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How to Write a Damn Good Novel #1

by James N. Frey, Vanda Tomaševiča (Translator)

Written in a clear, crisp, accessible style, this book is perfect for beginners as well as professional writers who need a crash course in the down-to-earth basics of storytelling. Talent and inspiration can't be taught, but Frey does provide scores of helpful suggestions and sensible rules and principles.

An international bestseller, How to Write a Damn Good Novel will enable all writers to face that intimidating first page, keep them on track when they falter, and help them recognize, analyze, and correct the problems in their own work.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, How To, Self Help, Crafts, Business

182 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 1987

About the author

James N. Frey is an American novelist and acclaimed writing teacher, best known for his influential guide How to Write a Damn Good Novel. He has authored both fiction and non-fiction, including thrillers and several popular books on writing craft. Frey taught at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was honored as Teacher of the Year in 1994. He continues to lecture on creative writing at various conferences and institutions. His fiction has earned critical recognition, including an Edgar Award nomination. Frey lives in Berkeley, California.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

With National Novel Writing Month fast approaching, I look upon my shelves and see I own six books on writing. The ones by Lawrence Block and Stephen King are by far the ones I've gotten the most use out of. The others are by authors I've never heard of and are like asking a psychic for winning lottery numbers. If they already know the winning numbers, why are they giving them to you instead of using them themselves? Surely being a millionaire pays better than psychicing over the phone.

I'll be honest, I don't remember much about this book other than Frey's methods sucking all the spontaneity out of writing. If I need 50-75 pages of documentation about characters and setting before I ever type a word, I'm probably going to run out of steam during the preparation.

As for my analogy about phone psychics and the lottery, Frey has 12 books to his credit. 5 are about writing. How about holding on to those lottery numbers for yourself?

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty)]

Can someone tell me, please, why I feel compelled to read so many books like this one when I have no intention of ever writing a novel?

[Taka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh--

Having read a few books on writing (Stephen King's On Writing, Jerry Cleaver's Immediate Fiction, Renni Browne and Dave King's Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, and John Gardner's On Becoming a Novelist), I found James Frey's How to Write a Damn Good Novel rather narrow-minded, lacking in detail, and even trite.

Every time Frey gives advice, he comes across as dogmatic; it's as though he thinks his method is THE right method and other methods are inferior in themselves. But that's just plain wrong. While he does give good advice, the reader should be aware that there are many more methods out there (see Cleaver's book on this) that may or may not work for a particular writer. Frey's method may very well work for himself, and maybe for many others, but just as there is no one way of telling a story, there simply is no one way of writing a novel. As long as Frey's method works for you and gets you to write better prose and dialogue and story, then fine, stick to it and keep writing. But if it doesn't work for you, then you might want to pick another book on writing and try another method out. The point is to find a method that suits you.

So insofar as he doesn't really allow for other potential methods, he is pontificating, and I didn't like it. He has a workable method, sure. You do XYZ in order and voila, you got your novel.

But it doesn't work like that for everyone.

Not everyone can come up with 50 pages of a character's biography without getting into the story. Not everyone can come up with the whole plot without actually writing and letting the characters play it out. Stephen King doesn't even know what'll happen next; he's a big believer in intuition and letting things happen and fall in place. Frey's method has no room for such a method. He has to know the characters and know exactly what will happen in the story before even writing a word of the story.

Not everyone works like that.

So that's why the book gets the rating it gets. It was OK because though it was being narrow-minded in my opinion, it did have some good nuggets of advice.

I did learn a few things, but mostly Jerry Cleaver's Immediate Fiction covers all the crucial information Frey provides, and does it better and a lot more comprehensively. So I recommend reading Jerry Cleaver's book first.

Things I learned:

1) Character biographies can be useful, although not necessary;
2) How to use flashbacks and foreshadowing effectively;
3) How to make dialogue gripping; and
4) How to write description with a flair.

That's about it. Other major things are described in more depth and range in Cleaver's book and King's book (both of which are excellent, btw).

So overall, meh, it was OK.

[Martha Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and bring it out every so often as a refresher. Really enjoy his style of writing.

[Spencer Ellsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the best book you'll ever read on REVISION.

I love this book, but a lot of people miss what it's about, because the author himself seems to think it's about first drafting. But very few people ever draft with the massive amount of preparation Frey suggests: a beat sheet, character interviews, a character's ruling passion, a premise, a defined crucible, a defined denouement and setup...

Most people start writing with only a few of these elements in mind, and discover along the way. Stephen King doesn't know how his books will end, which is probably why he's so effective at scaring us, because he can really empathize with the clueless characters. Most people discover character traits as they go, writing their character through some pre-created situations, watching their character take a different turn, etc. Few people can start from a pre-created premise, because the things you care about change as you put them on the page.

All Frey's tips--premise, ruling passion, beat sheets, defined crucible, falling conflict, creating indirect dialogue--happen in revision, when you look as a first draft and start pulling some order out of what your brain dumped on the page. Make a list of all Frey's elements and see if your book really can meet those requirements. Use his tips on indirect dialogue to improve what you've got.

It's no surprise that one gushing review on the back says "I wish I had found this book during my fourth rewrite of my novel."

It's about REVISION!

[Jonathan Peto · Rating 2 out of 5]

There seem to be about two broad categories of writing book. Some are inspirational/visionary/literary. Others focus on reader interest and organising your writing so that it might sell commercially. I like both kinds and expected this one to fall into the second category, which it did.

When I pick up a book about writing, I don't necessarily expect anything earth-shattering because I've read a fair number of them. What I expect is an opportunity to reencounter ideas in a fresh way that for some reason makes them resonate anew. Intellectual understanding is not enough to further my writing, so I hope a writing book will give me further insight, even if the change is not exactly measurable. I'm not even begging for insights necessarily. A few glimpses over the horizon is often enough.

This book covered a lot of the familiar bases: character, conflict, viewpoint, flashback, etc., but I've just seen it done better or more in depth. He used a few familiar books for his examples, like Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea, but the execution was perfunctory. His simplistic presentation of premise or theme and its controlling influence struck me as possibly incorrect. I prefer Stephen King's advise in On Writing, which was to revise for theme after the first draft.

One line on p. 162 almost made the whole book worth it: "Being an unpublished novelist has about as much social acceptability as being a shopping bag lady."

[Murat Dural · Rating 3 out of 5]

Senaryo, oyun, roman, öykü yazmak, yazarlık, yaratıcı kişilerin üretme ritüeller üzerine kuramsal kitapları olabildiğince topluyor, okuyorum. Bu vesileyle az sayıda iyi kitapa denk geldiğim gibi çok sayıda kötülerine denk geldim. Ne yazık ki kişisel gelişim çılgınlığı gibi her kitaba yaklaşmamak, almamak lazım. Bu endişelerle başladığım kitap oldukça iyi sonlandı. Henüz hiç yazmamış, üretimi yayınlanmamışlara öneriyorum. Hali hazırda yazıyorsanız, dirsek çürütmüşlüğünüz varsa yaklaşmayın. Arada ama akıcı diliyle iyi bir kitap. Bu arada özel not; yazmak istiyorsanız sadece eser vermek istediğiniz türü okumayın, genelde de iyi bir okuyucu olmalısınız ve muhakkak (muhakkak!) kuramsal okumalara da yer açmalısınız.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grāmata pilna noderīgu padomu un iedvesmas, lasīju ilgi, bet cītīgi. Parādās arī pāris pretrunas un apgalvojumi, kuri nesakrīt ar manu uztveri - kā jau katrā darbā. Kopumā - lieliska, asprātīga, precīza, aizraujoša grāmata.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on writing I've ever read. The author has established himself both with his own fiction and as a writing instructor, and this is full of clear and practical guidance. I strongly recommend this to any aspiring novelist.

[Togoldor Erdenebileg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this book is on point! It gives the essentials on how to write your first book and warns you about the mistakes you might make along the way. I especially liked the author's sarcasm and couldn't help but LOL here and there!

[Mario the lone bookwolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premises and much more than the humorous and somewhat dusty presented.

Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.

