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The Compass
The Compass (One Year Adventure Novel)
312 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Schwabauer
18 books216 followersDaniel Schwabauer, ThD, teaches English at MidAmerica Nazarene University and writes award-winning fantasy and science fiction novels. He earned an MA in creative writing under science fiction legend James Gunn and completed his doctoral work in semiotic theology with Leonard Sweet. He lives in Olathe, Kansas, with his wife and dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 1, 2015
This is a very helpful curriculum for all writers of fiction, giving a few restrictions to help creativity. For example, the first book you write with the help of the curriculum must be written in first person. It must be in only one POV, all scenes being in the point of view of your main character.
At first this bothered me and discouraged me from wanting to use the curriculum, but someone convinced me to get it anyway and so I did and I'm very glad I listened.
It goes through the whole process of writing a first book and gives you a few example templates to go by.
The curriculum is more about bringing you through the process of writing a first novel so that you'll have an idea of how to write your other stories, than writing a best-seller in one try.
Being a writer is about writing a whole bunch and being okay with the fact that you won't always write well, and unless you're willing to keep writing despite that, you won't be able to get better.
It was a little hard for me to write my first story using the curriculum because the story had a different structure than the curriculum asks for. It almost wasn't an adventure novel because the story isn't resolved by the end, because it's a book in a series I'm writing. That doesn't mean the curriculum is flawed. It just means that particular story wasn't meant to be an OYAN novel, unless I tweak it more. I had to improvise a little for it to work. I'm being more careful with my second novel and choosing a story idea that can be a better adventure novel than my last one. It will better fit into the structure the curriculum calls for, and it will have a better resolution, a distinguishable ending.
Again, the curriculum has been a big help for me in the process of outlining my stories and figuring things out and becoming a much better writer. I recommend it to anyone who wants to write a novel. It is written with clarity and easy to navigate, and will remain a useful reference for me.
At first this bothered me and discouraged me from wanting to use the curriculum, but someone convinced me to get it anyway and so I did and I'm very glad I listened.
It goes through the whole process of writing a first book and gives you a few example templates to go by.
The curriculum is more about bringing you through the process of writing a first novel so that you'll have an idea of how to write your other stories, than writing a best-seller in one try.
Being a writer is about writing a whole bunch and being okay with the fact that you won't always write well, and unless you're willing to keep writing despite that, you won't be able to get better.
It was a little hard for me to write my first story using the curriculum because the story had a different structure than the curriculum asks for. It almost wasn't an adventure novel because the story isn't resolved by the end, because it's a book in a series I'm writing. That doesn't mean the curriculum is flawed. It just means that particular story wasn't meant to be an OYAN novel, unless I tweak it more. I had to improvise a little for it to work. I'm being more careful with my second novel and choosing a story idea that can be a better adventure novel than my last one. It will better fit into the structure the curriculum calls for, and it will have a better resolution, a distinguishable ending.
Again, the curriculum has been a big help for me in the process of outlining my stories and figuring things out and becoming a much better writer. I recommend it to anyone who wants to write a novel. It is written with clarity and easy to navigate, and will remain a useful reference for me.
May 24, 2021
A very helpful textbook
April 29, 2015
This curriculum is amazing!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews