How Not to Write a Novel
ISBN:
0000000057954 (0000978006)
Publish date: 2008
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages no: 262
Edition language: English
Category:
Non Fiction,
Humor,
Writing,
Comedy,
Reference,
Language,
Books About Books,
Adult,
Crafts,
Self Help,
How To
This made me laugh several times, the examples are hilarious and if you know the genres you can see the echoes blatantly. It did solidify why I disliked reading some books and what was wrong with them for me.
This is great fun - time after time the authors would throw out an example and I'd think: yep, that one was in book X. Bad characterisation, bad plot devices, bad dialogue, even bad query letters - they're all in here. The humour might get a little tedious for some, since it's all a bit over-the-top...
A light-hearted, funny, and interesting read. A lot of those mistakes I already knew to avoid, but it doesn't matter: this book still allowed me to think about other pitfalls I should keep an eye on. Besides, good advice wrapped in humour and wit always works better for me than pompous utterances.
How Not To Write A Novel is an indispensible gem for aspiring writers. Instead of telling you what to write and how to write it, this book takes you through a variety of mistakes that will lead to editors promptly sending your manuscript to the rejection pile. Not only is it a useful reference point...
I don't know why I find Mittelmark and Newman so entertaining, but they crack me up. My default setting is silliness, and these two are good at silly, while also providing a lot of very helpful information. I loved Read This Next, so I decided to give this one a go, even though I have no intention o...
12 years ago
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