Most likely one could speak of a structure-finding primer along with a motivational explanation of a writer. This is peppered with passages from works of classical literature such as "The Godfather, Lolita, A Christmas song in prose, Madame Bovary, The old man and the sea" as vivid examples of techniques explained in the book.
Alone this integration of significant works to illustrate particular fields of application of individual techniques in their highest perfection could be found even more frequently in the guidebook literature. It allows good visual possibilities. Given the relative brevity of the book, sheer numbers of subject blocks are worked through to ensure a good overview. However, a more in-depth study of individual areas requires a grasp of further and more specific literature.
It is realistic and praiseworthy for the work that one can imagine, only with the same equipped, to deliver a reasonably acceptable first novel. Everything about armor is available. Although it is sometimes criticized that it lacks in a claim, but the conclusion of a narrative is merely a milestone for a budding author. Regardless of how it is achieved.
Moreover, this should be easier and more achievable with simple, predictable stories about stereotypical characters in cliché-dripping environments than complex and sophisticated themes and narrative structures.
After all, stylistic improvements and more complex background stories usually come about with practice. Opponents accuse the work of precisely this simplification as a primary point of criticism, with the needs of aspiring authors being wholly ignored. These just need simple instructions in order not to be overwhelmed at the beginning with the writing and no brimming with technical terms and high standards works.
Other, well-founded criticisms are also found. Thus, the explanations about perspective do not sound well-founded and may be partly wrong. If the instructions are followed precisely, the results may be quite similar. This entails the danger of only working according to a defined pattern without a healthy balance concerning creativity. Even why the premise is so over-emphasized about other, essential components, does not open up entirely and real stylistic tips and assistance are in short supply.
The author knows how to polarize and divide the readers into two extreme camps who either praise him or portrays him as an arrogant steam talker. Whether the writing style says something about the personality, is deliberately chosen for promoting the sales provocatively or all passages are seriously meant that way, is an open question. It is clear that Frey has written not only a guide to a novel but also a cranky and entertaining book and never claims to create profound literature.
On the contrary, he repeatedly points to the meaning and purpose of his work for creating average novels. In this respect, he is both in the choice of his teaching methods as well as stylistically consistent and faithful to himself and deserves purely subjective somewhat respect than scolding. For example, for the intolerances that he takes out and uses as a deliberate provocation. However, what benefit draws a reader from a politically correct but bone-dry guidebook?
Ultimately, judging a book can not only bring subjective impressions into the foreground. Instead, the usefulness of the respective group of readers should be elevated to primacy rather than one's preferences to be able to make objective and otherwise useful judgments.
In the end, the result and benefits count, and Frey believes that this promise is for entrants and writers in particular, with no more than the demand to entertain.

Prämissen und noch viel mehr als das launig und etwas angestaubt präsentiert.

