How to Draw a Novel

by Martín Solares

From the acclaimed author of  The Black Minutes  and  Don’t Send Flowers ,  How to Draw a Novel  is an ingenious and visually stimulating exploration of narrative and craft from master storyteller and former publisher Martín Solares In this finely wrought collection of essays, Martín Solares examines the novel in all its forms, exploring the conventions of structure, the novel as a house that one must build brick by brick, and the objects and characters that build out the world of the novel in unique and complex ways. With poetic, graceful prose, that reflects the power of fascination with literary fiction, Solares uses line drawings to realize the ebb and flow of the novel, with  Moby Dick  spiraling across the page while  Dracula  takes the form of an erratic heartbeat. A novelist, occasional scholar, and former acquiring editor in Mexican publishing, Solares breaks out of the Anglo-American-dominated canon of many craft books, ranging across Latin and South America as well. He considers how writers invent (or discover) their characters, the importance of place (or not) in the novel, and the myriad of forms the novel may take. Solares’ passion for the form is obvious, and his insights into the construction of the novel are as profound as they are accessible. This is a writer’s book, and an important contribution to the study of craft and fiction.   

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

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2014

About the author

Martín Solares is a Mexican writer whose first novel, The Black Minutes, is a crime thriller that, according to a Publishers Weekly contributor, "treads a ... tightrope between police procedural and surreal fantasy."

Awards include: Premio Nacional de Cuento Efrain Huerta (the Efrain Huerta National Prize for Short Stories), 1998, for "El Planeta Cloralex"; Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize (shortlisted) for The Black Minutes.

Reviews

[Daniel]

Read/skimmed about half of this. Varies between basic and nonsensical. The "drawing" part I find especially worthless. If this way of thinking works for him, cool. YMMV

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Writer and reader, I was drawn to this book because the of the title, "how do you draw a novel?" and that question led me to requesting the publisher to read this book and I'd say that this is a must read if you are interested in studying the craft of writing and fiction. The author in each chapter provides insights on writing, structure, character development, arcs, and above all draws examples from well known published works.
He also delves into the style of writing, narration through history (760BCE to 2022). I love how apt and accurate his doodles are on the flow of writing in most books, made me want to summarize books in sketches and lines.
I was most intrigued by his take on time in the novel, and how that in itself drives the story.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

[Jonathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an amalgamation of everything I hate about bad craft books. Focus on quantity of examples rather than quality analysis of examples, philosophical musings about the nature of storytelling rather than practical advice about how to write, and this whole "drawing the novel" thing could have been a cool concept if there had been any consistency or logic to what the drawings signify or explaining the value of drawing your own project to figure out how to improve it. Boo!

[Bert Hirsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin Solares a Mexican novelist provides what reads like course material for a creative writing class with notes on a wide range of Latin American and North American novelists: Bolano, Cortazar, Piglia, Borges, Aira, Vila-Matas, Faulkner, Garcia Marquez, Auster, Rulfo, and several others are cited as examples of different aspects of the creative writing process.

A whole chapter is dedicated to Rulfo's, Pedro Paramo: "reality always reaches us through them [the characters] we rarely witness the action itself, what we get is a memory of the action. Every landscape, every fact in Rulfo's novel is filtered through the consciousness of an imagined being."

The title of the book is based on sketches Solares prompts as visual manifestations of the different character and plot developments in a wide range of works. While at first this concept appears inventive it is over-used and loses its meaningfulness. Despite this minor fault the content of Solares's analyses are enlightening:

"A hero needs two things: a loyal friend and a tireless enemy."
"Like a drama, a short story blasts off, surprises us, and ends. A novel, on the other hand, like a waking dream, is a journey we'll never forget."
"A great character is a constellation, the magnetic center of its own solar system...they dare to tread where we never would...with notable eccentricities and unusual hobbies abound."
"Ask, what does the character want?"
"The novel seeks the unexpected, the unknown, the amusing, and the terrifying."
"Deep down every novel is about struggling with an obsession...or a mystery."
"Every novel involves a mystery someone is trying to solve: the mystery of life, imagines or real."
"the final lines must give greater meaning to what has been read in order to bring the reader's emotions to a climax."

