Free PDF How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them, by Sol Stein
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How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them, by Sol Stein
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Each year thousands of fiction writers, from beginners to bestselling author, benefit from Sol Stein's sold-out workshops, featured appearances at writers' conferences, software for writers, on-line columns, and his popular first book for writers, Stein on Writing. Stein practices what he teaches: He is the author of nine novels, including the million-copy bestseller The Magician, as well as editor of such major writers as James Baldwin, Jack Higgins, Elia Kazan, Budd Schulberg, W. H. Auden, and Jacques Barzun, and the teacher and editor of several current bestselling authors. What sets Stein apart is his practical approach. He provides specific techniques that speed writers to successful publication.
How to Grow a Novel is not just a book, but an invaluable workshop in print. It includes details and examples from Stein's editorial work with a #1 bestselling novelist as well as talented newcomers. Stein takes the reader backstage in the development of memorable characters and fascinating plots. The chapter on dialogue overflows with solutions for short-story writers, novelists, screenwriters, and playwrights. Stein shows what readers are looking for-- and what they avoid-- in the experience of reading fiction. The book offers guidelines-- and warnings-- of special value for nonfiction writers who want to move into fiction. Stein points to the little, often overlooked things that damage the writer's authority without the writer knowing it. And this book, like no other writing book, takes the reader behind the scenes of the publishing business as it affects writers of every level of experience, revealing the hard truths that are kept behind shut doors.
- Sales Rank: #293504 in Books
- Published on: 2002-03-20
- Released on: 2002-03-20
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x .58" w x 6.00" l, .64 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 240 pages
Amazon.com Review
Sol Stein likens the reader of fiction to a baseball fan. The "tension, suspense, anxiety, and pleasure" a spectator experiences are "all the things readers hope for when they turn to a novel." In How to Grow a Novel, Stein coaches fiction writers in providing exactly those things for readers. First off, says Stein, you must write what you read; don't try to pull off a romance novel if you are a student of serious literature, or a literary masterpiece if you thrive on thrillers. With that in mind, Stein gears his book toward both "those who are trying to write a good book and those who are trying to write a good read." Most of How to Grow a Novel delineates what Stein considers to be a writer's obligations to his readers. A writer, he says, should be "amusing, entertaining, interesting," should create characters with character, and should maintain interest primarily by "never tak[ing] the reader where the reader wants to go." Stein illustrates his points with examples from his own experiences as a novelist and as a fiction editor.
The final section of the book is devoted to the responsibilities of the publisher. Any but the most stalwart writer can't help but be disheartened by the book business. It has often been said that a publisher determines a book's fate--barring a miracle--long before it is even released, by the funds allocated to publicize it. Stein takes this one step further, positing that a book's positioning is determined "when the agent submits it for consideration.... There are reportedly nearly a thousand literary agents in North American alone, but fewer than a dozen have clout."
Still, take heart, and try to enjoy the process. "Writing is the second most exciting activity a higher power invented for human beings," says Stein. "And when you get to your eighties, it's the first most exciting activity." --Jane Steinberg
From Library Journal
"Come sit. We need to talk." With this simple invitation, novelist, editor, and writing instructor Stein invites the reader to listen as he shares what he has learned from his extensive experience in the fields of writing and publishing. This book, his second (following Stein on Writing), stands apart from the wide field of instructional writing books by putting the writer's focus on the reader. Stein states bluntly right from the beginning that "liars say they write only for themselves" and that a "lack of courtesy" toward the reader is one of the chief faults of unsuccessful writing. While this is perhaps a controversial notion, prospective writers will nonetheless be well rewarded by reading this collection of tips, methods, and numerous anecdotes. In this delightful instruction session, Stein proves once again that he is still a vibrant and talented force in the writing and publishing professions. Highly recommended for libraries supporting fiction writers or fiction writing instruction.
-Angela M. Weiler, SUNY Libs., Morrisville
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
“[Stein] shares what he has learned from his extensive experience in the fields of writing and publishing. This book stands apart from the wide field of instructional writing books by putting the writer's focus on the reader. Highly recommnded.” ―Library Journal
“Stein is a fascinating guide and teacher. This should be required reading [for] 90 percent of published authors . . . Wonderful.” ―The Daily Mail (London)
Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Experience Speaks
By J. E. Gibbons
Reading Sol Stein's "How To Grow A Novel" after a long day at the keyboard
is like sitting down with a reknown novelist/teacher who also happens to be your best friend and mentor and lives next door.