Am ehesten könnte man von einer Strukturfindungsfibel samt Motivationserklärung eines Schriftstellers sprechen. Diese liefert mit Passagen aus Werken der klassischen Literatur wie „Der Pate, Lolita, Ein Weihnachtslied in Prosa, Madame Bovary, Der alte Mann und das Meer“ gespickt anschauliche Beispiele für im Buch erklärte Techniken.
Alleine diese Einbindung großer Werke zur Veranschaulichung konkreter Anwendungsgebiete einzelner Techniken in ihrer höchsten Perfektion könnte noch wesentlich häufiger Eingang in die Ratgeberliteratur finden. Ermöglicht es doch gute Anschauungsmöglichkeiten. Es werden angesichts der relativen Kürze des Buches schiere Mengen an Themenblöcken durchexerziert, so dass ein guter Überblick gewährleistet, ist. Jedoch wird für eine vertiefende Beschäftigung mit einzelnen Bereichen ein Griff zu weiterführender und spezifischerer Literatur notwendig.
Realistisch und für das Werk löblich ist es, dass man sich durchaus vorstellen kann, nur mit selbigem gerüstet einen halbwegs akzeptablen Erstlingsroman abzuliefern. Alles an Rüstzeug ist vorhanden. Auch wenn mitunter von Kritikern moniert wird, dass es an Anspruch fehle, ist schlicht der Abschluss einer Erzählung für einen angehenden Autor ein Meilenstein. Ganz unabhängig davon, wie er erreicht wird.
Und dieser dürfte mit schlichten, vorhersehbaren Geschichten über stereotype Charaktere in vor Klischees triefenden Umgebungen leichter und eher zu erreichen sein als mit komplexen und anspruchsvollen Thematiken und Erzählstrukturen
Denn mit Übung stellen sich in der Regel auch stilistische Verbesserungen und komplexere Hintergrundgeschichten ganz von selbst ein. Gegner werfen dem Werk genau diese Simplifizierung als Hauptkritikpunkt entgegen, wobei die Bedürfnisse angehender Autoren gänzlich ausgeklammert werden. Diese brauchen eben einfache Anleitungen um am Anfang mit dem Schreiben nicht überfordert zu sein und keine vor Fachausdrücken und hohen Ansprüchen strotzenden Werke.
Andere, durchaus begründete Kritikpunkte finden sich hingegen auch. So erscheinen die Erläuterungen über Perspektive nicht ganz fundiert und dürften teilweise falsch sein. Bei genauer Befolgung der Anweisungen dürften sich mitunter recht ähnliche Ergebnisse einstellen. Das birgt die Gefahr in sich, nur mehr nach festgelegten Schema ohne gesunde Ausgewogenheit hinsichtlich Kreativität zu arbeiten. Auch warum die Prämisse im Verhältnis zu anderen, wichtigen Komponenten derart überbetont wird, erschließt sich nicht ganz und konkrete stilistische Tipps und Hilfestellungen sind Mangelware.
Der Autor versteht es zu polarisieren und die Leser in zwei extreme Lager zu spalten, die ihn entweder hochpreisen oder als arroganten Dampfplauderer darstellen. Ob der Schreibstil wirklich etwas über die Persönlichkeit aussagt, bewusst den Verkauf fördernd provokant gewählt ist oder alle Passagen ernsthaft so gemeint sind, sei dahingestellt. Fest steht, dass Frey nicht nur eine Anleitung für einen Roman, sondern auch ein kauziges und unterhaltsames Buch geschrieben hat und niemals für sich in Anspruch nimmt, tiefsinnige Literatur zu schaffen.
Er weist im Gegenteil mehrfach auf Sinn und Zweck seines Werks hin. Insofern ist er sowohl bei der Wahl seiner Lehrmethoden als auch stilistisch konsequent und sich selbst treu und verdient rein subjektiv eher Achtung als Schelte. Etwa für die Intoleranzen, die er sich herausnimmt und als bewusste Provokation einsetzt. Denn welchen Nutzen zieht ein Leser aus einem politisch absolut korrekten, aber knochentrockenen Ratgeberbuch?
Letztendlich kann man zur Beurteilung eines Buches nicht nur subjektive Eindrücke in den Vordergrund rücken. Sondern sollte die Nützlichkeit für die jeweils angesprochene Lesergruppe anstelle der eigenen Präferenzen zum Primat erheben, um objektive und für andere nutzbringende Beurteilungen tätigen zu können.
Im Endeffekt zählen Resultat und Nutzen und dieses Versprechen hält Frey vor allem für Einsteiger und Schreiber mit nicht mehr als dem Anspruch zu unterhalten.

[Krystal Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Write a Damn Good Novel is an excellent read for novelists, especially beginners. Frey has packed this book with actionable information that will help writers craft, well,...a good novel.

The book addresses everything from character and conflict to storytelling and dialogue. If you’ve never completed a novel or if you’re trying to polish or rework one, this book is a vital and indispensable tool.

Frey is good at instructing the writer, not only on what to do, but on how to do it. He discusses many techniques that are useful for writers, then gives examples showing how these techniques have been used in the published works of successful authors.

In How to Write a Damn Good Novel, you’ll learn which device is the most misused and overworked device in fiction writing, the three commandments of dynamic prose, how to connect with your readers on an emotional level, how to draft a step sheet, how to determine the best viewpoint for your novel, and many more elements that are critical to writing a novel.

*An important note: This book primarily addresses the technical aspects of crafting a good novel (structure, dialogue, creating dynamic characters, etc). I mention this because it seems that How to Write a Damn Good Novel is repeatedly compared to other writing books, books that are more about the emotional and psychological obstacles of writing as opposed to a fundamental discussion on the how-to’s of crafting a good novel. As such, it seems that many reviewers are trying to draw an apples-to-apples comparison that is more akin to comparing apples to oranges. In its own right, How to Write a Damn Good Novel is a practical and useful tool to help writers with the technical and fundamental aspects of structuring and writing a good novel.

Highly recommended.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

How-to for Beginners

Frey, James N. (1987). How to Write a Damn Good Novel. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

I’m cautious about any how-to book that bills itself as “no-nonsense,” implying that comparable books are full of nonsense. In fact this book has quite a bit of nonsense, from the author’s strained sense of humor, to the fact that it was written in 1987 (“Keep a thesaurus by your typewriter”). Nevertheless, it covers the basics of storytelling and its breezy style makes it an easy read, appropriate for beginners.

