Customer Reviews

This Year You Write Your Novel

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley is a practical step-by-step guide for beginning writers. The chapters and sub-chapters are broken down in a format that is easy to follow and to understand. Mr. Mosley's strongest message is that a writer must write every day at a prescribed time to be a writer. He hammers home this message very strongly. He goes so far as to say that a writer should allow the paint to peel from the wall and the grass to grow tall. All that matters is the writing. I am not sure if that would work for most writers. But his intent is understood, writers must write.

What appealed to me most was the chapter entitled, `Learning to Write Without Restraint'. He expounds upon how important it is to write what is in you, what naturally flows from your head and your heart. He indicates that the only voice in your head should be your own and your characters. Otherwise, in his opinion, if you write your novel trying to temper your muse, you will not have done your best work.

This Year You Write Your Novel covers several writing techniques. Narrative styles, showing versus telling, character development and simple writing suggestions abound in this writing guide. There is a chapter on facing rejection. He makes it clear how he, a writer who has penned twenty-seven books, still faces rejection on a regular basis. This book humanizes the writing experience. Also, appealing is the conversational tone of his instructions. This how-to-book read as smoothly as a novel.

I would recommend this non-fiction writing guide, especially to beginning writers. It is a guideline for writing your first novel in a year. However, many seasoned writers could benefit from many of the insights offered.

Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub

In THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL, Walter Mosley attempts to tell readers "everything I know about novel writing in less than 25,000 words." He succeeds brilliantly in this valuable little book that should take its place alongside THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE and ON WRITING WELL on the bookshelf of any aspiring writer and those interested in how novels are put together.

Mosley is the author of 27 books, including 10 in the acclaimed Easy Rawlins private detective series. But he also has tackled literary fiction in books like RL'S DREAM and THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT, as well as science fiction and nonfiction books about politics and current events.

Writing is first and foremost a craft. It's not an art, although great writers like Mosley can raise it to an art form. As a craft, writing has certain rules specific to each genre that must be followed and practiced over and over again by all writers. This book deals with the novel-writing process and provides a quick rundown of the essential tools that any aspiring novelist will need.

But this is more than just a guidebook. Anybody who has worked as a professional writer long enough is familiar with the conversation with a stranger that usually begins by them saying, "I have a great idea for a novel..." And the professional writer listens respectfully and nods sympathetically. But in the back of our minds we know that rarely, if ever, will that person write an actual book.

Despite popular misconceptions, writing a book is not just something you can sit down and bang out "one of these days when I get the time." The great newspaper columnist Red Smith once said, "Writing is easy. You sit down at a typewriter and cut open a vein."

Mosley understands this and knows that writing is more than a great idea for a story. Writing requires discipline. And writers write. It's as simple and complicated as that. Mosley says here, "The only thing that matters is that you write, write, write. It doesn't have to be good writing. As a matter of fact, most first drafts are pretty bad. What matters is that you get down the words on the page or the screen..."

Mosley suggests writing 600-1,200 words a day, seven days a week, and spending at least an hour or an hour-and-a-half each day writing or editing. He correctly points out that by doing this you will have the first draft of a 60,000-word book done in three months.

Writing is a craft, and the only way you master a craft --- whether it's making shoes or hitting a major league curveball --- is to do it over and over and over again. Even Hall of Fame hitters took batting practice everyday.

Mosley points out another key thing: writing a novel is linked to your unconscious. "The most important thing I've found about writing is that it is primarily an unconscious activity...The connections, moods, metaphors, and experiences that you call up while writing will come from a place deep inside you. Sometimes you will wonder who wrote those words."

That is the magic of the writing process. Anybody who has ever written a novel knows that part of the joy of writing is discovery. Your characters always surprise you, even though you are the one who created them and know their destinies. And after a while, if you are really in the zone of your story, you start looking forward to seeing what your characters will do and say today, as if they were old friends stopping by for a visit. If you can be surprised, delighted or shocked, so too will the reader.

Mosley spells out the essential elements of how to write fiction, from the narrative structure you choose to the difference between the story and the plot to the development of character and multiple characters' arcs. He writes about the vital importance of learning to edit your words and seeking the music in your prose. Like a patient doctor, Mosley breaks the novel down and shows us what the X-rays mean in a short and easily understandable style.

This is a wise book. Mosley writes, "What you must always remember is that the novel is more experiential than it is informational. Your reader might learn something, but most of what they learn is gained through what they are shown about the lives and circumstances of the characters therein."

And like the good doctor, Mosley does not sugarcoat the writing life or promise you a bestseller. "Writing in America can be a lonely experience. It is not a revered occupation (unless you write the script for some blockbuster movie). Most Americans are not interested in the unpublished writer."

And here he addresses the biggest misconception about the writing life: that you just get the words down and the world will beat a path to your printer and you'll be on easy street.

Mosley says, "At this moment in my career, after publishing twenty-seven books and at least as many short stories, I still get rejected on a regular basis. Recently I wrote a story that every major magazine rejected. After going to the major presses, I went to the smaller ones. Nobody will publish it --- nobody. So don't despair --- accepting rejection is part of the job description."

In THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL, Mosley does what every great writer does: he tells the truth. And that truth is best summed up in this sentence: "Greatness lies in the heart of the writer, not in technique." Sure it's a tough business. It's even tougher today in the age of corporate media that demands instant success. But it's that shot at greatness and the sheer joy it brings that make people write novels.

For them, and for anybody interested in the writing process, this is an indispensable, hopeful book. Be prepared to take notes and read it multiple times.

--- Reviewed by Tom Callahan

I've read a lot of books on writing, and THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL is nothing special. This is a remarkably short book (under 100 pages) about the craft, that contains little information that I haven't seen already in countless other writing books. Mosley is a fine writer, and this book contains some useful tips, but it's not worth paying hardcover price for unless you're a hardcore Mosley fan.

I've found some other books that are far superior to this one. My advice is to try SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Renni Browne and Dave King, THE FIRST FIVE PAGES by Noah Lukeman, ON WRITING by Stephen King, PLOT AND STRUCTURE by James Madison Bell, CHARACTERS AND VIEWPOINT by Orson Scott Card, and TECHNIQUES FOR THE SELLING WRITER by Dwight Swain.

I read some of the negative reviews criticizing this book as "nothing new" and positive reviews characterizing this as a book for "novices." I disagree with both. This book will NOT make you a bestselling author (and it doesn't claim to), but it will remove your excuses for not finishing that first novel--and, to me, that's PRICELESS.

In the sense that I have not been published, I suppose I'm a novice. However, I have been aware of and honing my writing talent for most of my life with formal instruction and practice including writing workshops and classes, editing a college newspaper, and writing my own column. In all of those settings I learned many useful things including the differences between poetry and prose and how and when to use AP style along with a lot of the tips Mosley addresses in this book--but none of them taught me a STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS TO WRITING A NOVEL.

I have had an exciting idea for a novel germinating in my mind for over a year. I've created a detailed outline, written a number of scenes, done "research" for the story (which I learned from Mosley is nothing more than procrastination), and shared my progress with numerous people. Nevertheless, I felt stymied by the process of creating my first finished novel.

After reading Mosley's book (in less than one day), I was stirred to action and felt like I had an easy-to-follow plan to get through the process of writing my novel. I am supplementing his basic instruction with a guided fiction writing class to help me be accountable for writing everyday and staying on schedule; it will also give me regular critiques from other writers that I believe will speed up the editing process after completing my first draft.

If you're looking for a spark to light your writing fire and don't want to get dragged into a long-winded instructional guide, I highly recommend "This Year You Write Your Novel." I intend to purchase it for several friends.

Enjoy, and happy writing!!

A common complaint about this book is that it offers nothing new, that all of the topics about writing it covers have been covered elsewhere, and in more depth and detail. If one feels one learns more by reading more words, then other authors offer far higher word counts on all of the topics Mosely covers. Why then, did I find this book so useful?

For one thing, it is concise and cogent. It's a quick read, not because he has nothing to say - he does - but because he knows how to boil away the fat. He does leave things out, some of which may be considered essential, but let's face it, just about anyone buying this book will be buying several books on writing fiction. This one is worth having in the collection.

Particularly useful are his insights into how to build complex characters. Mosely directly understands how people condition each other's responses to the world and their lives, how we change each other, and how to capture this in fiction. Mosely doesn't spend pages exhorting us to build an interesting character, he teaches by showing, laying out a superb example (the story of the man in the desert). That one five page section was such a gem I would gladly have paid double the price to have it.

The greatest tools we need to write good fiction are already present: most of us have absorbed countless dramatic templates, most of us have a facility with language (we are, after all, animals whose chief talent is in language even if we're plumbers or race car drivers), and all of us have lived, loved, suffered, and rejoiced (on the odd occasion, anyway) in the complex, unknowable realm of human relationships. This cogent, concise book seems to get this, it doesn't over teach, it teaches enough to get us tapping what we already have quickly and with depth. One won't sense the stern presence of a master peering over our shoulder making sure we get step 19-a right according to his or her template. One will sense someone saying "yes, you've already got it, just try this one little thing and it will open things up."