[Hitzuji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Son una serie de ensayos sobre las novelas. Los dos primeros ensayos me parecieron preciosos, y en general son bastante buenos e interesantes. Tiene este concepto de que cada novela se puede dibujar (como a modo de gráfica) de una manera distinta, y me pareció muy interesante, sobre todo me gustaron los ejemplos. Hace mucha referencia a distintas piezas literarias y me pareció curioso que uno de los capítulos habló de series de televisión.

Hay un capítulo (ensayo) completito en el que analiza Pedro Páramo de Juan Rulfo, afortunadamente ya había leído esa novela, pero si no la has leído ese capítulo puede hacerse aburrido (al no entender algunos elementos, quizá) y además arruinar la historia, pues da spoilers y no hay gran aviso previo al respecto.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had planned to just skim this but then the physical object (hardcover, Grove Press) felt so damned good in my hands that I lingered and found myself reading some essays closely. I especially liked the Moby-Dick observations and all the mentions of Latin American authors, but I had to skip the Juan Rulfo chapter (for now) because a reviewer said that Solares reveals too much or misinterprets Pedro Paramo, which I plan to read.

[Gavi Figueroa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo que me convenció de leer este libro fue que las reseñas de Goodreads decían que incluía un ensayo analizando la estructura de Pedro Páramo.
No necesité más para lanzarme por él. Mi novela favorita es Pedro Páramo.
Aunque iba solo con la expectativa de leer este apartado, el libro es una recopilación de quince ensayos, algunos de apenas de dos páginas. Pero la brevedad solo ha agregado que el impacto de lo conciso se quede contigo.
El libro nos lleva de la mano en la estructura de cualquier novela, con ejemplos de inicios poderosos en distintos géneros, formas narrativas que incluyen más de un apartado, uno de estos ensayos el que le da nombre al libro "Cómo dibujar una novela" y el viaje ha sido muy enriquecedor.
No es nada que en un manual actual de cómo escribir una novela no vayas a encontrar, sin embargo la forma libre e inspiradora desde donde está abordado todo me ha encantado.

El apartado de tiempo y narradores ha sido de mis favoritos, además de que te sugiere algunos ejercicios prácticos que te ayudan a regresar los pies a la tierra.
Comparto uno de los temas centrales de los ensayos: No es lo que cuentas, es cómo lo cuentas. Cómo estructuras la historia y, como Rulfo decía, sigues a los personajes sin saber a dónde te van a llevar.

El ensayo de Rulfo y sus citas son particularmente poderosas. La manera en que Rulfo concebía una novela se acerca mucho más a lo que se hace en la literatura en nuestros días que en los que a él le tocó vivir.
Por ello cuando logró publicar Pedro Páramo se enfrentó a los críticos que no podían ver más allá del género que gobernaba la literatura de la época: realista, costumbrista y de revolución.
Cuando Rulfo hizo una novela de fantasía, de elipsis y de fantasmas.

Rulfo extrajo todo lo que sobraba, fue contundente y siempre asumió que la ficción era una mentira, por tanto, un mundo.

Otro ensayo que disfruté como loca fue el dedicado a la opinión de grandes escritores que veían al género de la novela como una basura. Un bodrio sin consistencia ni propósito, un género destinado a la decadencia de las artes, por su falta de estructura, por su impermanencia, por la ausencia de un método para calificarla como perfecta o imperfecta.
Desde Borges hasta Sartre.
Desde los que la dilapidaban hasta los que la aceptaban siempre y cuando buscara la revolución, la denuncia, el cambio social.
Luego vino Rulfo y Rulfo fue maravilloso.

El ensayo además incluye pedazos del primer borrador de Pedro Páramo, es mirar los apuntes (que ya existe un libro de ellos específicamente) de una obra que causó dudas en el mismo autor y en las que te puedes ver reflejado.
Como una fan de este hombre y de la literatura latinoamericana recomiendo mucho leer Cómo dibujar una novela. Y si estás en proceso de escribir algo, más.

Hay muchos manuales en el mercado, muchos que te enseñan de estructuras, de procesos, de observar cómo se cuentan las mejores (y más vendidas) historias de nuestro siglo. Pero estos ensayos te acercan a eso que mueve a muchos escritores: La fascinación del mundo interior y de cómo te sentiste cuando leíste algo y tú, como lector, descubriste lo que quedó entre lo que se dijo y el mudismo del autor.