Frey’s writing method is derived from Aristotle’s Poetics, probably the main source for most writing methods. Frey emphasizes building well-motivated characters, who encounter and deal with conflict, leading to a climax. If you didn’t know that’s how it’s done, then this is the book for you.

His discussion of a story’s premise (basically, the “moral” of the story) was helpful, but I often disagreed with his analysis of examples. “…Lolita proves that ‘great love leads to death.’” Really? That’s not how I read it. In fact, that seems way off base to me. Several comments like that made me question the veracity of the whole book.

There isn’t much discussion of the nuts and bolts of writing craft, such as choosing the point of view (which Frey annoyingly calls the “viewpoint”). The chapter on writing good dialog made a useful distinction between direct and indirect dialog, but the examples of indirect were nothing more than smart-alec tough-guy talk from a cheesy detective novel, not at all helpful. The section on rewriting and editing was weak.

Overall, if you are a raw beginner, this book will get you quickly pointed in the right direction. Otherwise, even though this is an international bestseller, I’d say look elsewhere.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

The absolute best - and in my opinion only worthwhile book on how to write. I have looked at several, including by well published authors.

Learning how to write is just like learning anything. It takes a lot of time, a lot of practice. And to learn how to do it well, you need to think about it. You need to learn how to do it. (According to research it takes 10,000 hours to become skilled in a task)

This book not only puts it all in easy to understand language, includes heaps of examples of both good and bad, but he does it so you laugh your way through it. I have reread this, and parts of this, many times over. What a treat it would be to attend Frey's classes, but reading this is a brilliant second best.

[Олена Осіпова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Корисна і наповнена змістом книга. Мінімум "води", максимум корисного навантаження. Особливо сподобалось, що кожен розділ теорії підкріплений реальними практичними розборами текстів ("Старий і море", "Мадам Боварі", "Мобі Дік", "Лоліта", "Різдвяна пісня в прозі", "Хрещений батько ", "Над зозулиним гніздом", "Шпигун, що прийшов з холоду"). Тому в двох словах: маст рід.

[Chocolategoddess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the second book about a decade ago when I was a brand new writer (the library didn't have the first book. Obviously one should only buy the last book in a series, as evidenced by all the unread finales of trilogies that littered their fantasy shelves). When my friend wanted to rehome the first and second books, I took them in and I'm giving them a reread with ten years of experience and nearly as many novels.

The best I can say about this book is that it's not wrong. Many of the principles that Frey talks about are valid and important. Pacing, characterisation, and plotting are all covered here. I don't think you'll walk away from this book having learnt a load of bad habits about writing that you'll need to unlearn, so there's that.

Why the two stars, then? Firstly, this was written in the 80s and it reads like it. All the examples of female characters are highly stereotyped. They're mothers, wives, sex objects and secretaries, while the men are detectives and criminals and doctors etc etc. That's not going to hurt your ability to learn writing from this book, but as there are thousands of writing manuals out there, this is probably a good reason to skip this one.

Second, Frey is really opinionated. If you don't want to write his way, you're not going to make it as a writer. Allegedly. I actually agree with a lot of what he says, but it's just so ... 80s power male in how he tells you and it really made me grit my teeth.

Third, in my opinion many of the examples that Frey writes as being "good" examples are pretty horribly written. I understand he's sold many novels, and I know there are plenty of people out there who just wanna tell a great spy story and don't care how attractive the words are, but still. Be aware.

All in all, if you want to learn how to write and this book falls in your lap for free, then sure, go ahead and read it. It's short and it contains useful examples from famous novels (A Christmas Carol and Madame Bovary are two of them). It did help me think about the "premise" of my current novel. I don't actually think most of my favourite novels can be boiled down to a single premise (maybe because they're all 1000 page multi-threaded tomes?) but it can be a useful exercise, especially when considering a cover letter or synopsis.

If you're seriously wanting to improve your writing and get a wider perspective and different methods, I recommend firstly checking out to see if your favourite authors have written blogs or have interviews on their site/Youtube, and secondly heading to www.writingexcuses.com and listening to the podcasts. They're awesome, only 15 minutes, and you can skip the ones that don't apply to you. :)

[LeAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I think I've gotten a pretty well-rounded introduction to novel writing for the novice. As a novelist and editor at a publishing house, Stein offered very pragmatic advice that I found I could apply to my writing immediately. Maass, a novelist and literary agent at a major agency, understood and wrote about what makes a novel stand out for agents and readers so that it sells well. What was missing perhaps was the perspective of the novelist who also teaches and trains writers. Frey fills this gap pretty nicely. He isn't as low-level as Stein or as strategic as Maass.

