179 Ways to Save a Novel: Matters of Vital Concern to Fiction Writers

by Peter Selgin

Looking for ways to fix your novel? Is your fiction writing in peril? Based on real advice gleaned from thousands of writing critiques, 179 Ways to Save a Novel is more than a collection of ideas for troubleshooting your work-in-progress (though it holds plenty of practical writing advice). This inspiring guide doubles as a thoughtful examination of the writing life—and not just with respect to writing, but to the reading habits and thought processes of writers. The 179 meditations in this book are grouped under six Substance Structure Style Symbol, Myth & Metaphor Soul and Other Matters Dip into the book at random when in need of nonspecific advice, inspiration, or criticism. Or read it straight through for a deeper examination of the writing life. However you encounter them, these meditations are d to challenge, inspire, provoke—and occasionally to tickle or annoy

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference

282 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Peter Selgin is the author of Drowning Lessons, winner of the 2007 Flannery O’Connor Award for Fiction, Life Goes to the Movies, a novel, two books on the craft of fiction, and two children’s books. His stories and essays have appeared in dozens of magazines and anthologies, including Glimmer Train Stories, Poets & Writers, The Sun, Slate, Colorado Review, Writers and Their Notebooks, Writing Fiction, and Best American Essays 2009. Confessions of a Left-Handed Man: An Artist’s Memoir, was recently published by the University of Iowa Press and was short-listed for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. His latest novel, The Water Master, won this years’ Pirate’s Alley / Faulkner Society Prize, and his essay, The Kuhreihen Melody, won the Missouri Review Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize. Selgin’s visual art has graced the pages of the The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Outside, Gourmet, and other publications. Selgin has had several plays published and produced, including Night Blooming Serious, which won the Mill Mountain Theater Competition. His full-length play, A God in the House, based on Dr. Kevorkian and his suicide device, was a National Playwright’s Conference Winner and later optioned for Off-Broadway. He teaches at Antioch University’s MFA writing program and is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Georgia College.

Reviews

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial reaction: This book had so many gems for commentary, that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It really comes across as helpful writing advice for writers of many expertise levels, and it's worth going through it. More to come when I write the full review (eventually - ended up finishing this in a library sitting).

Full review:

Reading this was a bit of a surprise for me, because I didn't expect it to be as funny in terms of the narrative voice that Peter Selgin gives for writing advice. I don't always agree with his commentary, but he provides a lot of food for thought and advice on the writing craft, especially with consideration to problems that a writer may have with drafting a novel.

There are literally 179 focal points given in this guide (so it's true to its name). It's divided into a number of sections, which range from substance to style to structure and the far measure between, paying attention to some of his experiences as a writer and giving feedback about his students' works.

I kind of want to fistbump Selgin on what he mentions about melodrama (which is something I think a lot of writers, especially those writing in YA and NA, could learn from - because it's definitely an issue I see a lot of the time.)

The collection is well organized and quite a bit of the points made in each section tend to follow up with each other - so one will run concurrently with another in a given section and choose to expound. It's definitely one I would recommend as a supplement text for writing, though there may be times when the writer may find his/her experience and rationale may differ from Selgin. It's still a worthwhile narrative for its food for thought, advice, and eye to the writing craft and building a novel.

Overall score: 3.5/5 stars.

[Bridgina Molloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I could cheerfully choke the author of this book for his snobbish ideas about being an author and what we should be writing, and how we should write it, I did how ever enjoy the challenge of getting through it, and found to my delight (well, there were a few good things about the book), some good advice and interesting information that I will no doubt be using in my own work.

Now don't get the idea that you shouldn't read this book, I think you should, the amount of underlining and numerous comments that I have written inside my own personal copy are well worth the read. The author, Peter Selgin, while annoying me with the way he seems to look down on some writers, does encourage me to think about what exactly I am writing and how I am writing it.

He also challenges me to think about the reasons why I'm writing, am I writing to make a fortune, to be read, to be Famous, to do book tours, or just because I need to write, for the pleasure of the word? Which is it? lol.

Well done Mr. Selgin, you have challenged me, and I've actually enjoyed it, even if I still want to choke you.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: this book has a misleading title! It may sound like a list of practical guidelines for writing a marketable novel but instead it turns out to be a series of musings on "literary" fiction--quite a different animal. In fact, Selgin shows contempt for any kind of genre fiction, and his examples of how "not" to write include many bestselling authors. So if this is the kind of advice you are looking for, you will not find it here. The most practical suggestions on writing sound like they're borrowed from "The Elements of Style," but once a reader realizes just what sort of book this is--that it's not a handbook for how to write a bestseller but more of a series of short essays on the idea of writing in general--it's not too bad, and you might even forgive Selgin for the bait-and-switch of the title.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this treasure in the NYPL bookshop, and could not put it down on the flight back. It is an examination of the writing life, the story about story.