[Gabriela Garcia Maloucaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

_How to Draw a Novel_ was written by Martín Solares, a Mexican author. I’m almost ashamed to admit I didn’t know him before seeing this ARC, in English, on NetGalley. I wanted to read some nonfiction, preferably something on writing or publishing, and rather absentmindedly chose that from NetGalley’s options. What a fortunate distraction! His choice of examples, many from Latin American literature, and his name sparked my attention and made me look up more about the author. It turns out the book was written in 2014, in Spanish. It is so refreshing to read quotes from many more languages and not only Anglo-American literature! I suppose the time has come for a translation. I would have read the original version if I had known how many (beautiful) works in Spanish the author would mention: Cortázar, Ribeyro, Bellatin, Zambra. That really made me wish I had found it before, but since I had already received it for the review, I continued reading in English.
Solares takes us in a tour of a novel’s possible structure and variations, from opening lines to everything else (but kindly avoiding spoilers). First, he is a reader with a very wide scope! It took me a while to read because I stopped many times to check – and enjoy – the references, while I fattened an already huge list of books to read. In addition to Latin American literature, he quotes from Dumas, Kipling, Zola and Eco to classic popular whodunnits (characters such as Poirot, Sherlock, Maigret and the more recent Wallander). Plus, you have to love an author who says he would “bet money” on the motives for another writer’s choice.
But for me, the unsung hero of this book is the translator! Can you imagine the crazy work it must have taken to translate not only Solares’ words, but his many, many quotes – some originally in Spanish, but innumerous that were already a translation (from French, from Swedish etc.). Kudos to Heather Cleary!
Even if you do not care much about writing per se, read if you have an appetite for new ideas for your reading list. This is a book for book lovers.
Thanks to Martín Solares, NetGalley and Grove Press for the ARC!

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solares writes so beautifully about the experience of reading novels and about the artform in general. As a lifelong writer and reader, the text felt jam-packed with inspiring quotes and insights. Solares’ observations are clever and his drawings of various novels are whimsical, fun, and thought-provoking. This collection of essays was, overall, delightful. Any person who enjoys reading novels and wants to dig deeper into the “why”s and “how”s will find plenty of passages to cozy-up into. I was personally amazed that the author managed to convince me to read some classic books I’ve been avoiding for fear of sheer boredom. The way he described Moby Dick, for example, was so captivating. I may need to try it out! Overall, I found the quality of the writing in this book to be top-tier, 5-star worthy. The reason why I feel a four-star rating is more appropriate is simply due to the disheartened feeling I got, about mid-way through, when I realized that most of his in-depth analyses and quotes were focused on the works of male authors. Though he spends some time acknowledging the masterful works of writers like Patricia Highsmith and Toni Morrison, I felt the universe of the female writer was largely overlooked. That is the only downfall I really noticed in a book that, overall, I really enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher!

[Carlos Campos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Más que un conjunto de ensayos virtuosamente reunidos, este es un divertimento, un diálogo abierto, para quienes amamos el género. Gracias, Martín.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

How to Draw a Novel is an interesting monograph on narrative and craft by Martín Solares. Originally published in 2014 as Como dibujar una novela , this English language translation was published by Grove Atlantic and released 12th Dec. 2023. It's 224 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a writer's mind view of the landscape of writing, with graphic and spatial comparisons for mapping out the shape of a novel. It's probably more useful for writers who are honing their craft, but a bit more surprisingly, he speaks eloquently and very well about literature in general, drawing examples from a huge number of Latin American (and not mainstream for primarily English language readers). This is a great way to find new authors and works outside the English mainstream to follow and read.

The translation work seems to be unobtrusive and the scansion and flow of the writing is fine in English. It's a technical work, but readable and accessible to the average layman.

Four stars. This would be a good choice for public or post-secondary school library acquisition, for the writer's (or would-be writer's) reference shelf, and for readers who are looking to expand their literature horizons. It could also be useful for writer and critique groups as a reference.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book missed the mark; I thought, based on the title, it might offer a unique approach to writing something out of the box. It does not. About a third of the book includes sketches—lines and squiggles—that represent Solare's interpretation of various novels' plot lines. An interesting idea—but far from instructive or helpful for writing an entire novel. It would have been better had Solares devoted one chapter to showing how sketching a plot line is helpful, but as part of a handful of other strategies. This could have worked, since the book includes a few good chapters in this vein. For instance, there's how to develop a character in "The Character Tree", another on how to get unstuck when you hate the direction your novel is going, and “Bomb Theory, or How to End It All," which is, as you might have guessed, about how to write a novel’s ending.