The beauty of this book is that it cuts straight to the action - Mosley lays out a clear, concrete plan that he guarantees will work for you. He trains you in only the most essential skills - for example, he introduces just three POVs and most strongly recommends only one of them - so the reader can't get bogged down in all kinds of the dry technicalities that college textbooks feel obliged to include in the interest of completeness. Mosley wants to jumpstart you into action, offering his carefully distilled guidance and suggestions to see you all the way through your first novel. Read other books if you want more about the craft, in all its glorious detail. Read this book if you are ready to park yourself in front of your pc and *write*, no more excuses to feed your procrastination addiction.

There's an excellent interview with Mosley on the NPR site that will give you most of the information in the book. But get the book if you're really ready turn the ignition key. And it's a great resource for literature and writing teachers.

Incidentally, Mosley's advice applies not only to all kinds of writing styles, but also to other big projects you want to finish before you leave this world.

Thre's a bit of a back story here:I'm not a huge Oprah fan, but a relative passes along O the corporate house magazine in a stack of this 'n that every month or so. Mosley's essay in O-- an edited version of his long essay -- covers many facets we procrastinating authors continually need to address: work habits, research, basic elements of plot, moving along the action, and much more. Reminders regarding discipline,how to work out a mind set for achieving goals, and sensible suggestions regarding prioritizing the real lives we all lead resonated with me. So I bought the book on Amazon.com. Well, I suspect there're huge numbers of folks out there with the proverbial novel mouldering away in the top drawer, or nearly completed in the old computer; so what are we waiting for? I certainly don't want a head-stone with the words "She had a novel in her somewhere, but it never saw the light of day." Mosley's is a timely essay and in my opinion has elements of another favorite author of mine H.R.F. Keating whose Writing Crime Fiction should also be in every writer's book shelf. Mosley does a great job of "cheerleading" and This Year You Write Your Novel is without a doubt value for money.

I have read many books on writing over the years and I have to say this is one of my favorites. I'll admit it does cover a lot of information that is in other books with one huge difference, it's not loaded down with a bunch of gibberish. An experienced writer may find this book a rehash of old information, but was this book written for experienced authors? I definitely got the feeling it was for brand new authors stepping out into the world of writing filled with trepidation and insecurity. I wish I could have started with this one when I first decided I wanted to write a book. So many books on writing are cluttered with so much information that you don't know where to start. If you are new to writing or still unsure if you want to try to write a book, then I suggest you start with this one. It's simplistic and short enough to give you that initial kick start that I feel new authors need. Mr. Mosley is not near as negative as other writing books are. He states obstacles that will arise and how to deal with them, but is very encouraging in the process. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to start a book and get it finished within the year. Other writing books I recommend besides this book are "How to write best selling fiction" by Dean Koontz(this is way out of print and hard to find so you may have to get it through your local library), "On Writing" by Stephen King and "How I write" by Janet Evanovich(a really fun book to read)

Maybe yes, maybe no. But this slim volume by Walter Mosley (under 25,000 words) comes darn close to doing the job.

In short chapters that hold the reader's attention, Mosley hand-holds the aspiring writer through basic concepts that include:

1) General Disciplines That Every Writer Needs (writing every day, etc.)
2) The Elements of Fiction (Narrative voice, character, plot & story, etc.)
3) Where to Begin (those all important first words; research.)
4) Rewriting
5) Miscellany (Agents, publishers, writing workshops, etc.)

There's nothing "dry" about the basics as Mosley presents them. Reading his advice is like listening to a calm, experienced voice whispering in your ear: "this is how it's done, and YOU can do it."

You'll come away from this book better educated about the craft of writing. Then, as Mosley says, all you need is "the desire and the will", and you'll get that novel written.

THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley is an instruction manual on how to write your novel this year. He gives explicit information on how to start, when to write and how to stop procrastinating. He suggests that the aspiring novelist write every day, at the same time and not let anything interfere with the project. The first draft should take about three months. Then begins the hard work: editing and rewriting. Mr. Mosley gives concrete examples of how to show, rather than tell, how to edit out extraneous information that doesn't move the plot forward and how to keep the readers interested in the story.

THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL is short but inspiring. He uses humor and seriousness to push his ideas. If you have been planning to write that book but don't know how to get started, this is the book for you. It breaks an awesome task down into doable segments as well as gives examples that makes it clear. I found it very helpful.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers