Writing the Popular Novel

by Loren D. Estleman

Bestselling author Loren D. Estleman has honed his craft throughout a career that has spanned more than 50 novels and won him a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and now readers can benefit from his expertise with Writing the Popular Novel. With engaging, uplifting advice, this book gives aspiring authors a guide to making their dreams come true and * An overview of literary genres and how to decide which one is best suited for the reader * Tips on how to conduct research(and how to make the leap from research to writing) * An in-depth look at dialogue, point of view, and other techniques As compelling as it is insightful, this book is sure to be popular with readers!

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

242 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2004

About the author

Loren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He writes with a manual typewriter.

Estleman is most famous for his novels about P.I. Amos Walker. Other series characters include Old West marshal Page Murdock and hitman Peter Macklin. He has also written a series of novels about the history of crime in Detroit (also the setting of his Walker books.) His non-series works include Bloody Season, a fictional recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and several novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.

Series:
* Amos Walker Mystery
* Valentino Mystery
* Detroit Crime Mystery
* Peter Macklin Mystery
* Page Murdock Mystery

Reviews

[Jessi Waugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part were the quotations from other peoples work. Still, I read – skim the whole thing, better than I’d say for some.

[Carrie Slager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing the Popular Novel was the first book on writing I ever picked up and I’m glad it was because it remains one of the best ones I’ve ever read. It’s comprehensive, concise, and gives practical advice on dealing with rejection from agents and editors.

One of the things modern writers (especially self-published ones) may not like is Loren Estleman’s views on self-publishing. But you have to take into account that this book was written in 2004, before self-published writers had access to all of the great resources that are out there now. More people are becoming accepting of self-publishing (myself included), but things weren’t nearly always like that. Self-published authors are still looked on with disdain now, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was in 2004, or even 2009.

Other than his little spiel about self-publishing, Writing the Popular Novel is just as relevant today as it was in 2004. Loren Estleman explains the five different points of view authors may use, how to write believable dialogue, using an outline, writing the climax of your novel and so many more practical things authors should learn about. He also debunks some of the most prevalent and annoying myths that frequently crop up in fiction, especially ones about guns. As someone who grew up in a rural area, I find myself laughing until I cry at some gun scenes in novels and short stories. Please don’t be the author that makes me do this; I (and other reviewers) will call you out on your faulty research.

With an entertaining style and practical, relevant advice, I would recommend Writing the Popular Novel to any writers, both new and experienced, traditionally published or self-published. If you’re going to buy only one book on writing, this should be the one.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads rating purposes.

[Beth]

Whenever I pick up a book like this, the first question I ask myself when I'm finished is if I learned anything. The answer is yes, though not as much as I'd hoped. For someone new to the writing game, though, I'm sure there's a lot of value in this book.
While I've never had a book conventionally published, I don't consider myself an amateur except in the regards to dealing with agents and publishing houses. I found the segments on these useful, though the only thing I learned from this book on that subject is to be sure to draft a contract with an agent that excludes representation for short stories, since submitting those to magazines and literary journals is a task I do alone.

The book is not without its issues otherwise. Not all the advice within is sound. Most is, but then there are the odd outliers (Like the suggestion of using the "poor man's copyright"--mailing yourself a copy of your work and leaving it sealed so the postmark can be used as a date of establishment--which doesn't hold up in court and is only going to waste paper and postage) that make me scratch my head and wonder how this came from a source like Writer's Digest.

That said, I don't feel like I wasted my time reading the rest of the book; it's always reassuring to hear a successful author repeat things I already know, if only because it's a comfort to know I'm doing things right.

[Kay Iscah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like Western's in general or hard boiled detective stories, and Estleman as a writer of both uses them throughout the book as examples, which are less exciting for me than him. However I am glad I plowed through, because his pragmatism is refreshing. I wanted to cheer when he announced "Genre is the new mainstream." and enjoyed a good eye roll over "literary fiction". As a writer who absolutely dreads getting defined or worse restricted by a single genre, it was nice to hear a sucessful professional agree such things can drive a person mad.

I don't know how much you'll like or get this book if you don't have some aim at writing fiction for a mass audience. But if you do, I'd certainly recommend it. I think one read through was enough for me, but I'm going to give my copy as a door prize for a panel/class on writing I'm hosting next month. Hope the next reader gets as much from it as I did.

I suppose I should add this isn't really a How To, so much as a How to Keep Going while keeping both optimism and realism intact. Thank you, Mr. Estleman.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing the Popular Novel

In this informative book written by Loren D. Estleman, he reveals his secrets, tips, and helpful information to help you through every part of novel writing.

The book goes over eerything from publishing to where you should write. It has many helpful examples and is broken up into parts that make it easier to understand.

I thought it was okay. It was well written, very well written, but it was just so boring. It made it hard to read. A page per minute would be a miracale. This is the kind of book you would pick up to read sections of on things you need help with, not to be read from cover to cover. I would recomend it to anyone writing their first novel because it does help, they just don't need to read all of it.

[Kelly D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this at the library today for 50 cents. Didn't think it would be great but for that cheap, why not check it out? It really surprised me. Interesting facts, good examples, and solid points. The title made me hesitate: don't let it stop you from checking it out. I found it great help, interesting, and an easy read.

[James S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loren Estleman has come off as something of a grump in his some of his interviews, so I was expecting this book to be a little grumpy. Not so! It's actually an encouraging, amiable, idiosyncratic, and experienced guide to fiction. I found myself agreeing with almost everything Estleman was saying, and if a few of the tips on technology were out of date, well, most of his advice was timeless.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, sound advice on writing. Excellent examples, and pleasurable to read.

[Shawn Proctor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite some good, tough advice, this book is so basic as to be of little use.

[G.R. Williamsom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good advice from a master novelist. L.D. Estleman tells it like it is, in a way that is fun to read and informative.

A must read for fiction writers.