[أروى الغلاييني · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of years ago I came across the author Peter Selgin.I was searching for informative writing lectures,when I stumbled upon the title of the lecture .I was particularly interested in the concept of error correction. I thought his methods would help me to improve my writing.After taking his lecture I was motivated to hunt down his book 179 Ways to Save a Novel.I believed the tips and the guidelines of the book would benefit my writing skills,specifically the chapter on Symbol,Myth, and Metaphor because of the nature of my book which is historical fiction, as it utilizes symbols and metaphors.

‘‘A fiction writer’s job is not just to convey experience vividly and viscerally ,through scene and concrete description .It is to illuminate,to shine the bright light of metaphor and meaning.’(134).This quote rings true to the symbolic nature of Yusuf’s shirt in my novel where there are three references to it where symbolism and metaphors are closely intertwined.
In the first incident regarding the shirt ,the shirt was forcefully taken off Yusuf by his jealous brothers, he was then thrown into a well, his shirt smeared with blood and given to his father Jacob, all the while, the poor father trying to be convinced into believing his child was devoured by a wolf.In this situation the shirt symbolizes the betrayal of Yusuf by his brothers and the agony and devastation of the father upon hearing about Yusuf’s loss .

The third scenario is when Yusuf ,in the position of chief minister of Egypt , gave his shirt to the same brothers to present to their father ,Jacob.In this instant the shirt was a metaphor completely opposite to the first incident.This time the shirt symbolized the return of what was previously taken from Jacob and Yusuf, by restoring a blind Jacob’s eyesight,and ensuring Yusuf was reunited with his father ,as a result the emotions here are ones of pure joy and elation.

The second reference to the shirt,unrelated to the prior two , is in relation to what happened between Yusuf and the Aziz’ wife .When Yusuf was accused of seducing Zulaikah, his shirt was the blatant sign of his innocence ,although the authorities still decided to put him in the prison.This time the shirt depicted an arrogant honor and prestige versus justice.

In all three examples demonstrated above, the shirt has different metaphorical meanings.Depending on the circumstance the reader can analyze the specific meaning behind the symbolism, as the meanings vary with each situation.
In Peter Selgin aforementioned quotation the advice is given that the writers should forget about minor details and overcomplicating the descriptions, instead they should focus on symbols and metaphors to make the reader consider hidden meanings. As Selgin reiterates ‘’sometimes we need to look more deeply into what already recognise of symbols,to exploit the capacity for meanings’’(138)




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[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tolerable in places, plain wrong in others, and self-contradictory in still others. A note while reading which sums it up well:
P. 273: "Author spends half a book recommending simple language over complex, and then calls himself a 'pettifogging fussbudget'. What?"
All up? Unrelentingly mediocre.

[Thecritic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and it had good points. It took me some time to finish it because I read it on the go, two or three pointers a day.

[Huck · Rating 4 out of 5]

179

[Paperadventures · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can confidently say that out of dozens of books about writing, this ranks among the top two I've ever read (the other being 'No Plot? No Problem!'-- which covers very different aspects of writing).

I've had a love/hate relationship with it, admittedly. Some of the author's advice rubs me the wrong way. Especially his preference for clear, concise writing and contempt for flowery, 'purple' writing. I know what he means about overly-stylized writing, but can't one enjoy the use of longer words and the craft of the writing itself once in a while? He gives an example of the sentence 'Poor Grace was not so fortunate', opting that 'Grace wasn't so lucky' is a better way to say it. I also disagree that dialogue shouldn't include 'um's and such.

Most writing advice books will be slightly biased depending on the author's opinion on what makes good writing, the kind of writing they enjoy reading, etc. For the most part I enjoyed this book immensely.

I've learned incredibly valuable stuff. This book has answered questions and defined things that other writing advice has never answered. I now know (although I thought I knew before) how to write the ultimate first sentence. I now know how to write with detail in ways that I didn't even think about before. This book has succeeded in it's title, and has, in a way, 'saved' my novel.

More on the writing advice I disagreed with on a deep level: There will always be advice you disagree with, for not everyone enjoys reading the same kind of novel. At the end there was the chapter that essentially tells you to break all the rules and not listen to a word they've just told you. The chapter I expect in writing-advice books. A rather brilliant chapter, actually.

If you write, you absolutely must read this book. It will change the way you write. It will improve whatever you're writing by tenfold. I can't wait to start writing and implement the advice given among these pages.

I also suggest buying it. This is the kind of book you'll want to read again and again to remind yourself of all the ways your writing can improve.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an effort to regurgitate interest in my recently completed novel, I scooped up this reasonably helpful, reasonably non-abusive primer on creating fiction. It has some good qualities. One thing I appreciated was the author's restraint--though he is obviously a unrepentant snob, he made an effort to keep his advice friendly and respectful to writers at an intermediate skill level (many people writing these self-help guides can't resist bashing beginners and students.)

My biggest complaint is that this is not a book about constructing novels specifically--it focuses on issues of craft and style for all types of fiction generally. If you've already got a novel and are stuck, look elsewhere (like a class, group or web community) for support.

