You Can Write a Novel (You Can Write)

Rating:
Summary: All about PROCESS
Review: If you actually want to get writing, this book is for you.

This book isn't a mystical cheerlead on the gift of writing, or a drawn-out analysis on the basic elements of fiction. This book is all about seat-in-the-chair/fingers-on-the-keyboard process! And not a long, drawn-out process of lengthy character biographies and overwhelming multi-page outlines. Too many books obsess over "the writing before the writing." This book is all about getting focused and then getting writing.

If you're ready to really produce something - not just dream about it - this book will help you do it.

I was skeptical till I tried it and surprised to found out how easy it was to get started! It's an excellent value - one of the most practical and useful books on novel writing that I own - and a definite keeper.

Rating:
Summary: A decent book on fiction writing...
Review: James V. Smith's "You Can Write A Novel" is written for the first-time novelist looking to create a salable manuscript. Smith offers a number of valuable tips that I haven't seen in similar how-to books. One of them is to practice writing out select paragraphs of best-selling authors. In doing so, you can learn a lot about proper sentence structure, good dialogue, and powerful, action-packed sentences. The book is worth reading in order to pick up anything, just one tip that will help improve your writing. However, if you can only buy one book, I would suggest "Stein on Writing", "The First Five Pages", or "Writing the Breakout Novel" instead.

Britt Gillette
Author of "Conquest of Paradise"

Rating:
Summary: Be honest. You need help.
Review: To all would-be novelists: do you need help? Is there a first line, or a first chapter, lurking in your desk drawer, waiting for your ideas to gel? Maybe scraps of ideas written on envelopes and napkins?

Get organized. This book is what you need.

James V. Smith covers all necessary aspects of writing novel-length fiction, up to and including a unique way to organize characters and scenes on index cards, keeping all your info available when you need it.

Then, beyond the mechanical help, Smith gives you practical advice on the creative process. Learn how to revise by eliminating text; exactly how many main characters a well-crafted novel has in population; how to make those characters believable, and the reader care about them; how to start and keep going until you finish.

It's as good as a fiction workshop priced at ten times the price of this book.