Home · Book Reports · 2018 · How Not to Write a Novel

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designates my notes. / designates important.

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Thoughts

Funny. Mostly ‘duh’, but a few useful insights.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Plot

• 01: Beginnings and Setups
• 02: Complications and Pacing
• 03: Endings

Part 2: Character

• 04: Character Essentials
• 05: Getting to Know Your Hero
• 06: Sidekicks and Significant Others
• 07: Bad Guys

Part 3: Style - The Basics

• 08: Words and Phrases
• 09: Sentences and Paragraphs
• 10: Dialog

Part 4: Style - Perspective and Voice

• 11: Narrative Stance
• 12: Interior Monologue
• 13: Setting
• 14: Reseach and Historical Background
• 15: Theme

Part 6: Special Effects and Novelty Acts: Do Not Try This At Home

Part 7: How Not To Sell A Novel

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• Pages numbers from the pdf.

Part 1: Plot

· 01: Beginnings and Setups

page 9:

• Make the plot something ‘big’. Something everyone, not only you would care about.

page 10:

• Don’t spend too much time on history, memories, etc.

page 12:

• Start in the action then wrap back around to it with the rest of the book.

page 13:

• Don’t spend too much time describing scenery, get on with it.

page 14:

• Don’t use words like ‘amazing’ and ‘unbelievable’ don’t actually describe anything.

• If you introduce something, use it. The gum on the mantelpiece.

· 02: Complications and Pacing

page 19:

• Have enough characters. How many is enough depends on the story, but 1 or 2 is not the answer.

page 22:

• Don’t spoil it. If you reveal a plan, when the time comes make sure something goes amiss.

page 23:

• Strokes of good luck and mind-boggling coincidences can be used when that is what your novel is about. A character whose problems are miraculously resolved when he finds a duffel bag filled with unmarked currency will be received by the reader very differently than a character whose problems begin when he finds the money.

page 26:

• Avoid dream sequences.

page 27:

• NEVER use two scenes to establish the same thing.

· 03: Endings

Part 2: Character

· 04: Character Essentials

page 40:

• Don’t use mirrors or photos as an excuse to enumerate looks.

page 41:

• Don’t over do it describing clothing.

· 05: Getting to Know Your Hero

page 46:

• A related issue is the recent vogue for gay characters in historical novels. Fine, we say, but do not use this as a way to demonstrate your other characters‘ tolerance, which they would not feel.

• Keep pets to only a few sentences.

· 06: Sidekicks and Significant Others

page 49:

• Friends of the protagonist should each have an identity or be referred to as ’the gang’. Alternatively, don’t load up on too many friends that each highlight an aspect of the protagonist.

· 07: Bad Guys

Part 3: Style - The Basics

· 08: Words and Phrases

· 09: Sentences and Paragraphs

· 10: Dialog

page 85:

• Just use the word ‘said’, don’t get all fancy.

page 90:

• Don’t omit too many speech tags, the reader will get lost.

page 91:

• Add some background, to remind the reader where this is happening, if the dialog goes on too long.

Part 4: Style - Perspective and Voice

· 11: Narrative Stance

page 103:

• Point of view should last at least a page between switches. Don’t jump into other characters’ heads.

page 110:

• Keep tenses straight.

· 12: Interior Monologue

· 13: Setting

· 14: Reseach and Historical Background

page 134:

• Do your research. Know how the people in the milieu you’re writing speak. Know the technical jargon. But don’t overdo it.

· 15: Theme

Part 6: Special Effects and Novelty Acts: Do Not Try This At Home

Part 7: How Not To Sell A Novel

page 158:

• One-inch margins, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman (or something else that does not call attention to itself, like Courier).

• Number your pages sequentially—that is, do not start from 1 at the beginning of each chapter.

• Print on only one side of the page.

• Identify the manuscript by putting your last name or the title of the novel in the header along with the page number.

• Indent new paragraphs; do not also add another line space between them.

• Screenplays are presented in binders; novels are not. Do not bind, staple, or otherwise permanently affix the pages to one another in any way. (A rubber band, though, is helpful.)