Olga Levitzki's Blog
April 27, 2021
Top-5 mistakes of aspiring writers
"There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book," writes Wilde, "Books are well written or badly written. That is all." But what is a well written book?
Recently, many aspiring writers have asked me to write a review of their novel. I do not refuse, since we are in the same boat. After reading several works, I have noticed that all authors have the same flaws. And I remembered myself. After all, I am no exception, and I also went this way. To be honest, I'm still going through. So, here are five major mistakes of debutants.
1. A long start. Our task is to hook from the first pages. The reader is interested in the action, not in the biography of the protagonist. A few words about childhood may not hurt, but only when it affects the plot. If the beginning is boring, the vast majority of people will not read further.
2. Difficult text. Chekhov said that brevity is the sister of talent. I bet no one can get a word out of any of his stories. Unfortunately, the rule of brevity is neglected by many aspiring writers and therefore they easily fall into their own trap. Indeed, in pursuit of "prettiness" the author makes the text heavy with unnecessary words. Not to mention the comicality of the lush phrases. Can't you write clear? Then edit it carefully. It's like weeding out a patch of weeds. Without regret, we cut off everything that is superfluous and leave only the squeeze. You should not be afraid to lose in volume, because the main thing is quality. As parodaxic as it may seem, writing simple is difficult.
3. Pointless dialogues. The function of dialogues is to influence the action and reveal the characters. If the dialogue does not carry any semantic load and does not change the action in any way, it is superfluous. All those "Hello, how are you?" are appropriate in everyday life, but not in literature. Dialogue is not a record tape of chatter, it's a way to move the story forward. We are not saying that the characters should speak artificially. We are talking about unnecessary phrases. We leave only the most important thing, saving the publisher's money for printing.
4. Unnecessary characters. Here's about the characters that, for example, appear on the first pages and do not show again. Then there is a question: why were they needed? Returning to Chekhov: "If in the first act there is a gun on the wall, then in the last act it should fire."
5. Stylistics. It often happens that people who have no idea how texts are written will take up the pen. This leads to banal repetitions, inconsistencies, lexical errors, etc. etc. It's okay to make mistakes at the start of the journey. We are all humans. The main thing is to learn. Do not hesitate to analyze other people's works and learn from their experience. To read bad books is ok too, as you get to know how you shouldn't write. I will not be original: the more you write, the better it turns out later. Over time, your style will definitely develop.
I repeat that I am not an expert. My rules are based on humble observation and my own experience. Having stuffed the bumps on the first novel, I learnt the lesson. Therefore, I will blush less for the second one :)
And what do you pay attention to when reading debut novels?
Recently, many aspiring writers have asked me to write a review of their novel. I do not refuse, since we are in the same boat. After reading several works, I have noticed that all authors have the same flaws. And I remembered myself. After all, I am no exception, and I also went this way. To be honest, I'm still going through. So, here are five major mistakes of debutants.
1. A long start. Our task is to hook from the first pages. The reader is interested in the action, not in the biography of the protagonist. A few words about childhood may not hurt, but only when it affects the plot. If the beginning is boring, the vast majority of people will not read further.
2. Difficult text. Chekhov said that brevity is the sister of talent. I bet no one can get a word out of any of his stories. Unfortunately, the rule of brevity is neglected by many aspiring writers and therefore they easily fall into their own trap. Indeed, in pursuit of "prettiness" the author makes the text heavy with unnecessary words. Not to mention the comicality of the lush phrases. Can't you write clear? Then edit it carefully. It's like weeding out a patch of weeds. Without regret, we cut off everything that is superfluous and leave only the squeeze. You should not be afraid to lose in volume, because the main thing is quality. As parodaxic as it may seem, writing simple is difficult.
3. Pointless dialogues. The function of dialogues is to influence the action and reveal the characters. If the dialogue does not carry any semantic load and does not change the action in any way, it is superfluous. All those "Hello, how are you?" are appropriate in everyday life, but not in literature. Dialogue is not a record tape of chatter, it's a way to move the story forward. We are not saying that the characters should speak artificially. We are talking about unnecessary phrases. We leave only the most important thing, saving the publisher's money for printing.