The book then digresses again from the instructive parts when Solares analyzes a selection of notable novels. He discusses how plot schemas were, or were not, applied. I discovered a couple of interesting authors I hadn’t heard of before in these chapters; one was Juan Rulfo. Solares devotes an entire chapter to analyzing the plots of Rulfo’s works. An abstract but interesting chapter.

Overall, How to Write a Novel is a jumbled collection of chapters about novels: plot line sketches, writing strategies, and analyses. Some readers might still find the book interesting; just be ready for a wild ride.

[Ashley McMullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Draw a Novel is a translated work, with the author being Latino and therefore incorporating more novels and stories by authors of color. I enjoyed the premise of this book--essentially mapping out a novel based on how it moves through a story--but I found the execution left me wanting. When the description mentioned it was a series of essays, I was hoping for more insight and commentary rather than excerpts (sometimes very long, sometimes mostly summarized by the author) from novels. I did enjoy, also, the author's approach of: "A novel is art, and if you don't want to follow a set formula, you don't have to. Here are examples of authors who didn't, and what their novels look like."

Overall, there was maybe a couple pages worth of material that I found useful here. If you're a visual learner, or like to think of the books you read or the projects you're working on in the abstract, I think this would be really useful. In the end, this book wasn't what I thought it was going to be based on the description, and that's why I rated it three stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Grove Press for giving me advanced reader access in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes tomorrow, December 12, 2023.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "How to Draw a Novel", Mexican writer and literary theorist Martín Solares has written a thoughtful and engaging book on the structure of the novel. As the name implies this book does explore and develop techniques to depict the course of novels through simple single line doodles.. However, this book also includes a much deeper and comprehensive approach to the study of the novel. In fact, Solares has created a text that examines multiple techniques and methods for creating the elements of a novel. This book should be accessible for writers and students of literature irregardless of their experience. Although the author does reference various literary theories and methods the book does not require the reader to posses a grounding in literary theory or criticism. The accessibility of this book is also enhanced by the fact that Solares covers multiple genres, including some associated with popular fiction, and cites examples from a wide range of authors writing in multiple languages.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Grove Atlantic for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review

[Lena Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

How to Draw a Novel by Martin Solares is a gem of a writing craft book. Many books today on the craft of writing promote a formulaic structure to achieve an entertaining novel. Solares presents us with the thesis that a novel is art - and art is not formulaic. Solares gives us a collection of essays focused on different elements of novel writing - from structure to prose to editing. All of these essays are tied together with thoughtful voice and the sense of wonder and awe Solares has for the novel as a medium and how the masters have sculpted words into magnificent stories. I really appreciated Solares's distinct and personable voice - a major feat in a craft book. It felt less like a crash course on how to write a novel and more like a chat with an old author friend sharing his thoughts on the craft. As someone embarrassingly unfamiliar with Spanish literature, the examples Solares pulled from were presented and utilized in ways that prior knowledge was unnecessary but certainly added to the reading experience. I gathered a list of many titles I want to read simply from the reverence in which Solares examines them.

This is a craft book that is meant to be studied and highlighted and reread. I cannot recommend it enough to writers and authors looking to expand their skills and be creative with the medium of language.

[Jac Filer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was decent, but not entirely what I expected.

I enjoyed the writer's methodology for examining novels and analyzing the paths they take in order to generate a picture of the story arc. The examples were well-examined and detailed in a manner that supports both the premise of the analytical process and its findings.

That said, there are a few shortcomings that are hard to overlook.

First, the book seemed disorganized. Perhaps I am used to American non-fiction conventions that make liberal use of headings and subheadings within each chapter, but there was very little of this kind of organizational structure within this book.

Second, several of the examples were from foreign novels unfamiliar to me. To his credit, the author expounded on these writings in such a way that made me not feel completely lost in a sea of strange stories. But to be sure, the analysis of works that I do know resonated more strongly with me.

Finally, the "how to" promised in the title was largely absent. The book gives its full attention to distilling what other writers have done, but the "how to" seems to be left to an unspoken "now go and do likewise" at the end of each section.

