From the Bookshelf of The Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club…

The Weekend Novelist

Robert J. Ray,

Bret Norris

Start date: December 1, 2017

Finish date: January 31, 2018

Why we're reading this: Our members who worry they write too slow may find this book useful.
[close] Our members who worry they write too slow may find this book useful.

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Jan 24, 2018 Juneta Key rated it it was amazing

Shelves: writing-craft

Many have called this a book for plotters. It is true. Some have said it is heavy on the structure in the writing, which is true.

BUT I consider myself a pantser in writing. I struggle with too much plotting. Plus I am definitely a "right brain dominant thinker" and have had to learn to make left brain thinking and approach stronger by practicing, learning how, techniques, and I still struggle. Check out right brain dominant learning style. http://www.funderstanding.com/brain/l...

This book has a ...more

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Nov 28, 2017 Toi Thomas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, rated, nonfiction, educational, writing

I really enjoyed this book and am already applying some of the things I’ve learned from it; plus, some of the things it teaches, I had already taught myself out of instinct and necessity. While I find this book to be quite helpful in the development and writing of a novel, I don’t think it’s for all writers simply because of its restrictions.

I consider this book to be more of a writing method reference guide. A new or aspiring writer, a veteran writer looking to try a different approach (like m I really enjoyed this book and am already applying some of the things I’ve learned from it; plus, some of the things it teaches, I had already taught myself out of instinct and necessity. While I find this book to be quite helpful in the development and writing of a novel, I don’t think it’s for all writers simply because of its restrictions.

I consider this book to be more of a writing method reference guide. A new or aspiring writer, a veteran writer looking to try a different approach (like me), or a writer truly struggling with limited time and organizational skills could and should be able to apply the nuggets in this book to help them achieve their writing goals.

Free-flowing writers, pantsers, genre-specific writers, and left-brain dominant writers will have difficulty applying the structure of this writing method to their style and creative process.

The book is broken down into six parts and each part is then broken down into numbered weeks with writing goals or prompts. While the weekly breakdown is crucial to applying this writing method, I felt that the six-part breakdown served more as a visual example of these authors preferred novel structure. It almost suggests that all novels need to be broken down into parts, which I don’t necessarily agree with. I think they all can be, but don’t all have to be.

The overall point of this book teaches writers that in 1 year, writing on the weekends, you can have a fully developed manuscript. The book focuses 28 weeks on the development of the story, 20 weeks on the drafting of the story, and a few more weeks on polishing (though this book does not discuss editing; this book is not going to help you edit your story in any way other than to clean up some word choices)

Ray and Norris take this reference guide to the next level by not only looking at other novel examples, they also include a test story for the reader to watch developing from week to week as they read the book and apply the steps to completion. There are so many examples in this book, which I think is a great attribute, allowing the reader a variety story ideas and plot structures to learn from. My only complaint is that Ray and Norris don’t spend much time explaining the importance of genre. What they are providing is a one-size fits most method to writing, but I don’t feel they did a good job of expressing that it’s not a one-size fits all method.

This book also contains lots of charts and graphs the reader can use as templates in their story development. Again, anyone not keen on charting, graphing, etc… will have difficulty benefiting from this book.

Outside of the step-by-step benefits of this book, I loved the way these authors explained the development of a screenplay from a novel and just how different they are. I liked that they recognized the unique storytelling style that both TV and film possess while acknowledging that those mediums can and should influence writers.

I also liked that the authors address the fact that even though the title is The Weekend Novelist, there are times when the writer, limited in their writing time, may have to write at other times, like while on their lunch break or waiting in line for something, etc…

I’d recommend this book to new or aspiring writers, a veteran writer looking for plotting techniques, and writers with very limited time to write and develop. ...more

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