The Art and Craft of Novel Writing

Rating:
Summary: A clear yet informative book for the beginner.
Review: One can be assured the professional novelist will not enjoy this book, but Oakley Hall does not write for such a reader. Instead, this work is an outline for someone who has never written a novel before. Especially helpful are the varied literary examples which are accompanied by clear notes printed in the margins. The format helps the reader see what beginning writers often miss--the elements of effect writing. Individuals who have never attempted a novel before (and even those who have never written before) will gain insight from Hall's advice.

Rating:
Summary: Dull and uninspiring
Review: There are so many fine books on the market on writing, that I am surprised that this book continues to be in print. Though it has some general good writing advice, I found it to be of extremely limited use. Ironically, this book which professes to teach 'the art and craft of novel writing' is itself written in a dull and lifeless manner. I was particularly struck by the author's list of "must-read" novels. Had I read his very macho, white bread reading list first, I would have realized his ideas about writing were quite different from mine, and saved my money.

Rating:
Summary: Not that bad
Review: This isn't as awful as everyone says. It's one of the few books I've found that deals exclusively with the demands of novel writing. Many books on fiction writing do not address the demands of writing a novel which separate the craft from that of writing short fiction. (Even some books purportedly about writing a novel slip into this "fiction is fiction" trap.)

The sections cover the basic skills needed to write a decent novel and provide excellent examples.