Frey repeats some of the principles that Stein covers, such as interviewing your characters and keeping them in a crucible (Maass identifies conflict as the driving force of a breakout novel). What he adds is the careful planning that can save a novelist a few major rewrites, such as character biographies, premises, and step sheets (which I'd never heard of before and still don't have a good handle on).

I also appreciated his matter-of-fact dismissal of literary symbols. What he terms "life symbols" are encouraged; these are items that come to have meaning to the character through the course of the story, not something planted in the story for the reader to pick up on. Boy, am I glad to be let out of that one!

Finally, besides all the specific examples for handling dialogue, viewpoint, story arc, foreshadowing, and others, Frey advises the would-be-novelist on the necessity of rewriting. I especially liked his final chapter titled, "The Zen of Novel Writing." His pragmatic, straight-forward advice is refreshing. I almost wish that I could study with someone like Frey.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't even thought of some of this stuff until now. Rather embarrassing at this point.

It's pretty rigid and set in its ways, though.

[Evita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uzreiz teikšu - šī nav grāmata par to, kā sarakstīt labu romānu; tā ir par to, kā sarakstīt New York Times bestselleru, kas, manuprāt, lielākoties ir antonīms labai grāmatai. Tieši tāpēc es sagaidīju daudz vairāk to Freja izslavēto triku, kā piesaistīt un noturēt lasītāju. Toties ūdens liešanas gan netrūka...

No pozitīvajām lietām - man patika viņa no bullshit approach un vieglā lasāmība. Laba pļauka bija sadaļa par 7 rakstnieku grēkiem un draudzīgi brutālais atgādinājums, ka viens talants bez smaga darba, kas var likt ziedot ļoti svarīgas lietas, nav nekas. Lēnais un apņēmīgais bruņurupucis vienmēr uzvarēs iedomīgo trusi, kuram visu laiku atrodas attaisnojums nerakstīt (traucē darbs? Pamet to! Traucē partneris? Pamet to arī! Iestājies rakstnieka bloks, jo uzskati, ka nevari šobrīd uzrakstīt tekstu, kas atbilstu taviem augstajiem standartiem? Nu tad tu esi nejēga!)

3,5 zvaigznes, bet nenoapaļošu uz 4, jo esmu piekasīga un riebīga :)

[Dainis Deigelis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik pa laikam ir derīgi palasīt autoru grāmatas, kas stāsta par rakstīšanas principiem, pašlaik, strādājot pie pirmajiem stāstiem, tas man ir svarīgi, bet visu tāpat nosaka spēja universiālo formulu vietā, atrast uz atrašanas mirkli, premisu, kas ir pilnīgi bezjēdzīga, vai it kā pilnīgi nepierādāma. Bet grāmata uzrakstīta saistoši, tiem, kas pirmo reiz meklē info, kā sākt rakstīt, par ļaunu nenāks, ja palasīsiet arī Bereļa ''Rakstīt''.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good and informative, although intimidating. The only reason why I didn’t give 5 stars is because Frey writes as if his opinion is the right one, and all other opinions are simply wrong. But I thoroughly enjoyed reading this—with the theory, Frey gives examples of both good and bad writing, which really helps get the point across.

[Sheila]

Off to a good start: "Homo fictus has hotter passions and colder anger; he travels more, fights more, loves more, changes more, has more sex. Lots more sex."

Unfortunately, the book was disappointing. There were a few words of wisdom, but a lot of the advice felt rather dated. Of course, the book was published in 1987, which could explain a lot of it -- the "keep x by your typewriter" references, and the instructions to have the final manuscript professionally typed, for example. All of which can probably be forgiven, since I doubt Mr. Frey was thinking personal computers and word processors and e-mail would become so widely available in such a short time.

But much of his other advice -- on writing, how to write, writing style -- also felt dated. If anyone out there thinks the kinds of books being published today are exactly the same as they were in 1987, they'd be wrong. Books now (at least in my opinion) are a little edgier, a little sharper. It's less common now to spend a chapter or two introducing the characters and their world. Instead, we're more likely to be plunged into the middle of the action, or at least less time is spent on establishing the backstory up front. Also, the section on editing and revising assumed typewritten or handwritten text, which often isn't the case. Writing on a computer screen is a whole different animal than writing on paper.

