2016 Book 04: Writing The Novel
2016 Book 04: Writing The Novel From Plot to Print to Pixel by Lawrence Block; asin 9781522858874; 264 pages; LB Books; Kindle edition; $9.99
The Premise: (from Goodreads): Lawrence Block, the award-winning crime fiction author, is almost as well known for his instructional books for writers, and contributed a monthly column on fiction to Writers Digest for 14 years. WRITING THE NOVEL was his first book for writers, and remained continuously in print since its original appearance in 1978. But the world of publishing has changed in the past 40 years, and Block has now expanded and updated his original text, bringing each chapter up to date and adding welcome new material on the ebook revolution, the phenomenon of self-publishing, and what perils and opportunities await the new novelist-and the veteran as well.
Unlike many advice-givers, Block doesn't tell you what book to write, or the one and only way to write it. He holds that every novel is different, and so is every novelist; his aim is to give you the tools to enable you to find your own way.
Here are some chapters: #1-Why Write a Novel? #2-Deciding Which Novel to Write. #3-Read...Study...Analyze. #4-Developing Plot Ideas. #5-Developing Characters. #6-Outlining. #7-Using What You Know...and What You Don't Know. #8-Getting Started. #9-Getting It Written. #10-Snag, Dead Ends, and False Trails. #11-Matters of Style. #12-Length. #13-Rewriting. #14-Getting Published. #15-The Case for Self-Publishing. #16-The Case Against Self-publishing. #17-How to Be Your Own Publisher. #18-Doing It Again. #19-Now It's Up to You!
WRITING THE NOVEL FROM PLOT TO PRINT TO PIXEL is half again as long as the original version, and Lawrence Block has managed to retain all the 1978 text while bringing it up to date. As he would be the first to tell you, you don't need this book-or any other-to succeed as a novelist. But thousands of writers have found it helpful. And most of us feel we can use all the help we can get.
My Rating: 5 stars out of 5
My Thoughts: I'm pretty sure I read the original version of this back in the mid-80s, when I was reading just about every "writing advice" and "market trends" type of book I could get my hands on. But it's been a long time since that reading, and the copy I had is long gone; whatever I gleaned back then has long since departed my conscious brain. So this was a foray into both familar and unfamiliar territory, especially given how few books/seminars on writing I've read/attended in recent memory.
I have long found Block's non-fiction very easy to read. The man has a friendly voice and an at-ease style; he doesn't mince words nor is he too verbose. And he always clearly enjoys what he's talking about. This book, both the original 1978 text and the 2016 additions, is no exception. I never felt like I was being lectured at, but rather than a more experienced friend was prodding me along. Block makes suggestions, never demands; he shares his own experience but acknowledges that what works for him might not work for me.
I found the original chapters on starting a novel, hitting snags, and rewriting still instructional and motivating despite (or perhaps because of) being almost 40 years old, and instantly relatable to my own uncompleted attempt to write a mystery-thriller novel (that project is going on 15 years easily, based on a vignette I wrote in 1992). And interestingly, even though this is a book about writing novels, I found most of what Block has to say really does apply to my own short story writing as well. He talks about the inherent differnces between the two formats, but there's so much in common as well. So even though I'm not in the process of writing a novel at the moment, I was still able to glean a lot of good advice about process.
The newer injections into each chapter addressing how technology has changed the practices of outlining, querying, submitting, and more are spot-on, as well. As, of course, are the new chapters on self-publishing in the world of e-books. My own self-pubbed book, The Firflake: A Christmas Story, was done through a vanity press in 2008, just before (it seems to me) the advances in ebook and POD self-publishing hit. And all of the pitfalls Block mentions regarding working with a vanity press are the pitfalls I've also experienced. Block's move to self-publish (such as with The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons) and to re-issue out-of-print stuff via epub have motivated me to do the same with The Firflake. So that makes reading this book even more valuable for this not-a-novelist.
