Three Rules for Writing a Novel: A Guide to Story Development

by William Noble

Helps writers turn adequate writing into wonderful prose by creating a foundation for a story, motivating the story, establishing a sense of place, and creating tension.

Genres: Writing

384 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

Reviews

[Aarón]

This book is a how-to for plotting a novel, and does so by reducing all stories to a series of common tropes, defined as "motivators" such as rivalry, discovery, and ambition. These motivators are augmented by "plot spicers" like deception, suspicion, and rescue. The book was engagingly written and full of good practical advice, but was clearly written in an era before spoilers became a meme, as he gives examples of these motivators and spicers in existing novels, often giving away the entire plot in the process. Thanks a lot, blabbermouth.

[Catburglar]

Somewhat useful.
Emphasizes plot motivators, setting and dialogue. Has a lot of good material, but the material is difficult to find. No index. Chapter titles are not very descriptive. The writing style of this book is like that of a novel instead of a technical book, which makes most of the reading very tedious. Mr. Noble spends an entire third of the book describing various common plots. He spends a third of the book on “Who am I?” which is all about dialogue – almost nothing about character.