4. Unnecessary characters. Here's about the characters that, for example, appear on the first pages and do not show again. Then there is a question: why were they needed? Returning to Chekhov: "If in the first act there is a gun on the wall, then in the last act it should fire."
5. Stylistics. It often happens that people who have no idea how texts are written will take up the pen. This leads to banal repetitions, inconsistencies, lexical errors, etc. etc. It's okay to make mistakes at the start of the journey. We are all humans. The main thing is to learn. Do not hesitate to analyze other people's works and learn from their experience. To read bad books is ok too, as you get to know how you shouldn't write. I will not be original: the more you write, the better it turns out later. Over time, your style will definitely develop.
I repeat that I am not an expert. My rules are based on humble observation and my own experience. Having stuffed the bumps on the first novel, I learnt the lesson. Therefore, I will blush less for the second one :)
And what do you pay attention to when reading debut novels?
April 6, 2021
Top-5 books about Paris
"April in Paris..." One day sweet-voiced Ella Fitzgerald inspired me to visit Paris in April. I remember that time I fell in love with the blooming city on the Seine, and two years later I shared this love with readers on the pages of my novel. But I’m not the first, and I’m not the last. Paris has always attracted writers. Each has contributed to its praise. To those who are not yet lucky to see the capital of France, I propose to look at it through the eyes of the writers who lived there.
1. Douglas Kennedy "The Woman of the Fifth". The story is about an American teacher who, due to a scandal at the university, escapes to Paris and starts a new life. It's an honest, not romanticized and not sublime view of Paris. It shows not only the bourgeois nobility from prestigious neighborhoods, but also the poverty, filth and poor conditions of the emigre environment. What does Paris turn into when the sun goes down? By the way, I accidentally grabbed this copy in the supermarket, having no idea about the author. A year later, I met him in person and discussed the book at the book fair in Geneva. That's how it happens!
2. E. M. Remarque "Arc de Triomphe". The book tells about the tragic destiny of a talented surgeon who fled from Nazi Germany to Paris. Remarque shows pre-war Paris: a gray, rainy city, saturated with despair and fear of the unknown, but not losing its charm even on the edge of the abyss. "Paris is the only city in the world where you can have a great time, essentially doing nothing" They believe that prototype of the main character (Joan) was Marlene Dietrich, with whom Remarque spent some time in Paris before the World War II started.
3. Inna Shulzhenko "Eternity for Temporary Use". This is a multi-layered novel that unites the stories of seemingly unrelated characters: a Russian student and a French orphaned boy, an artist-philanderer and his girlfriend, four inseparable friends, an elderly couple, an extravagant flowershop owner and an old alcoholic DJ. You can't tell the plot so easily - you must read it. Here we see today's Paris, which, in my opinion, has not lost its former grandeur. The author is a virtuoso of the word. Her Paris is made up of "merging hues of book pages, fresh baked goods and nude human skin." By the way, I got this book at a book fair in Paris. It was written by my amazing friend's mother. I dream someday to talk to her and get an autograph :)
4. Henry Miller "Tropic of Cancer". This is more of an autobiographical novel that tells the story of the life of a young American writer in bohemian Paris of the 30s. Hungry artists, pimps, prostitutes, princesses, drunks, hustlers and sexual adventurers - this is how Miller's Paris opens up. "Paris is like a whore. From a distance, she looks ravishing, you can't wait to keep her in your arms. In five minutes you feel empty and disgusted. You feel tricked." The novel was published in Paris in 1934. In the United States, it was banned until the 60s.
5. E. Hemingway "A Moveable Feast." This is the story of a young Hemingway, who began his literary way in bohemian Paris of the roaring 20s. His Paris is a shelter for artists and intellectuals (a "lost generation", as Gertrude Stein put it). The Hemingway atmosphere is best captured by Woody Allen in Midnight in Paris. And I, as the main character of the film, fascinated by the spirit of that time, tried to convey it in my novel Artist of Montmartre. You could tell his influence by reading it.
What are your favorite books about Paris?
1. Douglas Kennedy "The Woman of the Fifth". The story is about an American teacher who, due to a scandal at the university, escapes to Paris and starts a new life. It's an honest, not romanticized and not sublime view of Paris. It shows not only the bourgeois nobility from prestigious neighborhoods, but also the poverty, filth and poor conditions of the emigre environment. What does Paris turn into when the sun goes down? By the way, I accidentally grabbed this copy in the supermarket, having no idea about the author. A year later, I met him in person and discussed the book at the book fair in Geneva. That's how it happens!
