- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Collins (1 May 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0061357952
- ISBN-13: 978-0061357954
- Product Dimensions: 20.5 x 14.4 x 1.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,285,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
How Not to Write a Novel
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Product Description
Review
This writing how-to should carry a warning: it's the kind of book one reads at the expense of all other responsibilities. (Library Journal )
A great resource and a fun read with a lot of solid advice for would-be novelists. (Publishers Weekly ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
A great resource and a fun read with a lot of solid advice for would-be novelists. (Publishers Weekly ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Review
'[a] hilarious, wickedly observed and deeply useful guide'
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book extremely entertaining, and it would pass a couple of amusing hours for anyone, wannabe writer or not. I laughed out loud at points, and it certainly does stand out from all the other writing help guides out there.
However, the most notable way it stands out is by not being particularly helpful. There are some useful pointers in here; however, it mainly gives the impression of being an opportunity for the authors to vent some anger towards hopeless writers. The style is condescending, smug and mocking. The fact is, however, that the hopeless writers at whom this book is clearly aimed would have no use for it: they will never be successful, no matter what. Those writers who stand a fighting chance - who have basic ability but need some help - are the ones that benefit from writing guides and this book is not for them. The examples are so clearly ludicrous, and many of the pointers so blatantly obvious, that if you don't already know them you should stay away from fiction at all costs. Therefore the authors have defeated their own objective. They manage to poke fun at, and alienate, the very audience they're trying to sell to.
I think there is a lot of value to this book. However, it should be rebranded in the 'humour' section, as it is definitely an entertaining read rather than a helpful guide to novel writing.
However, the most notable way it stands out is by not being particularly helpful. There are some useful pointers in here; however, it mainly gives the impression of being an opportunity for the authors to vent some anger towards hopeless writers. The style is condescending, smug and mocking. The fact is, however, that the hopeless writers at whom this book is clearly aimed would have no use for it: they will never be successful, no matter what. Those writers who stand a fighting chance - who have basic ability but need some help - are the ones that benefit from writing guides and this book is not for them. The examples are so clearly ludicrous, and many of the pointers so blatantly obvious, that if you don't already know them you should stay away from fiction at all costs. Therefore the authors have defeated their own objective. They manage to poke fun at, and alienate, the very audience they're trying to sell to.
I think there is a lot of value to this book. However, it should be rebranded in the 'humour' section, as it is definitely an entertaining read rather than a helpful guide to novel writing.
54 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This isn't a writing course -- it won't help you generate characters, overcome writer's block or find the inspiration to unleash the artist within. But it does contain some very good pointers towards the kinds of fault that will send your manuscript into the waste basket, and it's written by people who know.
I found it intermittently very funny, and usually helpful; some of the recommendations will be familiar to anyone who's read anything similar before, but it's mostly fresh and zippy enough. You'll get through it in a single sitting, but it would make a useful pre-flight checklist for any fiction manuscript.
Certain Amazon reviewers seem to have found this book personally offensive, and the examples of mistakes insulting to unpublished writers. On the other hand, one of those reviewers doesn't know that a 'straw man' is a deliberate misrepresentation of an opponent's position, designed to be easily refuted, and not a deliberate exaggeration designed to make a salient point clearer, which is what the parodic examples in this book are. I'd say they're made so comically awful partly in order to *avoid* offending or discouraging unpublished writers.
The implicit 201st piece of advice here is probably: if you're dreadful enough to find the examples insulting, and you can't see how bad you are even after it's pointed out to you, give up.
I found it intermittently very funny, and usually helpful; some of the recommendations will be familiar to anyone who's read anything similar before, but it's mostly fresh and zippy enough. You'll get through it in a single sitting, but it would make a useful pre-flight checklist for any fiction manuscript.
Certain Amazon reviewers seem to have found this book personally offensive, and the examples of mistakes insulting to unpublished writers. On the other hand, one of those reviewers doesn't know that a 'straw man' is a deliberate misrepresentation of an opponent's position, designed to be easily refuted, and not a deliberate exaggeration designed to make a salient point clearer, which is what the parodic examples in this book are. I'd say they're made so comically awful partly in order to *avoid* offending or discouraging unpublished writers.
The implicit 201st piece of advice here is probably: if you're dreadful enough to find the examples insulting, and you can't see how bad you are even after it's pointed out to you, give up.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Humorous? Yes. "How not to write a novel" is about how to write a book with no plot, cardboard people, and using horrible language. And that is funny, but the sarcasm does get a little old, when every one of the 200 mistakes is "attacked" in the same way.
Full of gold nuggets? There are some - hey, not everyone strikes it rich. This is a great little remember-the-obvious-how-to-book, but then again, I guess the obvious mistakes are also the most recurrent mistakes.
All in all, this is a humorous little book, but not the book that will be dog-eared and underlined and used time and time again in my writing endeavours.
Louise.
Full of gold nuggets? There are some - hey, not everyone strikes it rich. This is a great little remember-the-obvious-how-to-book, but then again, I guess the obvious mistakes are also the most recurrent mistakes.
All in all, this is a humorous little book, but not the book that will be dog-eared and underlined and used time and time again in my writing endeavours.
Louise.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not What I Hoped For
The book makes some good valid points but I found the way that the points are made to be very laboured. Another reviewer has called this smug and I would have to agree. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Nigel A M Seed
A fun,but flawed read. Take with a pinch of salt.
I enjoyed reading this. It was fun, humorous, and not completely without merit. However there are definitely some things that irked me about it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by steven sweeting
Useful Fun
The authors just give ruthless, merciless but useful advice. Is great fun to read, even if you are not been very serious about writing a novel. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Callita
How not to write a review
I sat down to write a review of this book, having read it in one sitting some months ago. The review was originally: "Amusing book, worth reading for that alone. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Izzie
How Not to Write a Novel?
"200 Mistakes to AVOID AT ALL COSTS if You EVER want to Get Published"
There, you've been TOLD. How not to write a novel? Read more
There, you've been TOLD. How not to write a novel? Read more
Published 7 months ago by Tamnaceol
A Great Read
This is such an entertaining book. I have loved reading all my life but was never very good at explaining to myself or others why some writing irritated me. Read more
Published 8 months ago by hazel lawson
How to Patronise New Writers and Make them Feel Stupid!!
This book is a badly wasted opportunity. The writers clearly know a great deal about the craft of writing and the world of publishing. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mojodo
how not to write a novel
This is a fantastic book for anyone who is remotely interested in becoming any kind of a creative writer. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Davdaw
Genius
This book is a must for all people that have written their first novel then been rejected by the publishers and don't know why. Read more
Published 17 months ago by S. C. Young
Help for would be novelists
This is a brilliantly funny book that gives all the pitfalls to avoid when writing that precious first novel. Read more
Published 19 months ago by V. Morley
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