Refusing to Get Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell. (Soho Press, 168 pages, $15.99.)
Although his practical and authoritative book is structured as a practical guide with specific steps, novelist and teacher Matt Bell (“Appleseed”) lays down few absolute rules. He warns readers to use what works for them and discard everything else: “Only apply what works for you.” Fortunately for readers, particularly those who believe his first draft is perfect, most of what he says applies almost universally.
Bell takes aim at accessibility, encouraging people to write what excites them and to “leave nothing for later.” But he mostly sets inspiration aside in favor of taking a trader’s point of view. He emphasizes his three-tier rewriting process until each draft is as clean as possible. While some tips may seem tiresome, like rewriting every word (“Yes, everything”) when revising a second draft, they’re almost always spot on.
A gift bag of tactical advice even seasoned pros will find useful – Your list of fill-in “weasel words” to avoid deserves memorization – This is the rare writing manual that never feels like a chore or aspirational in the way of John Gardner or Annie. Dillard.
With crisp, relatable prose that nimbly balances positivity with a down-to-earth awareness of the grueling commitment that novelwriting entails, Bell teaches by example.
“How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook of America’s Mystery Writers”, edited by Lee Child with Laurie R. King. (Scribner, 336 pages, $27.)
An embarrassment of riches, this anthology compiled by Lee Child and Laurie R. King (creators, respectively, of the Jack Reacher and Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series) brims with enough pithy wisdom and hard-edged humor to deserve its place on any mystery lover’s shelf. . , even if they never intend to write anything.
Contributions from 70 authors are divided into topics (“The Rules and the Genres,” “After the Writing”), but the book is easily read from cover to cover. The advice comes in quick, short bursts. Tim Malveny’s page entry reads, “Love your characters, but treat them like crap.” Charles Salzburg tears down the unfunny “write what you know” rule to explain how to write about what you don’t know. In a smart and playful couple, Jeffrey Deaver insists on “always scheme”. immediately followed by Child’s forceful response “Never outline!”
It’s no surprise that from a group whose motto is “Crime doesn’t pay… enough,” “How to Write a Mystery” focuses on the practical side of the mystery business. Liliana Hart urges star-eyed self-published writers to “Don’t Quit Your Day Job,” while Kelley Armstrong provides an insightful overview of the (unwritten) rules that govern the YA mystery genre. A quick, wise, and expansive guide that, by explaining how to write a mystery, ends up illustrating much of what makes the genre so fascinating.
“Write for Life” by Anna Quindlen. (Random House, 240 pages, $26.)
Relentlessly cheerful and optimistic, Anna Quindlen (“Living Out Loud”) writes about writing in her newest book with a determined “you can do it!” enthusiasm reminiscent of a beloved teacher who truly believes that all of her students are special. This approach may be of limited use to people who have already decided to write and are just looking for the right tools. But Quindlen focuses less on the how of writing and more on the why.
Quindlen fills his short, thoughtful book with arguments in favor of writing as a positive and worthwhile act. Drawing on examples from Anne Frank to the high school Freedom Writers program, Quindlen encourages readers to put their lives or thoughts on paper in any format. “It really doesn’t matter what you say,” she says to allay concerns that her journals or poems aren’t good enough. “It matters that you said it.”
A champion of analog writing, Quindlen worries about what a world of ephemeral electronic words loses for the future. He asks readers to send handwritten letters to their loved ones and poignantly describes reading Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” manuscript and feeling his “human presence” in the crossed out lines. Quindlen’s book, bordering on precious at times, is a gently inspiring breeze of something that nonetheless makes a strong case for putting our lives and thoughts into words: “Writing can make memory concrete.”
Chris Barsanti is a freelance writer, author of several nonfiction books, a member of the National Book Critics Circle, and an aspiring novelist. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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