I think anyone considering entering the arena of First Time Novelist should give this new edition a read, even if you decide not to follow any of Block's advice.
The Premise: (from Goodreads): Lawrence Block, the award-winning crime fiction author, is almost as well known for his instructional books for writers, and contributed a monthly column on fiction to Writers Digest for 14 years. WRITING THE NOVEL was his first book for writers, and remained continuously in print since its original appearance in 1978. But the world of publishing has changed in the past 40 years, and Block has now expanded and updated his original text, bringing each chapter up to date and adding welcome new material on the ebook revolution, the phenomenon of self-publishing, and what perils and opportunities await the new novelist-and the veteran as well.
Unlike many advice-givers, Block doesn't tell you what book to write, or the one and only way to write it. He holds that every novel is different, and so is every novelist; his aim is to give you the tools to enable you to find your own way.
Here are some chapters: #1-Why Write a Novel? #2-Deciding Which Novel to Write. #3-Read...Study...Analyze. #4-Developing Plot Ideas. #5-Developing Characters. #6-Outlining. #7-Using What You Know...and What You Don't Know. #8-Getting Started. #9-Getting It Written. #10-Snag, Dead Ends, and False Trails. #11-Matters of Style. #12-Length. #13-Rewriting. #14-Getting Published. #15-The Case for Self-Publishing. #16-The Case Against Self-publishing. #17-How to Be Your Own Publisher. #18-Doing It Again. #19-Now It's Up to You!
WRITING THE NOVEL FROM PLOT TO PRINT TO PIXEL is half again as long as the original version, and Lawrence Block has managed to retain all the 1978 text while bringing it up to date. As he would be the first to tell you, you don't need this book-or any other-to succeed as a novelist. But thousands of writers have found it helpful. And most of us feel we can use all the help we can get.
My Rating: 5 stars out of 5
My Thoughts: I'm pretty sure I read the original version of this back in the mid-80s, when I was reading just about every "writing advice" and "market trends" type of book I could get my hands on. But it's been a long time since that reading, and the copy I had is long gone; whatever I gleaned back then has long since departed my conscious brain. So this was a foray into both familar and unfamiliar territory, especially given how few books/seminars on writing I've read/attended in recent memory.
I have long found Block's non-fiction very easy to read. The man has a friendly voice and an at-ease style; he doesn't mince words nor is he too verbose. And he always clearly enjoys what he's talking about. This book, both the original 1978 text and the 2016 additions, is no exception. I never felt like I was being lectured at, but rather than a more experienced friend was prodding me along. Block makes suggestions, never demands; he shares his own experience but acknowledges that what works for him might not work for me.
I found the original chapters on starting a novel, hitting snags, and rewriting still instructional and motivating despite (or perhaps because of) being almost 40 years old, and instantly relatable to my own uncompleted attempt to write a mystery-thriller novel (that project is going on 15 years easily, based on a vignette I wrote in 1992). And interestingly, even though this is a book about writing novels, I found most of what Block has to say really does apply to my own short story writing as well. He talks about the inherent differnces between the two formats, but there's so much in common as well. So even though I'm not in the process of writing a novel at the moment, I was still able to glean a lot of good advice about process.
The newer injections into each chapter addressing how technology has changed the practices of outlining, querying, submitting, and more are spot-on, as well. As, of course, are the new chapters on self-publishing in the world of e-books. My own self-pubbed book, The Firflake: A Christmas Story, was done through a vanity press in 2008, just before (it seems to me) the advances in ebook and POD self-publishing hit. And all of the pitfalls Block mentions regarding working with a vanity press are the pitfalls I've also experienced. Block's move to self-publish (such as with The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons) and to re-issue out-of-print stuff via epub have motivated me to do the same with The Firflake. So that makes reading this book even more valuable for this not-a-novelist.
I think anyone considering entering the arena of First Time Novelist should give this new edition a read, even if you decide not to follow any of Block's advice.