2. E. M. Remarque "Arc de Triomphe". The book tells about the tragic destiny of a talented surgeon who fled from Nazi Germany to Paris. Remarque shows pre-war Paris: a gray, rainy city, saturated with despair and fear of the unknown, but not losing its charm even on the edge of the abyss. "Paris is the only city in the world where you can have a great time, essentially doing nothing" They believe that prototype of the main character (Joan) was Marlene Dietrich, with whom Remarque spent some time in Paris before the World War II started.
3. Inna Shulzhenko "Eternity for Temporary Use". This is a multi-layered novel that unites the stories of seemingly unrelated characters: a Russian student and a French orphaned boy, an artist-philanderer and his girlfriend, four inseparable friends, an elderly couple, an extravagant flowershop owner and an old alcoholic DJ. You can't tell the plot so easily - you must read it. Here we see today's Paris, which, in my opinion, has not lost its former grandeur. The author is a virtuoso of the word. Her Paris is made up of "merging hues of book pages, fresh baked goods and nude human skin." By the way, I got this book at a book fair in Paris. It was written by my amazing friend's mother. I dream someday to talk to her and get an autograph :)
4. Henry Miller "Tropic of Cancer". This is more of an autobiographical novel that tells the story of the life of a young American writer in bohemian Paris of the 30s. Hungry artists, pimps, prostitutes, princesses, drunks, hustlers and sexual adventurers - this is how Miller's Paris opens up. "Paris is like a whore. From a distance, she looks ravishing, you can't wait to keep her in your arms. In five minutes you feel empty and disgusted. You feel tricked." The novel was published in Paris in 1934. In the United States, it was banned until the 60s.
5. E. Hemingway "A Moveable Feast." This is the story of a young Hemingway, who began his literary way in bohemian Paris of the roaring 20s. His Paris is a shelter for artists and intellectuals (a "lost generation", as Gertrude Stein put it). The Hemingway atmosphere is best captured by Woody Allen in Midnight in Paris. And I, as the main character of the film, fascinated by the spirit of that time, tried to convey it in my novel Artist of Montmartre. You could tell his influence by reading it.
What are your favorite books about Paris?
March 27, 2021
The rules of dialogue writing from Emily Brontë
Being a writer, or better to say trying to be the one, I never stop learning and searching for the ways to improve. For example, taking advices from great authors. It's not a shame to learn from those who you admire and it doesn't mean you should lose your own individuality, no. You just can concentrate on a few of the most effective techniques used by a writer and get useful suggestions from them. That's how you strenghten your writing skills and develop your own style. I love many writers. One of them is Emily Brontë.
Here are some of her tips for dialogue writing:
1. Do not put words in the mouths of your characters. Let them talk as the please - and write down the parts of their talk that contribute your intentions as a writer.
2. Censor conversation that does not advance your story. A tape recording of actual talk wouldn't make a good dialogue in a book. It's wandering and pointless. A good writer records only those portions of talk that are significant in terms of his writing goals.
3. Do not give your speakers "individuality" by overloading them with speech mannerisms.
4. Never report more than two or three lines of dialogue without reflecting some sort of disagreement or tension between the speakers. The dialogue should be interesting to read. Where the tension is low the reader's interest is diminished. The readers are weared by boring talks.
Do you like Emily Brontë? Or who's your favorite writer?
Here are some of her tips for dialogue writing:
1. Do not put words in the mouths of your characters. Let them talk as the please - and write down the parts of their talk that contribute your intentions as a writer.
2. Censor conversation that does not advance your story. A tape recording of actual talk wouldn't make a good dialogue in a book. It's wandering and pointless. A good writer records only those portions of talk that are significant in terms of his writing goals.
3. Do not give your speakers "individuality" by overloading them with speech mannerisms.
4. Never report more than two or three lines of dialogue without reflecting some sort of disagreement or tension between the speakers. The dialogue should be interesting to read. Where the tension is low the reader's interest is diminished. The readers are weared by boring talks.
Do you like Emily Brontë? Or who's your favorite writer?
