The Novelist's Notebook (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Imagine that a reader has just told a librarian at a large public library how much he loves your book and that he would like..." (more)
Key Phrases: Margaret Atwood, Comeback Choir, Vladimir Nabokov

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is a page in The Novelist's Notebook for figuring out what keeps you from beginning your novel, and one for imagining your characters 20 or 40 years after your story ends. Author Laurie Henry offers paths for finding a subject, and for reaching a story's dénouement. Perhaps you hunger for a simple writing exercise ("present the mood of a crowd"), or to enrich the writing you are already doing. "Think of the least likely action you can imagine any of your characters doing," Henry suggests, "and then make them do it." These writing exercises are all over the map, but somehow the book seems to work.

Thoughts on fiction writing from a range of novelists round out the book. James D. Houston, when asked how long it takes him to write a novel, usually responds that it takes a year, or even a few. But the real answer, he says, "is that it takes your entire life. I am forty-four, and it took me forty-four years to get this novel finished." Larry Brown likens the toil of writing to that of house-building. "After the house is finished, no matter how tired your muscles have been on all those other days, the memory of the work is something that goes away." And the eminently quotable Ernest Hemingway drives home the isolation of the writer's work with--surprise--a sports analogy. "They can't yank a novelist like they can a pitcher," he says. "A novelist has to go the full nine, even if it kills him." --Jane Steinberg

Product Description

Laurie Henry nurtures writers throught the long and sometimes lonely task of writing a novel. Her 115 imaginative journal activities offer ways to approach every stage of the process from creating characters to shaping the story, from exploring themes ro revising and polishing. She helps writers develop a schedule, conduct research, benefit from bad days, even think of a title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 138 pages
• Publisher: Story Press Books (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884910424
• ISBN-13: 978-1884910425
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #735,043 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your traditional writer's workbook....., November 16, 2002

By	J M "J M" (Somewhere in Ft. Worth, TX) - See all my reviews

So if that sort of thing scares you, check this book out anyways.

Let me start out by saying that I loathe the 'How To Write' books that give you corny exercises that have absolutely nothing to do with your book. You know, the "If my character was a flavor of ice cream, he would be ____" type things. Ugh. I can't see myself working for hours on insipid exercises that have nothing to do with the story I want to tell.

That's mostly the reason why I love this book. It's chock full of exercises, but of the sort that actually PERTAIN to what you want to write. Gasp! Shock! Laurie Henry has hit the nail on the head exactly with the Novelist's Notebook. She encourages you to think out your story in phases -- the book is divided into sections : Planning, Beginning to Write, Necessities, Possibilities, When You're Stuck, and Double Checking and Revising. Basically the idea is to take the idea you have, and to try out different ways of seeing a particular character, theme, or idea. Expand and revise! I didn't think I needed help in these areas, and yet I find this book (and continue to find it) immensely helpful.

Each page is a different exercise, and I can't think of one that isn't particularly helpful. Examples : Write a family tree out, Create an obnoxious character, try writing in a different voice, try a crowd scene, etc. It sounds average in this review, I know, but the way it's presented in the book is nothing short of wonderful. Each page is also complete with a quote on writing from famous authors that are just as fun as the writing exercises themselves.

On a visual note, this is one of the finest looking writing books I've happened to run across. Silly to grade a book on this, I know, but you definitely feel like you're getting your money's worth. The book is slimmer than I imagined, and it's hardcover (another thing that surprised me). Even the paper on the inside is of fairly high quality, and not the glossy type, since you are going to be writing all over this book. I couldn't have been more pleased with my purchase. You may laugh at me grading this, but given the fact that I carry it around with me everywhere, it is a very classy volume to tote around with you, and not in the least embarassing (unlike those obnoxiously orange Complete Idiot's Guides).

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration and practical advice, July 27, 2002

By	R. Tiedemann "Sunnye" (Bellevue, NE USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Typical of the suggestions in this book:
"Write a scene in which one or more of your characters must work against a time limit..."
"Write a flash-forward..."
"Write a scene in which coincidence plays a major role..."
"Reveal a secret about one of your characters that you have been keeping from your readers."
"List all the places where the action of your novel will occur"
"Write what you can do to acquire whatever you need to finish the book"

I really think Henry has covered all the bases here -- from planning to writing "the muddle in the middle" to finishing your book. This is truly a workbook with useful exercises to get you started writing, to help you with the minutaie of plot, character development, structure, voice and all the rest of the nitty gritty details of writing a book.

Each page is a challenge to complete an exercise and each page has a quote from a famous writer. For instance, on p. 99, from Margaret Atwood, "I never know how a book is going to end when I begin it. If I knew how it was going to end, I probably would not continue on." Robert Heinlein says,"The most important lesson in the writing trade is that any manuscript is improved if you cut away the fat." And Andre Gide: "Never present ideas except in terms of temperaments and characters."

Both experienced and novice writers will find this useful IF they don't just look at it and put it aside. It's a book to be used!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an excellent guide for words, December 8, 1999

By A Customer

i received this book as a gift from a friend that knew i was struggling with writers block.... The Novelist's Notebook is a wonderful self guided tour on getting past writers block, self doubt and all the others things that plague writers. It is a book I will share with other writers, and its a book that I will refer to often. It is also an excellent source for suggested reading by including quotes & sources by other novelists....