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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The very best of its kind -- stands the test of time,
By HDTV shopper "HDTV" (Westport, CT USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Writing of One Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
Decades ago, before I faced the daunting task of becoming a novelist, I consumed many of the how-to books that purported to give you the guidance to create a novel. Most of them were not especially authoritative; they had a tendency to fall back on the "whatever works for you is the best advice," which was kind of a frustrating cop-out. Granted, the writing process may be an art, not a science, but there is a science to the craft.This book was the most influential of any I've ever read. The reason is because the prolific and talented Irving Wallace did something of a post-mortem on how he wrote his best-seller, THE PRIZE (kind of a huge ensemble story focused on the innerworking of the Nobel Prize -- a big canvass genre he and Arthur Haley were known for back in the 1970s). This autopsy goes through the entire birthing process of a single, best-selling work of fiction -- meaning we see it from concept to completion. The single-most important segment of the book for me was how Wallace kept tabs on his daily progress, by charting out the page output and the running total of the manuscript. As he got closer to the denouement of his story, his daily productivity was amplified. As simple as it may sound, I use this technique in my writing process and have found it to be revolutionary. Irving was one of the great storytellers of the day, and I do miss the high-concept, big-canvass plots of the Irving-Haley days (perhaps Michael Crichton comes the closest to their works). Any aspiring novelist should read Stephen King's "On Writing" and this timeless work as well. There are a lot of pretenders out there eager to feed off your hopes and dreams and take your money, but this is a real-deal, nuts-and-bolts guide for real writers.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AN INTERESTING VIEW OF IRVING WALLACE,
By
This review is from: Writing of One Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
My hardbound copy of this book came from a local library sale, and from that I reasoned not many readers had shown interest in the book.Years ago one of the first novels read by me was THE PRIZE at a time it was both newly published and moving up the bestseller list. I've always had a fondness for THE PRIZE and to this day do not recall any other author of novels writing of the Nobel Prize process within its historical setting. Inside this particular book, THE WRITING OF ONE NOVEL, is the unusual and pleasing aspect of seeing through an author's eyes, from his viewpoint alone, how he crafted and wrote a very interesting bestseller, from which a later movie was also made. Whether one likes either of these books, the novel and the later nonfiction book, they are both unique and fit together as a dual study. If one enjoys reading fiction, Irving Wallace, or both, they by all means need to explore these two books. Semper Fi.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well-Worded Wisdom,
By K. M. Schroeder (U. S. of A.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Writing of One Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
This analysis of 16 years of authorial labor is a bit thick at times, and several sections in it would appeal only to close friends of the author for their overbearing detail. But these faults are easily forgiven for Wallace's frequently lyrical musings on the craft and his apt relatings of his personal quirks. The book he eventually shapes is, I believe, wholly unworthy of all this, but little of the overall impact is missed if you're no fan of pop fiction--much of his advice applies to the art of the novelist itself.Only writers and devoted readers will really enjoy this, but if you classify yourself as one or both of these, then hunt this little tome down and fuel your inner spark.
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