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The Easy Way to Write a Novel
Available from Rob's site here: http://easywaytowrite.com/writing
261 pages, ebook
Published March 1, 2013
5 people want to read
About the author
Rob Parnell
53 books53 followersRob is a creative dynamo involved in books, film and music.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 27, 2013
I downloaded Rob's book as an impulse purchase when it premiered at ninety-nine cents. I was browsing Amazon and his book showed up as recommendation. The cover art on my edition is different than the one displayed here. I was home waiting for UPS and read Rob's book in one sitting. For less than one dollar, I received 200+ pages of solid advice on writing written in a natural, conversational style. I was able to forget that I was annoyed at UPS.
Like Caesar's Gaul, the book is divided into three sections. Section I is what I would call fundamentals - not the mechanics of writing, but good habits for being a writer and a better person. Rob believes in positive thinking, the rich, imaginative subconscious, and taking good care of the body and mind. It may sound New Age to some, but I do believe that you are what you think, what you eat, and the body does follow the mind. Unfortunately, the mind has to be trained and focused. Rob makes it clear that writing a novel is doable. Be positive about writing, do it now, and do it often. Writing is a form of exercise and the more you write, the easier it becomes. Do away with negativity. The human mind likes structure and habit, and Rob's book segues to some practical ways to develop constructive habits. A writer works and is not a pose or a poseur.
Section II is the mechanics of storytelling. Rob eliminates the idea that "commercial fiction" is selling out and not literary. Dickens, for example, serialized his novels and his business model also included speaking tours in which he commanded high fees. The point is writers want to make money and so do publishers. People read to be entertained, and Rob asks you to think about why you enjoyed that last book you read. Rob's idea of finding story ideas is about changing your perspective and asking "what if?" with the things you see around you daily. Latch onto an idea and have at it. Readers read for different reasons, but the ingredients to a successful story remain the same throughout literary history: character, action, and movement. Aesthetics may change: out with Henry James and in with Raymond Carver. Show and not tell. There is no gimmick or snake oil. A well-told story is a well-told story. You will find your voice.
In Section III, Rob lays out a 30-Day Plan or roadmap to creating your first draft of a novel. Day by day, action item after action item, he shows you that it is possible. A lot of common sense advice. Worthwhile here is that Rob demands that you write simply, pithy notes, which keep you on track for the novel, and later helps you with literary agents. He has a couple of clever acronyms: S.I.D.E., Q.E.D., and F.A.S.T. which I won't explain here. They may seem cute and silly, but these mnemonics are effective. An insight he offers in this section had me thinking - readers don't read you, they see themselves in your pages, and your job is to merge your fictive world with theirs. The last chapter speaks to querying, promotion and self-publishing. The publishing landscape is daunting and Rob is blunt about the realities.
Where I disagree with Rob is on the matter of editing. There is copy-editing, which corrects typos and spelling. There were some nits in Rob's text: words that spell-check would not have caught, and some missing words; (which Rob assures me he has now fixed) but because the style is conversational you will fill in the word yourself while reading it. This is exactly my point: every writer should have someone else read the text, because you are too close to it. As the author of the Roma Series: Roma, Underground, Wasp's Nest and Threading the Needle, available on Amazon and seen here on Goodreads, I can tell you that when I reread my drafts I was finishing the sentences on the page in my head before my eyes reached the period. Then there is line-editing or structural editing and that is another skill altogether. The few nits that I found in the text were not distracting for me, but I was aware of them and it reminded me why there is a stigma associated with self-publishing. I should mention that Rob is Australian so there are some turns of phrases that might sound peculiar to American readers. One point that I think Rob should emphasize: writers should read to learn from other writers.
For less than a dollar or whatever the current price is - 200+ pages of intelligent, thoughtful advice, with a plan to write a novel is worth the time in reading Rob Parnell's book.
Like Caesar's Gaul, the book is divided into three sections. Section I is what I would call fundamentals - not the mechanics of writing, but good habits for being a writer and a better person. Rob believes in positive thinking, the rich, imaginative subconscious, and taking good care of the body and mind. It may sound New Age to some, but I do believe that you are what you think, what you eat, and the body does follow the mind. Unfortunately, the mind has to be trained and focused. Rob makes it clear that writing a novel is doable. Be positive about writing, do it now, and do it often. Writing is a form of exercise and the more you write, the easier it becomes. Do away with negativity. The human mind likes structure and habit, and Rob's book segues to some practical ways to develop constructive habits. A writer works and is not a pose or a poseur.
Section II is the mechanics of storytelling. Rob eliminates the idea that "commercial fiction" is selling out and not literary. Dickens, for example, serialized his novels and his business model also included speaking tours in which he commanded high fees. The point is writers want to make money and so do publishers. People read to be entertained, and Rob asks you to think about why you enjoyed that last book you read. Rob's idea of finding story ideas is about changing your perspective and asking "what if?" with the things you see around you daily. Latch onto an idea and have at it. Readers read for different reasons, but the ingredients to a successful story remain the same throughout literary history: character, action, and movement. Aesthetics may change: out with Henry James and in with Raymond Carver. Show and not tell. There is no gimmick or snake oil. A well-told story is a well-told story. You will find your voice.
In Section III, Rob lays out a 30-Day Plan or roadmap to creating your first draft of a novel. Day by day, action item after action item, he shows you that it is possible. A lot of common sense advice. Worthwhile here is that Rob demands that you write simply, pithy notes, which keep you on track for the novel, and later helps you with literary agents. He has a couple of clever acronyms: S.I.D.E., Q.E.D., and F.A.S.T. which I won't explain here. They may seem cute and silly, but these mnemonics are effective. An insight he offers in this section had me thinking - readers don't read you, they see themselves in your pages, and your job is to merge your fictive world with theirs. The last chapter speaks to querying, promotion and self-publishing. The publishing landscape is daunting and Rob is blunt about the realities.
Where I disagree with Rob is on the matter of editing. There is copy-editing, which corrects typos and spelling. There were some nits in Rob's text: words that spell-check would not have caught, and some missing words; (which Rob assures me he has now fixed) but because the style is conversational you will fill in the word yourself while reading it. This is exactly my point: every writer should have someone else read the text, because you are too close to it. As the author of the Roma Series: Roma, Underground, Wasp's Nest and Threading the Needle, available on Amazon and seen here on Goodreads, I can tell you that when I reread my drafts I was finishing the sentences on the page in my head before my eyes reached the period. Then there is line-editing or structural editing and that is another skill altogether. The few nits that I found in the text were not distracting for me, but I was aware of them and it reminded me why there is a stigma associated with self-publishing. I should mention that Rob is Australian so there are some turns of phrases that might sound peculiar to American readers. One point that I think Rob should emphasize: writers should read to learn from other writers.
For less than a dollar or whatever the current price is - 200+ pages of intelligent, thoughtful advice, with a plan to write a novel is worth the time in reading Rob Parnell's book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review