Customer Reviews

The Writer's Digest Handbook of Novel Writing

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Full of excellent advice. This handbook carefully analyzes every facet of the craft so you don't have to. In one place it says you should allot 2000 hours to write a novel. If that's true, 2000 hours without this book's advice is a waste. Although most of the articles included mention that novel-writing is a process, that your first one will be, ah, less than perfect, I can't help but think that after reading this, I can avoid many of the pitfalls. I would give this book five stars if there were more actual examples of flawed writing improved. But that's almost nothing; this handbook truly is a vital tool. Just reading authors' advice is enough to get your own ideas boiling. I've developed my thoughts more today, reading this, than I have in months with the idea.

I've learned many good writing techniques from the folks at "Writer's Digest". I have their "20 rules for good writing" taped up next to my PC, and my first SF novel (alas, not yet published) and I graduated together from the Writer's Digest School. WDS matched me up with a published Science Fiction writer and he critiqued my novel very thoroughly. It was a good, albeit slightly expensive learning experience.

"The Writer's Digest Handbook of Novel Writing" expands upon much of the advice that I received from my 'personal' WDS tutor. It is composed of a series of essays that were originally published in "Writer's Digest" by authors such as Loren D. Estleman ("Five Ways to Strengthen Fiction With Dialogue") and Orson Scott Card ("Creating Characters That Readers Care About").

I believe you will find this book inspirational if you're pregnant with a novel but have not yet conceived a single word.

It will be useful (in the slightly disorganized manner of essays by multiple authors) if you've already started to write but would like to improve your craft.

If you are like me and have already discovered the hard, cold truth about the slush piles that lurk behind every publishing house, try Tom Clancy's chapter on "How to Write a Bestselling Novel".

Another suggestion for writers who want to improve their fiction--join one of the web-based writing groups where your fiction will be critiqued by your peers (and you will critique theirs). One of the best groups that I've been involved with over the years is the Critters Workshop (fantasy, horror, science fiction). Many of its members have been published (and paid!), and according to the "Writer's Digest" editors, Critters is "well run and quite stable".

Good luck and good writing!

And as my husband keeps telling me, "Don't quit your day job!"

1) When I first received this book it was part of the Novel Writing course paid for through Writer's Digest School of Writing as the main text book. As a totally novice writer it was very needed.

2) Revisiting the book several years later I found 10 out of the 37 essays to still be of use. The 10 I liked were nice checklist/template type essay's that are good to keep posted nearby as a reference.

Whether you are new or advanced there should be something here for everyone.

Don't just check this book out of your public library. If you truly have the desire to become a novelist, you should own it! There is a wealth of information covered, from suspense to characterization to marketing your manuscript. If you could only have one tool to hone your writing skills, be sure that you have this book!

If you've ever read books on writing that seem to only vaguely hint at things you already know, then get THIS BOOK! Within, you'll find over twenty chapters and each has practical and clear examples of techniques and how they work

This book taught me more about writing--and reading--novels than I learned in my college literature classes. It includes hints about structure, pacing, voice, characterization, dialogue, plotting, categories, and even getting published. Most topics include more than one article by different authors. I enjoyed comparing their ideas. This is a good resouce for experienced novel writers as well as beginners. The article Stranger Than Truth by Art Spikol deals with transitioning from nonfiction to novels--exactly the thing I am about to do! Depression Visible: The Ragged Edge

Strangely enough, the prosaic Writer's Digest is one of my favorite books on writing so far. The editors found a number of topics and asked well known authors to write essays on them. It focuses mostly on genre and popular fiction rather than literary writing, which is good for most of us genre writers. It is well-written, broad, and covers an impressive range of topics from a wide range of view points. I would very strongly recommend this book (esp. since I managed to acquire a copy of my own for something like $4 on Amazon.com...) It's a solidly written book on how to create memorable stories from people who ought to know what they're talking about (contributors include Nancy Kress, Orson Scott Card, Mary Kittredge, David Groff, Tom Clancy, and Dean Koontz among others). It's solid advice and at its price, it's a steal. (And if you're broke, I'd try to find it at the library.)

There may be better books out there somewhere on writing a genre novel, but there aren't all that many. This is definitely a must-have for any author interested in writing publishable work.

A good and accurate selection with easily understood directions on how to make your book more readable and marketable to the public.

The book cam ein a timely manner, it was in great condition, very satisfied overall