The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing

by Leder, Meg

• ISBN13: 9781582971599
• ISBN10: 1582971595
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-07-01
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books

Summary

The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing is a compilation of the best articles and interviews from Writer's Digest magazine, books and annuals. Aspiring authors will find articles on the craft, art and process of fiction writing from such well-known authors as Sue Grafton, Richard Russo, Janet Fitch, Octavia Butler and Terry Brooks. They'll also glean a wealth of knowledge and advice from interviews with Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, John Updike, Terry McMillan, Joyce Carol Oates, Tom Clancy and more! It's a comprehensive fiction-writing guide that tackles everything from crafting a story and using descriptive language to breaking through writer's block and getting an agent. Meg Leder is an editor for Writer's Digest Books. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has written for Personal Journaling and Cincinnati Magazine. Jack Heffron is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based freelance writer and editor, and the author of the Writer's Idea Book.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
The Craft
The Philosophy of Plot	p. 4
The Plot Thickens	p. 13
What I Stole From the Movies	p. 22
The Fifty-Page Dash	p. 32
Find Your Novel's Missing Links	p. 40
Don't Just Conclude the Plot ... Nail the Landing	p. 52
Who's Afraid of Point of View?	p. 66
Creating Four-Dimensional Characters	p. 80
Seven Tools for Talk	p. 91
The Art
Mastering Fiction's First Rule	p. 101
What Your Story Says	p. 114
Killer-Diller Details Bring Fiction to Life	p. 121
Sense and Sensuality	p. 130
Why True-Life Stories Often Don't Make Good Fiction	p. 139
Fiction's Connecting Link: Emotion	p. 149
Location, Location, Location: Depicting Character Through Place	p. 160
The More and Less of Writing Humorous Fiction	p. 177
The Process
How to Start	p. 184
The Use of the Journal in Writing a Novel	p. 193
Pump Up Your Creativity	p. 204
Breaking Through Writer's Block	p. 209
"Murder Your Darlings"	p. 215
A Four-Step Plan for Revision	p. 220
Twenty-One Tweaks to a Better Tale	p. 228
What to Do About Criticism	p. 235
The Genres
Literary or Commercial?	p. 249
Writing the World of Fantasy	p. 255
Once Upon a Character	p. 259
Innovation in Horror	p. 270
The Who in Whodunits	p. 279
Writing Suspense That'll "Kill" Your Readers	p. 286
Keeping Them in Suspense	p. 293
Inside Christian Fiction	p. 303
The Basics of Romance	p. 310
The Marketplace
The Search Begins: Finding Agents and Editors	p. 326
To Fee or Not to Fee	p. 338
"Study the Market!"	p. 345
Commanding Book Proposals: The Rejection Slip's Greatest Enemy	p. 351
Producing a Knockout Novel Synopsis	p. 358
Marketing Your Novel: The Ten Commandments	p. 366
Understanding the Digital Revolution in Five Easy Steps	p. 376
The Interviews
Margaret Atwood: "As a Writer, You Must Do What Beckons to You"	p. 383
Seven Questions with Maeve Binchy	p. 388
A Conversation With Tom Clancy	p. 391
Interview With Elizabeth George	p. 394
Eight Questions With David Guterson	p. 398
Gish Jen: "You Never Get Bored"	p. 402
Jerry B. Jenkins: Left Behind Series	p. 409
A Conversation With Tony Hillerman	p. 413
Terry McMillan: "Everything I Write Is About Empowerment"	p. 416
Find Identity With Joyce Carol Oates	p. 424
Finding Creativity With James Patterson	p. 428
A Journey With Anne Rivers Siddons	p. 431
Updike: Still More to Say	p. 434
"Whatever Works, Works": Kurt Vonnegut on Flouting the Rules of Fiction	p. 439
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.