How to Write a Novel A Practical Guide to the Art of Fiction

by Anonymous

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Writing

151 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1901

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Katelyn Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I NOT write a review about this book??
UGH
To start, I read this book on whim, not necessaraily to write a novel (is anything new?). HOWEVER, I loved every moment, and I hope you do too if you decide to read this book as well.
Well, to start, this book had a comment to be known by all: "Style cannot be taught," and, "It takes a story to tell and a skill for telling to properly sell a tale."
It went in depth of the 5 queries, who, what, when, why, and where, of how novelists get their stories, and offered some really awesome places like people watching and newspapers <- places for raw material to elaborate & fantasize upon.
Enter some intriquicies, examples of phenomenal literature, exerpts, and a few personal monologues and you got yourself a pretty good book and a hell of a lesson.
Remember: Experience... is and will ALWAYS be the wisest and best teacher.
Namaste, read this. I even gave you the link, common. Here have is again as this duck emoji 🦆. Click the duck, I DARe yoU. 💖

[Forked Radish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good common sense advice for writers which is somewhat subverted by the assertion that there are "laws" of writing. Maybe, there are such laws in North Korea and the UK, but not yet in the US where free speech is still constitutionally guaranteed, for now. Another point of contention is the authors advice to write short stories as practice for full-length novel writing, but short stories and novels are totally different, like sprinting and marathon running. One doesn't complement the other, quite the opposite. The proof of this is the almost complete lack of writers who are/were proficient in both forms. Only Tolstoy and maybe Twain come to mind. Finally, the author leaves out the most important thing for a aspiring writer to do, which is to READ.

[Gregory Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

More inspirational than informational

As other reviews have noted this doesn't have much how to offer in ways of useful tips on how to kickstart your own writing career, although it is peppered with a few interesting tidbits about the writing habits of authors of the past. Most of the advice is very fundamental, such as opening up to the observation of people around you and noting their behaviour and speech patterns. An author cannot live entirely in a vacuum and needs something of real life to draw from if they are ever going to find readers. This is a reasonably quick read, although somewhat dry and dull in its style. I don't know when it was published but it seems to suggest that H. G. Wells was still alive at the time.

[Alan Kraskow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected this book to be outdated and largely irrelevant due to its age, but I was pleasantly surprised! It’s short yet packed with valuable insights, covering a wide range of topics. From writing philosophy and work ethic to various approaches and practical methods, it offers a wealth of information. The ideas presented are simple, yet profoundly impactful in many ways. I highly recommend it—I absolutely loved it!

[Helfren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book reveals the gems of writing a novel. The practical way and to potray the character as the realization and further understanding with actual people with real characterization with artistic and creative perspective. A good ole book to read about being a novelist.

[GoldenGerbera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very pragmatic. It was interesting to get to know different approaches that different authors use.

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful and comprehensive.