Art and Life in Novel Writing
Misc pearls of utility plus takeaways on craft learned from books utilized in the AAC novel writing program including "Write Away" by Elizabeth George, "The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner, "Writing the Breakout Novel" by Donald Maass, and "The Writing Life" by Annie Dillard:
The Perfect Query Letter
The Pub Board - Your Worst Enemy?
Eight Best Prep Steps Prior to Agent Query
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Brilliant portrayal of the classic, ignorant narcissist who one day decides he'll soon write a bestseller despite the obvious fact he knows little or nothing about developing and writing a novel. ________________________________
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You begin your first novel with equal parts ignorance and false optimism. Many months, or even years later, you finally learn the enormity of your mistakes. Those popular writer magazines and the sociable little group of amateur writers that looked like a great plan, at first, now appear unreliable and even time wasting. At this juncture, you will either deny reality, quit altogether, or else vow to become a true and humble apprentice to the art of novel writing. Ne confondez jamais une seule défaite avec une défaite finale. - F. Scott The process above is nearly inevitable for the vast majority of aspiri…
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By Chris Stewart As someone who organizes readings and a large literary arts festival with workshops, author appearances, and exhibitors, over the last ten years I have developed a list of writers who I will not work with again. And rest assured, I’m not the only one who does this. Why? Because they didn’t follow directions. It’s that simple. Who's on it? Writers who acted like the organizer/staff were their personal assistant/manager. Take note of the following ways to avoid this blacklist and be a true professional! KNOW YOUR OWN SCHEDULE Double booking is such a big no-no we can’t believe you’re not aware of this already yourself. Whatev…
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Writing the Breakout Novel 1. It helped me step back and evaluate my novel more objectively. There are specifics that need to be there intentionally, not just accidentally, including a strong theme that is understated through the characters rather than preached through narration. 2. I learned that the romance subplot needs to be more developed. Presently, there is nothing at stake, and it is little more than an afterthought. My book also needs improvement in description on all levels, especially in describing setting without excessive use of adjectives and adverbs or using teacup handicaps. 3. The one complication between the book and the novel writing program is th…
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How to prepare before sending queries to agents, e.g., utilize Publisher's Marketplace to intelligently narrow down the best possible candidates. Algonkian Writer Conferences reviews each step in turn. Here is our take on the smartest way to go about it. As a bonus, you learn a lot of insider knowledge about the business (like who is in "the club" and who is not--see below) along the way. You might also come to the realization that your ms is not yet ready. Such illumination is always a positive thing. Join Publisher's Marketplace and review it for at least a month (yes it costs a few bucks, but so what?). Search out the deals …
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The art of fiction This book does a great job of inspiring the creative spark with its built in lessons, and its a perfect starting place for new writers for this reason. John Gardner's respect for writing as an art form is appreciated, because he stresses the importance of writing not being clearly defined by "do's" and "do not's", or complex mathematical equations. I like the reminder that every subtle detail must be relevant in the story, and that unimportant facts need to become so or simply discarded. This is an easy mistake to make, and the book helps to teach how destructive it can be. It is certainly something I keep a keen eye out for in my revisions. The…
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"The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner Since honesty is what you’re seeking... At the time I read it, I remember feeling very annoyed with Gardner and got very little out of the first part of the book. However, now, as I flip through my copy, I’m struck by how much I highlighted and certain passages are connecting. “In all the major genres, vivid detail is the life blood of fiction.â€� And the writer “must create, stroke by stroke, powerfully convincing characters and settings; he must more and more clearly define for himself what his overall theme or idea is; and he must choose and aesthetically justify his genre and style.â€� I had to remind myself to remain i…
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I suspect that most writers have “Get Published” on their list of goals for the year. Given that this assumption is correct (and I’m pretty sure it is), I’m dedicating this week’s post and next week’s to getting published and what to expect in the process. Whether you’re looking into the traditional route or self-publishing, I’ve got something for everyone. Without further ado, here are my top five picks for this week: #1: Podcast 365. Sunrise, Sunset, and Behind the Scenes in Publishing: Hanging out with Abby Zidle Abby Zidle is the senior editor and associate director of marketing at Gallery Books. While this podcast is mostly geared toward the romance genre, …