Other big complaint--at one point, the author tries to answer the question of how much reading versus writing a person should do, and responds, "That is a choice almost as terrible as Sophie's." No. Having to choose how to spend your time is not comparable to having to choose which of your children should die at the hands of the Nazi regime. This statement was in very bad taste, and soured me on the content of this book.

ETA: Despite my initial "resistance" to calling this a great guide, I've now read through it, um, er, about three times. It never hurts to go over the basics again, especially if you feel, as I did, that a lot of my fiction still wasn't quite coming together the way I wanted.

[Thomas Edmund · Rating 5 out of 5]

One has to be very careful with writing books. Not unlike dieting and self-help books, books on writing have a certain niche market, and when we’re talking about marketing often books are aimed to sell, not to educate.

And we’ve all heard “those who can’t teach” it seems many writing books are written by authors with mediocre (or no) success.

My only words are advice are look for books written by editors rather than writers as editors actually know what they’re talking about, to be fair there are many exceptions to this advice such as 179 Ways to Save Your Novel.

Written in blog format we are taught 179 lessons ranging from point of view, to symbolism. ____ ideals are more towards the literary angle, he doesn’t like bestsellers and doesn’t think that genre fiction is worth looking at. However, even if you are aiming for the New York Times, this book is still worth it. The advice is solid, and presented with a unique scathing humour.

The chapter on character is probably the most useful and other titbits I found indispensible were about tense and (not using) purple prose.

179 Ways doesn’t quite have the lampooning humour of How Not to Write a Novel or Stein’s intuitive way of communicating information, but is a worthwhile read for anyone determined to write and probably must-read for most bestselling authors.

[Ciara · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent book about writing. it is specific to the art of writing a novel in certain ways, but many of the ideas can be adapted to other formats. it's presented as a list of "meditations" relating to various aspects of writing, from dialogue to symbolism to titles to facing rejection from publishers. i found it especially helpful for motivating me to sit down & edit a piece i've been working on. there's a lot of emphasis on the authentic inhabiting of characters & using concise & precise words. i liked that peter selgin is sometimes kind of crusty & curmudgeonly. his list of the all-time worst similes/metaphors his students have presented was hilarious. i shared many of his pet peeves relating to amateur writers, including the practice of over-writing, becoming too attached to autobiographical information & letting it weigh down a story, & the importance of having at least a basic grasp of grammar before you decide to break all the rules. i'm really glad i picked this one up.

[J.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another snobbish creative writing teacher writes a book about writing. No, that puts the book in a negative light- it's not that bad. Really though, not only is the title on Goodreads wrong (its 179, not 150), but also the title itself is slightly misleading: its not about "saving" a novel, but going over all the factors that go into writing a novel. And for some odd reason he goes into short stories as well.

Overall though I did learn a thing or two from it, and sure i have it highlighted and footnoted in my copy. I recommend this book to people curious about writing a novel, writing in general or who's close to someone who is a writer and wants to understand a little about why their so flippin crazy.

[Echo's Onomatopoeia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Selgin is an excellent teacher, I can say this because I was lucky enough to have actually learned directly from him. He was a visiting writer at my college and he taught a tutorial in Short Fiction. As a teacher, he held nothing back and did not spare any of our feelings; which is what any good creative writing teacher should do. It is not their place to worry about hurting feelings. Instead, they should be able to critique the student just as any editor would and do so as if we were not sitting in the same room together. Peter Selgin did this with an ease and grace that was clearly learned of much experience.

As a writer of books on writing: this man knows his stuff. If you are looking for a good book on the craft of novel writing, I recommend this one.

[PoligirlReads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, I didn't even make it all the way through this book. I have read some wonderful books on writing, or improving upon a novel. This one does not fall into that category. Dull, pretentious, and with an utterly unlikeable author (although I do appreciate his acknowledgement of snobbery), this was a real slog. The sad thing is, this book actually has some decent advice, it's just so terribly, terribly unpalatable. Life is short, and there are too many other good books on writing for me to waste time with this insufferable writer.

[Rebekah Nyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my freaking literary Bible. I bring it with me every time I sit down to write, and pick it up sometimes between sentences to get a little motivation/inspiration. If you can be honest with yourself and take good criticism well, and are willing to work out the kinks of your story, this is the book for you.

[Erin Nudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout the blurbs of writing advice there is a really fantastic sense of humor. It makes what could be a dry topic more interesting to read.

I appreciate Selgin's dedication to true, artistic writing, best seller lists be damned.

[Mary Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent list for anyone writing a novel.

[Lena Goldfinch]

This is mis-titled. It's actually 179 Ways to Save a Novel...

Very good so far. Reading it a bit of a time, which the format encourages.

[Gwynn White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an very valuable addition to any writers' collection of aids. It is also just a fun read.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author discusses the art of writing for publication. He covers character development, scenes, dialogue, and numerous other factors. There is also a lot about meditation.

[Caren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found parts of this book useful. It leaned toward literary fiction, not genre.

[Robert Morgan Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

No writer should be without this book.

[Jeremiah Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of useful advice. Consult it piecemeal. Way too much to absorb in a straight reading.