In addition, a lot of his examples were from A Christmas Carol and Madam Bovary. These are both classics, I'm sure, but let's be perfectly honest here -- if they came across an editor's desk today, they'd never get published. The style in which they are written is just too flowery and Victorian for today's market. They'd more likely go straight from the slush pile to the circular file. I felt that many of the style points he was trying to make were invalidated because of this.

I was also a bit annoyed by the author's tone -- the attitude of "there is one right way to do this, and that's my way." It got old fast. ("You must give up all of your friends and outside activities. You must write each and every day or else.") Since I know for a fact that the mere act of writing varies from person to person, every time I read something like that, I just wanted to throw the book against the nearest wall.

This might be a better reference for a brand-new author, one who needs someone to take them by the hand and give them some structure. However, I think I gleaned more useful information from No Plot No Problem.

[Dona's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instagram Review: http://www.instagram.com/p/CCqsII5ALMt/

I’m of the opinion that fiction instruction texts all seem to be about the same, and if they’re good they offer an aspect or element that’s memorable enough to stand out in the memory and elevate them above the others. That happens to be the case with Frey’s Damn Good Novel, which introduced me to the notion of “premise.”

In the book, Frey suggests that the concepts of “premise” and “theme” are interchangeable, but I disagree. On page 54, Frey defines the premise of a story as “a statement of what happens to the characters as a result of the core conflict in the story.” By way of example, he offers Dickens, who shows us in “A Christmas Carol,…a miserly old man who is confronted…by the spirits of Christmas, and who is transformed into a kind of Santa Claus. The premise: ‘forced self-examination leads to generosity.’” Each narrative arc (or plot) can have only one premise; think of it as only being able to prove one thing at a time. Your story can absolutely contain more than one narrative arc or plot; they can be called parallel arcs or plots or sub arcs or plots; in this way, a story might contain more than one premise, but only if the individuals plot conflicts resolve individually.

Themes work different than all this; they are much simpler in concept and application. Generally speaking, theme is just a topic or subject; not that you can’t use it to excellent effect.

Premise is a fascinating subject that Frey discusses throughout the entire text in How to Write a Damn Good Novel. I can see how understanding it will greatly strengthen both the organization and the internal logic of all my fiction going forward. Knowing about premise is also going to save me time because that basic organizational soundness will exist in the story from the first draft; that means fewer rewrites. I think this book has real value and I recommend my fellow fiction writers to grab a copy.

In fact, I’ll admit it. I went ahead and got How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II: Advanced Techniques for Dramatic Storytelling. I'll let you know if it's useful.

[D.w. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't think how many years I have had this book and only read up to the first chapter. I have several writerly books that tell you how to do it. This is just one, and the credentials of the author are not as great as some others on the craft.

That being said (written) does this book add to my path in becoming a better writer and working on my craft? Frey does give some solid guidelines that should not be ignored but he as so many want to do is tell a writer the formula that has been working for them and that their path is the way.

Read three books on the craft by three authors and you will find three paths. And should you meticulously follow the path of the best selling amongst them, you will not find your way to emulating that success necessarily.

So take in context that Frey can add to the journey. Work on character, work on premise. Work on what else Frey has provided. He fails in that he describes some useful tools, such as his stepsheet, but does not give a visual representation of one, where he easily could. Or when working on characters, a list of examples to get one started when you wish to 'interview' your character would have added to the work.

It is a slim piece, at 170 pages and then he followed this up with a second book, and then some genre specific work as well. It leads me to believe that he knew he had more to write, but cut it. A couple evenings reading and what he shares is added to the melting pot.

For those who are honing their craft it is a good addition. Not the be all and end all of what you need. You do need more than Frey has, but it would be a good first book, or third, or tenth book to add to your own lesson plan on becoming a better writer.

[piranha · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh.

it's not useless, mind, but... i've read a fair number of these books over the years, and this one struck me as particularly dull. first off, it's mistitled. it does not teach you HOW to write a damn good novel, it conveys pointers as to what types of things go into writing a novel. there is a difference, but i am not sure mr frey would appreciate the nuance.

which brings me to why only 2 stars when it's "not bad". i docked the book for several shortcomings. for one, it's a repackaging of The Art Of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives -- he quotes from it frequently. maybe a modernized version was needed, but why then use as examples writers most of us read in school, but not for pleasure? yes, yes, they were masters, but nobody who buys this book will ever write like dickens or even want to. could you even get published today if you did? ;) that's what makes the book dated, not that it was written in the 1980s (i think we can all extrapolate from references to typewriters and whiteout).

lastly, the dogmatic tone turned me off. he has his way, and that's apparently the one true way. no, thanks. especially not since IMO he is just plain wrong when it comes to premise, and he's much too limiting in how to start a novel. and he's sadly judgmental and narrow-minded about imagists, but that's more a matter of taste.

in short, this is alas not a damn good book about novel writing.

