Book Review: ‘How NOT to write a novel’ – S.Newman & H Mittelmark

I am currently not writing fiction, so this book was more for pleasure reading than related to my own writing. I had to blog about it as it is truly a must-read for every writer.

Here are my comments on How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them–A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide

• The premise of the book is that authors/editors/publishers would never agree on what makes a great book, so this is a list of what makes a terrible book. Basically, how to ensure your book never sees the light of day.
• The book is a series of little examples of bad writing with a following explanation of what to fix. Each is named something appropriate e.g. Linearity Shrugged: In which the author assembles the novel in no particular order.
• It was laugh out loud funny – and I am not someone who usually guffaws on the morning commuter train! Some of the bad writing is truly terrible, and more amusing as you can recognise some of your own in it somewhere! The skill in which they have constructed the shocking pieces is evident!
• Brilliant bad sex scenes – pg 225 -> and excellent extras on How not to sell your novel as well
• After reading this book, I actually felt as if I could have a go at fiction writing and then use this book as a checklist to make sure I had not made any of the mistakes they outline.

Definitely buy this book if you are a writer (or want to be!)

Available at Amazon etc How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them–A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide

Here is a list of other recommended books for writing, publishing and internet marketing.

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