How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II: Advanced Techniques for Dramatic Storytelling

The title says it all, and it lives up to its claim.James Frey, Edgar Award nominee and author of nine novels, knows how to write a damn good guide for novelists. As the title suggests, 'How to Write a Damn Good Book II' is a follow-up to his first volume and breaks new ground, offering advanced tools and techniques for dramatic fiction.Fray covers a wide range of issues affecting today's fictioneer, including:* Defining and delivering suspense* Creating memorable characters* Finding and writing a premise* Developing the writer's voice* Understanding the author/reader contract* The 'seven deadly mistakes'* Writing with passionFrey's advice is most often rock-solid and he illustrates his points by relating them to classic and well known writers and their works. His view is that great novels share common elements ~ distinct characters, strong narratives, dramatic conflicts and satisfying endings. He identifies them and he shows you how to implement them in your own work.One of his best chapters is one of his last ~ 'The Seven Deadly Mistakes' ~ which Frey lists as:* Timidity* Trying to be Literary* Ego Writing* Failure to Learn and Re-dream the Dream* Failure to Keep Faith with Yourself* Wrong Lifestyle* Failure to ProduceThis chapter, alone, is worth the price of the book. It offers signposts of what to avoid and how to avoid it.James Frey takes a fresh approach at an age-old art and produces one of the better books on successful novel writing. He injects a touch of humor and humanity, especially in the final chapter where he shares his many failures on the way to literary success. This, like the rest of his book, shows writers what not to do and what you can achieve.-- Michael Meanwell, author of the critically-acclaimed 'The Enterprising Writer' and 'Writers on Writing'. For more book reviews and prescriptive articles for writers, visit www.enterprisingwriter.com

James Frey's "Damn Good Novel" books, especially this one, give the aspiring novelist the tools necessary to create gripping, salable fiction.Like many other aspiring writers, I am a lazy person- collecting writing book after writing book, doing much more reading about writing than actual time at the desk composing fiction. But after reading Frey's books my head was exploding with so many concrete, practical ideas that could be fleshed out immediately that I rushed to write them down- and after having finished his books I have my first draft completed. It is the first time I have been able to piece together ALL the elements for a complete first draft, and all thanks to Frey's wonderful advice.The most helpful aspect of Frey's books is the way he distills each distinct element of a good novel to its most basic structure, and using acknowledged classic novels as examples he shows how you can create those elements for your own fiction. How does a damn good novelist create reader sympathy for the book's protagonist? How does (s)he structure a plot? Keep a reader glued to the page, thirsty for each new word, sentence, chapter? Let Frey show you how.In addition to "How To Write a Damn Good Novel" I and II, I recommend Stern's "Making Shapely Fiction" for quick inspiration and James V. Smith's "You Can Write a Novel" for concrete nuts-and-bolts instruction. If you can get your hands on it, "The Weekend Novelist" by Robert Ray is also very interesting.Out of all these, read both Frey's books, in order. They are as valuable to an aspiring novelist as a four-year degree.

As a writer I read about writing to give me new ideas, to deepen my understanding of different theories and approaches to building stories, and for inspiration. This book delivered on all counts. There were times I had to just put it down, meditate on the idea, and then go write. It caught me right away with this concept""The reading of fiction, then, is the experience of a dream working at the subconscious level. This is the reason most sensible people hate the academic study of literature. Academics attempt to make rational and logical something that is intended to make you dream."I like this is kind of down to earth, practical thinking. Frey suggests that your goal in writing a novel is to virtually bring your reader to a hypnotic state-- one which keeps your reality as the reader's temporary reality.I also really liked Frey's down to earth conversational style. You really feel you are getting the nitty gritty from him-- no pedantics, no BS, just lots of practical, useful info. I've been pretty successful as a freelance non-fiction writer, with cover articles in Writer's Digest, the National Enquirer (medical, not gossip) and articles sold to OMNI, Success, Family Health, Philadelphia and more. But I've never sold any fiction. During the last two years, I've read a number of books on story and novel writing. I class this as one of the better ones, with McKee's Story Structure, Bonnet's Stealing Fire From the Gods, and Vogler's Writer's Journey. They've all helped move me forward on my personal writer's journey. While I haven't yet sold anything as of this writing (April 2001) I have a much better understanding of what goes into a good story and, with Frey's help, what doesn't. I'd love to do a workshop with him, and probably will when he comes to the northeast.

If writing is a spiritual endeavor for you, then this is one of the books of the bible, James I believe. This book will give you at least 70% of the knowledge you need to become a fulfilled and meaningful writer. The best thing this book did for me was free me from the writer's block enducing thinking that every story must be groundbreaking and completely original. Face it, every story has already been told in the most basic sense, but new characters will always appear, even if some of them may resemble previous story people, certain things about the modern world they live in will make them different. This book helped me to see myself as a weaver of dreams, the waking dream as Frey calls it. I still strive for unusual twists and bizarre situations, but if my story essentially involves a battle between good and evil, I no longer feel like a hack. I now see my true job as a novelist is to make the reader forget real life, and drop him or her into the middle of a strange world that excites them in some way. This has freed my mind and made writing more enjoyable.

A practical yet far from basic how-to guide, this book concentrates on advanced techniques for fiction writers. Frey has a deep appreciation and understanding of the power of fiction, telling us in the chapter titled "The Fictive Dream and How to Induce It": "When transported, the reader goes into a sort of bubble, utterly involved in the fictional world to the point that the real world evaporates. This is the aim of the fiction writer: to bring the reader to the point of complete absorption with the characters and their world."Frey explains the finer points of writing powerful fiction, including how to make your reader identify, and not just sympathize with characters; how to go beyond the "hook" to develop engaging "story questions" that sustain curiosity and suspense; how to comprehend and use the notion of "premise" to drive your stories; and how to avoid the "Seven Deadly Mistakes" of the inexperienced writer.The book balances concept with application beautifully, analyzing what makes good fiction work, and then showing us how to apply this understanding in our own writing; you won't find a better book out there for sharpening and expanding your skills as a fiction writer.