|
|
|
|
|
Books : This Year You Write Your Novel |
List Price: $19.99Amazon.com's Price: $13.59 You Save: $6.40 (32%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.3
EAN: 9780316065412
ISBN: 0316065412
Label: Little, Brown and Company
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 112
Publication Date: April 03, 2007
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Sales Rank: 77343
Studio: Little, Brown and Company
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
No more excuses. "Let the lawn get shaggy and the paint peel from the walls," bestselling novelist Walter Mosley advises. Anyone can write a novel now, and in this essential book of tips, practical advice, and wisdom, Walter Mosley promises that the writer-in-waiting can finish it in one year. Intended as both inspiration and instruction, the book provides the tools to turn out a first draft painlessly and then revise it into something finer. Mosley tells how to:
- Create a daily writing regimen to fit any writer's needs--and how to stick to it.
- Determine the narrative voice that's right for every writer's style.
- Get past those first challenging sentences and into the heart of a story.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
"This Year You Write Your Novel" is better suited to middle-school creative writing classes than to serious would-be authors. There's nothing new or interesting here -- just the same, tired old advice we've heard countless times. We KNOW it's important to write every day... and seriously, does Mosley think a person who aspires to write a novel hasn't familiarized him/herself with the various points of view? If you need to review the basics, it may be worth a try, but if you're looking for some new ideas you can really sink your teeth into, try Robert Olan Butler's "From Where You Dream". Bottom line: I'm glad I borrowed this from the library -- even at Amazon's low price, I'd have felt ripped off.
Rating:  -
This book is extremely basic. It's a pretty good book at what it does, which is really to provide a motivational kick in the butt - but for in-depth information on the elements and techniques novel-writing, look elsewhere.
Rating:  -
I read some of the negative reviews criticizing this book as "nothing new" and positive reviews characterizing this as a book for "novices." I disagree with both. This book will NOT make you a bestselling author (and it doesn't claim to), but it will remove your excuses for not finishing that first novel--and, to me, that's PRICELESS.
In the sense that I have not been published, I suppose I'm a novice. However, I have been aware of and honing my writing talent for most of my life with formal instruction and practice including writing workshops and classes, editing a college newspaper, and writing my own column. In all of those settings I learned many useful things including the differences between poetry and prose and how and when to use AP style along with a lot of the tips Mosley addresses in this book--but none of them taught me a STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS TO WRITING A NOVEL.
I have had an exciting idea for a novel germinating in my mind for over a year. I've created a detailed outline, written a number of scenes, done "research" for the story (which I learned from Mosley is nothing more than procrastination), and shared my progress with numerous people. Nevertheless, I felt stymied by the process of creating my first finished novel.
After reading Mosley's book (in less than one day), I was stirred to action and felt like I had an easy-to-follow plan to get through the process of writing my novel. I am supplementing his basic instruction ... Read More
Rating:  -
Walter Mosley, This Year You Write Your Novel (Little, Brown, 2007)
Very slim retread of many other how-to-write books; the strength of this one is Walter Mosley's voice, which is as good here as it is in his novels. The actual advice, however, is pretty standard, and if you're read more than a handful of how-to-write books, you won't find anything new here. Recommended more for Mosley fans than for aspiring authors unfamiliar with his previous work. ***
Rating: -
This short, 111 page book breaks down the writing process into simple, well defined segments. Mr. Mosely goes from beginning your novel and establishing a writing routine all the way to the revision of your first draft.
Sprinkled throughout this book are little gems. My favorite was in the beginning where he likens writing a novel to taking a journey by boat and says, "if you allow yourself to drift, you will never make it to the destination." The book is full of these gems, which, when you read the book, make perfect sense.
The most valuable part of this book to me was the revision process. Since I just finished the first draft of my novel, it's time for me to begin the revision process. This book gave me excellent advice and a path to follow.
This book is full of indispensible advice. It goes straight to the point. It leaves you feeling encouraged. It would be a great addition to any writer's bookshelf.
Browse for similar items by category:
|
