May 2014 Guest Editor Daisy Goodwin on How Not to Write a Novel and Reading Like a Writer... I came to writing fiction in my forties and plunged in with more enthusiasm than skill. I think the best training for writing is really careful reading of books you admire. There are lots of books for aspiring writers out there, but this is the most amusing and is wonderfully entertaining read even if the only thing you are planning to write is a shopping list. A more serious book for would - be writers is Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose which is the best guide to practical criticism I have ever read. Would be a great thing to read at a book group.
How NOT to Write a Novel 200 Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs If You Ever Want to Get Published Synopsis
There are many ways prospective authors routinely sabotage their own work. But why leave it to guesswork? Misstep by misstep, How Not to Write a Novel shows how you can ensure that your manuscript never rises above the level of unpublishable drivel; that your characters are unpleasant, dimensionless versions of yourself; that your plot is digressive, tedious and unconvincing; and that your style is reliant on mangled cliches and sesquipedalian malapropisms. Alternatively, you can use it to identify the most common mistakes, avoid them and actually write a book that works. Guardian Award shortlisted novelist Sandra Newman and veteran editor Howard Mittelmark have distilled 30 years of teaching, editing, writing and reviewing fiction into a hilarious and liberating guide that is the perfect read for anyone who's ever laughed at a badly written piece of prose and for anyone who's ever penned one - and doesn't want to do it again.
'This writing how-to should carry a warning: it's the kind of book one reads at the expense of all other responsibilities. Library Journal A great resource and a fun read with a lot of solid advice for would-be novelists.' Publishers Weekly
Author
About Howard Mittelmark, Sandra Newman
Howard Mittelmark is the author of Age of Consent. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and other publications.
Sandra Newman is the author of the novels Cake and The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done. Her writing has appeared in Harper's and Granta, amongst others.