[Dmitry Yakovenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling, How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II: Advanced Techniques for Dramatic Storytelling, How to Write a Damn Good Mystery: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide from Inspiration to Finished Manuscript.

Джеймс Н. Фрэй, писатель и педагог известен своей обучающей нехудожественной литературой, в которой рассказывает все тонкости писательского искусства. Я решил написать сразу про три его книги, ведь они очень похожи, да и рассказывать тут особо нечего.

Это блестящая литература, если хочется побольше узнать про написание романов и детективов, увидеть как прямо на ваших глазах создают произведение с нуля, разбирают его по косточкам и рассказывают про каждую его деталь (книга про детективы). Также вы сможете прочитать про различные тонкости и получить очень дельные советы, пусть некоторые из них и довольно очевидны. Зато есть целые куски текста, повествующие о том, что делать после завершения работы, и это прекрасно.

Плюс ко всему, всё это завернуто в легкий, невероятно приятный стиль автора, да приправлено изрядной долей юмора и иронии, что делает чтение не только полезным, но и интересным и даже забавным.

Однозначно стоит читать, если писать книги — это одно из ваших самых сильных и сокровенных желаний.

[Alexander Velasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great book on what the fundamental aspects are to writing a really great novel. The author goes over all major elements such as: character development, conflict, premise, causation, climax and resolution, viewpoint, dialogue, rewriting, and even an quasi-inspirational chapter on what it takes to become a great novelist (hint: it involves lots of time + lots of effort).

The reason I gave the book 4/5 stars is because the author's tone is often a bit too dogmatic. I disagreed with a few points he made regarding his formula for writing a great novel. Another reason for the 4 star rating is because the book would mostly benefit someone writing a dramatic novel of the literary fiction genre. Maybe even narrower to the point that it would mostly be of use to someone writing that of a great detective or mystery novel. Someone inclined to write, say, a philosophical or psychological thriller may not benefit as much from this book.

But putting the above criticisms aside, it is a great book on elucidating what are extremely important fundamentals for writing a great novel. It is in this case that I highly regard the book, as well as recommend it to writers from the novice to the more experienced.

[Olga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Прочла за день, можно сказать, за раз.
Ясные, точные советы о том, как найти идею для книги, как создать персонажей, как должен развиваться конфликт в повествовании. Многие рецензии на Гудридз вменяют автору излишнюю догматичность, мол, говорит, будто только так и надо писать, но, по-моему, это чересчур сурово: он описывает свой метод, но вовсе не требует следовать ему и только ему. К тому же, расставление по полочкам идей, конфликтов и кульминаций очень полезно для тех, кто, как я, не имел счастья получить гуманитарное образование и из школьной программы по литературе помнит только, что "идея и тема повествования - разные вещи" (но в чём разница - хоть убей, не помню).
Для меня это вторая книга про писательское мастерство. По забавному стечению обстоятельств она практически антипод первой ("Как писать книги" Стивена Кинга): метод Фрея основан на тщательной подготовке (пошаговый план, биографии персонажей...), тогда как Кинг признаётся, что следует интуиции; у Фрея упорядоченный курс лекций, у Кинга - автобиография; здесь больший упор на построение сюжета, там - на стиль письма, вдохновение. Так что я довольна: антиподы дополняют друг друга.

[Mystery Theater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see a lot of folks who have never written a damn good novel saying this is a damn bad book. If you are Michael Malone or Dorothy Sayers or T. R. Pearson or Olive Ann Burns, then okay--you can say that. Otherwise? Physician, heal thyself.

NOTING THAT: Amazon and the internet have made the advice on submitting for publication obsolete. I know folks who sell 50,000 novels a year on Amazon and turn publishers down.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third chapter on the necessity of a premise was the most useful. The first two chapters also had good suggestions: creating character bios and step sheets. The final chapter on the zen of writing was also good. Definitely useful.