is posted under both volumes I and II.)