[Tyler Morley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was promising me a unique way to think about stories, to represent them in a form that revealed their hidden qualities and help me see them in a fresh way.
Instead I got a broad summary of several dozen famous novels and a very loose, freeform drawing exercise on the side. I can see drawings being helpful if you're trying to compare two novels on a specific aspect, like pacing or character growth. On their own, though, they seem more clever than useful, especially with the liberties they took like drawing skulls for horror stories and hearts for romances.
Did the plot of "Old Man and the Sea" *really* take the shape of waves/shark fins? Did Frankenstein*really* have scar-like railroad spikes along its narrative, in a way that no other novel covered did?
Maybe I was expecting too much, but I came away disappointed.

[David Lipsitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this twice now, creating a space of several months between each read. While initially, I felt a 'so what' to his analysis of literature through graphic representation, it was the second read that changed my thinking.

It is a very nuanced approach and I urge the reader to perhaps skim it first, then come in for a deeper dive. It is definitely transformative to the understanding of story structure.

While I am never much of a fan of the end-of chapter exercise paradigm, they were fun, if not really necessary. I now find myself doodling the plot outlines of books but have avoided the impulse to start using colored pens. Perhaps that would be too much cowbell.

[Kyle Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing, unique take on writing, structure, and characterization with a visual and poetic twist. I particularly enjoyed the character tree as a way to explore character development, motivations, and personality.
However, this is much more a collection of literary essays, diving into examples (lots of examples) about how and why a particular scene works, more so than this being a book about craft that a writer could use to improve.
Four stars for its detail, uniqueness, and style. Three stars for my personal reading preference.

[Cam Torrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read for pleasure, I gravitate toward genre fiction. When I read about writing, I lean toward simplicity. Martin Solares took me out of my comfort zone by abstractly describing the art of the novel.

At the end of the book, I remain uncertain that I can draw a novel. But here are my favorite takeaways from this lovely read:
- the definition of "novelesque"
- I want to read Juan Rulfo's "Pedro Páramo"
- how to end a novel
- thoughts on titles

This book can be read in an hour--but like a lunch with friends, it's best stretched over several.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful contemplation of the novel as an art form. A book that illustrates novels to explain their narratives, and thanks Junot Díaz for his friendship in the Acknowledgements. It breaks down the elements of novels and uses our most beloved books to demonstrate its meaning. I will refer to my notes and highlights in this book while writing for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[miriam]

fun take on a craft book from an eccentric genre-headed perspective. pairs well with his novel the Black Minutes. the novel appears unassuming, but with a map in hand you can see the contours of his strange insectoid machinery pulsing just under the surface. like anything else, it's rooting around in someone else's toolbox. he's not your dad. just take what works for you.

his concept of "novelistic excitement" is a big hit in my household... it's that feeling of "what's gonna happen??" (:

[Rosemary Rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Draw a Novel by Martin Solares is a method for reading novels to writing them based on a pattern. I have to say that I'm not sure how I will apply these principles in my own writing but believe that there's something to learn from every craft book. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, different, unexpected away to view novel writing. To consider books I've read. While I'm not entirely sure as an author I will actively use this, it was a great way to think about books. It would be an excellent discussion point in a writing class.

[Prerana Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was thought provoking and a very interesting topic to read about. I didn’t get the flow of the book and hence read it in parts. Maybe because it’s a translation to English much of the content didn’t make sense to me. But I liked the concept.

[Tim Dellas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solares takes us through the literary world and draws the energy of novels for us and shows us what can be learned from those novels structures. Well written to be a quick and inspiring read, I understood some of the included grains of wisdom, so reading this was worthwhile (but not mindboggling).

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times fanciful, and at others seeming more practical in terms of possible advice to a writer. The line drawings are intriguing if slightly opaque to me.

It makes an interesting contrast to Chuck Wendig's book of advice to writers which I am also embarked upon reading.

[D.J. Desmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's maybe not the most concise collection of ideas, but it's a very inspiring book to read for any writer. It gives parameters for creating characters, plots, and interesting writing all around. I recommend to all writers

[Karma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a whimsical book with many passages from some of the greatest books. The author has done his research well. I especially liked how he drew different novels. A solid 3.5 stars for this one.

[William Dury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very original book of analysis. The Moby Dick section is especially insightful.