Honestly, I read Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies some years ago and have kept that book close. It is one of my favorite references.
Back to HTGAN, no metaphysics here, Stein is straight talking his advice is as clear as it is valuable. This book won't write a novel for you but it will help you to stay with it and to avoid some the serious pitfalls the inexperienced novelist is likely to incur. By the way, my humble opinion, 'growing' is exactly the correct word to best describe how a novel evolves. This is worth a hard read.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
How to get started
By Loretta Matson
I tried to read this before writing anything and I didn't get much out of it. "Immediate Fiction" was a help with my lack of self confidence. Now, having been working on my book awhile I have picked Sol Stein up again and it's much more useful to me now, because I recognise my writing problems.
39 of 44 people found the following review helpful.
There's Many Better Books Than This
By Maine Character
The best thing about this book is it comes across as breezy, as sitting down with an experienced pro on his backyard patio for advice. And Stein definitely has a wealth of experience to draw on. The thing is, he's enjoying hearing himself talk more than imparting much useful information.
The book starts off slow, and even when you get to the chapter on editing, it's more about what a great editor he is. For instance, Stein writes that he told an author to take out "self-conscious asides," "adjectives that needed deletion," "melodrama," and "author intrusions," which is all great, but he doesn't give examples of any of them. It's like telling someone to take out the bad fuses without showing what they look like or how it all looks after.
Again, he writes, "The early part of the book contained a lot of unnecessary words that softened the pace. When they were later removed, the pace quickened." Great. But again, no examples of what these words were or how to find them in our own writing.
Instead, it's all "I suggested," "I pointed out," and "I recommended," all showing how smart he is and leaving us with nothing. He even says, "'Sprinting' had to be replaced by a more accurate word," and doesn't even tell us what it was.
Truth is, one thing this book could've used is editing. "First, let's understand what `voice' means. The term is defined in the glossary at the back of this book. Let me spare you the trouble of leaving this page by repeating the definition here." If he wanted to spare us, he'd cut all of that and start at the next line: "The author's voice is..."
In another part he says, "You may recall my formula: one plus one equals a half." He actually doesn't get to it for another six pages, and even though it's to "remind writers that conveying the same matter more than once in different words diminishes the effect of what is said," he goes against his own formula and does just that. (Actually he uses the exact same words, which is even worse.)
Or try this: "We crawl before we walk. When I first learned to walk, I couldn't turn around and change my direction without falling. When I was blocked by a wall or furniture, I'm told, I sat down, turned around while sitting, then got up and walked some more. It was not very efficient, nor greatly experimental, but it got me where I was going." He then says, "The writer needs to build on his abilities and strengths before trying fancy maneuvers," and that's all he needed to say. The rest is just being full of himself.
In the chapter on Dialogue, he spends a full page and a half explaining what baseball is - how it's played and what countries it's played in - before describing types of dialogue as a curveball or a sinker. He even follows this with a half page explaining Ping-Pong.
To be sure, every so often he offers a great phrase or insight, like how we've been "raised to communicate, not to evoke," and "In dialogue, logic goes out the window, followed by grammar." But that's just two sentences a chapter, and not worth wading through the rest.
Things pick up in the later pages when he offers tips on formatting, and there's also good information on pages 190-201, when he finally forgets about himself and gives a straight presentation on publishing - advances, plant costs, inventory - but other books tell it in more depth. He also doesn't tell you anything you can do besides hope for a big advance. Actually, there's one line that says, "There's nothing to prevent an author from stepping forward to promote their book themselves," but that's it. David Morrell's book on writing not only outlines the same information, but tells you how to handle your taxes, how you can buy up remainders at a discount, and has a whole chapter on self-promotion.
Finally, we have an Appendix titled "Where Writers Get Help." Stein recommends Renni Browne's Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print, and Oakley Hall's The Art and Craft of Novel Writing, and I'd recommend those over this book as well.
Then he has sections on "Help with Characterization," "Help with Dialogue," "Help with Plotting," and in an amazing display of propaganda, he mentions "Stein on Writing" seven times, his software WritePro five times, his software Fiction Master nine times, and gives you the address of his website seven times. All in just eight pages. He does at times mention other books, but the rest is just overkill.
To sum up, skip this one and try David Morrell's The Successful Novelist, Lawrence Block's Telling Lies for Fun & Profit: A Manual for Fiction Writers, and the ones mentioned above. This one's just a waste of time.
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