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It’s here! The much anticipated second part to getting published. These articles will round out the information you already got in Part 1, but also give you more to consider when picking your publishing path. Ready or not, here are my top picks for the week: #1: How to Secure a Traditional Book Deal By Self-Publishing Jane Freidman brings up a lot of really good points about why, or why not, a writer should ever consider doing this. I warn you, going this route is not for the faint of heart. I’ll let Jane explain why. #2: Friday Speak Out!: No More Query Letters Why one woman decided—only after many years of writing—that the traditional publishing care…
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A WATERSHED EVENT FOR SERIOUS WRITERS Whatever the stage of your project or writing life, know that all writers, if they desire to become commercially published, must see and enter the Epiphany Light. First of all, what is the "Epiphany Light"? The EL is a state of mind crucial to any aspiring author desirous of commercial or serious literary publication, and one which clearly divides the 99% from the 1% of those who've learned the hard way how challenging it is to have their expertise and projects taken seriously by professionals in the publishing business. But are the percentages so drastic as depicted here? Yes, and probably even more so. Consider …
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Writing the Breakout Novel: 1. Writing the Breakout Novel was my favorite craft book of this series. This book taught me a lot about what makes specific novels fall into the “breakoutâ€� category, such as how to create a good conflict, how to make theme memorable and relatable, and how to create larger-than-life characters. Overall, Maass gave very specific examples to allow me to not only learn but also see what makes breakout fiction and how to re-create those techniques in my own writing. It also helped me as a writer because it planted all these seeds about what I should be thinking about while I’m working, which was very helpful. 2. I think the biggest less…
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Barbara Zitwer specializes in discovering new writers from all over the world. They look for writers with original voices and who have commercial, international appeal, and also for books that have potential to be developed for film and television. Barbara Zitwer herself specializes in developing books and editing. She has written several books as well as the play, PAPER DOLL, about Jaqueline Susann, produced in regional theaters throughout the US. She has produced landmark films such as VAMPIRE'S KISS with Nicolas Cage, was Executive Producer on LAZARUS RISING with Columbia Tri-Star and Bernie Sofronski, and she executive produced THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB with Juli…
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AS II – Module 8 Book Reports "The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner (a great primer for this commercial program) 1. How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? This is the second time I’ve read this book. It should be the first book any writer reads on the craft of writing. It validated the areas of craft that I’ve been studying for the past eight-plus years. The book taught me that you have to know the rules of craft and master them before you can break them or create your own. 2. What two or three major lessons did you learn from the book that you can apply to your writing and/or your novel? a. The…
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THE ART OF FICTION, John Gardner How the book helped me as a writer: The copy I have is dated 1984, and it was interesting to see what I’d underlined in red, what my younger writer self found important. There were many great insights and to be reminded of things like not starting a sentence with an infinite verb phrase, were valuable. Gardner wrote, “The reader cannot understand or believe the change unless some clue is provided as to the reason for it.â€� And “moment by moment authenticating detail as the mainstay of fiction.â€� I find myself struggling as I revise, finding so many instances where I have not provided enough of a reason for one of my cha…
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BOOK REPORTS: 1. How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? 2. What two or three major lessons did you learn from the book that you can apply to your writing and/or your novel? 3. Was there anything in the books that obviously conflicted with lessons and readings in our novel writing program. If so, what were they? THE ART OF FICTION, John Gardner
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“The Art of Fictionâ€�, John Gardner How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? This book gave me courage to break rules in my writing. Knowing the rules is imperative before breaking them. But I realize that many of my favorite books have rule-breaking elements in them. I detected an overall theme of aggressive attack in writing - through plot, dialogue, setting, characters, concrete details. Since I write YA, much of my writing is first-person present. Gardner is not a fan! But he did have some great tips on carrying the narrative and not starting every sentence with “I.â€� The big lesson for me: Balance is everyt…
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Books on Technique Utilized in The Novel Writing Program â—¾"The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner (a great primer for this commercial program) â—¾"Writing the Breakout Novel" by Donald Maass (another good primer) â—¾"Write Away" by Elizabeth George (a no nonsense primer, and humorous) â—¾"The Writing Life" by Annie Dillard (a look at the struggle) ________________________________________________________________________________ As you've noted on the novel writing program website, the above books are listed as must reads for this program. And that can't be closer to the truth. Therefore, the purpose of this forum is to cajole you into taking what you'…
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Book Reports: Gardner The Art of Fiction taught me that there are no absolute rules when it comes to fiction. For example, a term used often with regard to creative writing instruction is “show don’t tellâ€�. For many beginning writers this is good advice especially if they are drowning in abstraction. However, for the art of fiction to be entirely void of exposition is disastrous, turning a novel into a screenplay. While these rules can be helpful tools, the writer has to assess them and use them fittingly. One vital lesson from this book is “What Fancy sends, the writer must order by Judgementâ€�. An author may discover a tantalizing plot point but if it is not …
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The Art of Fiction: I had the good fortune of drinking in some of the same bars Gardner frequented. I was an undergrad at SIU-Carbondale. Didn't know him. Or maybe I did. I drank a lot in those days, then went back to the dorm and had ponderous discussions about the meaning of everything. Maybe this is where this book came originated. I might have been there. I don't remember, but it makes a good story, particularly if one forgets that Gardner was a family man with young children and a national reputation following the publication of Grendel. Did I know him? Probably not. Did I sit in the dorm lounge, drinking crappy beer and pontificating about the virtues of clean writ…
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AS II / MODULE 8 BOOK REPORTS I). The Art of Fiction by John Gardner At first, it was very hard to read and absorb this book. Lots of inferences that I should have gone to college (or still attempt to) in order to write a decent narrative. Not happening. I stopped reading this until I got to AS II and forced myself to dive back in and got a lot more out of it this time around. What I found of interest: Genre crossing, using more than one genre (i.e. fantasy and historical romance) for your story idea. The common errors section became a valuable tool on what not to do. I referred to this section more than once while rewriting the first hundred pag…
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How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? What two or three major lessons did you learn from the book that you can apply to your writing and/or your novel? Was there anything in the books that obviously conflicted with lessons and readings in our novel writing program. If so, what were they? David Maass Writing the Breakout Novel has become my bible of sorts I find it vastly helpful, from David Maass' advice on upping the stakes to creating tension on every page to remembering to like my villain to having successful subplots to ... I found writing out of story dialogues between the author and characters …
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(Some context: previously I’ve read, many times, SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS, Browne and King; and STEIN ON WRITING, Sol Stein.) THE ART OF FICTION WRITING John Gardner guides us through the universe of fiction-writing, sharing so much with such authority and clarity, that I was able to go back to my draft, to fuzzy areas, and start to bring them into focus. (I knew things were fuzzy, didn’t know what to do to fix them). Especially on top of the two books I’d read previously, the craft aspects gain critical mass, helped by his excellent examples. An important message for me is that scenes must have enough detail to come to life for the reader, and that lan…
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BOOK REPORTS "The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner 1. How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? It reinforced for me some vital components that must permeate the book throughout. For example, the story development must continuously cast forwards, drawing the reader from paragraph to paragraph, from scene to scene. Any let up and the reader can stop caring where the story will go next, at which point the writer has failed, and the reader stops reading. This was particularly important for me to get in my head in the early scenes when I move from place to place, character to character. I had initially focuse…
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Art of Fiction 1. How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? I don’t honestly know if this helped with my writing, though I did like a few of the concepts that he addressed (see #2). I had a hard time reading this, since it was so dense, and I don’t feel that I retained much of it. The “Write Awayâ€� book dealt with many of the same concepts, but in a much more accessible style. 2. What two or three major lessons did you learn from the book that you can apply to your writing and/or your novel? I did like his point about writers benefitting from learning and applying technique, rather than “rulesâ€�. I liked the …
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The Art of Fiction 1. How did it help me as a writer? Throw away details that are not necessary. Even as a writer who dislikes excessively long books, it's easy at times when writing our own stuff to have fun "playing" with details in the story that might bore others. 2. Two or three major lessons I learned from it? Writing is like any other art form, break the old, traditional rules if you can do it in a way that makes the art more beautiful. And the idea of not overexplaining what a character is thinking. THAT is something that's very easy to do when writing in the third person, and it's a good reminder to show, not tell, even in third person POV. 3. Anyt…
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