Writing the Blockbuster Novel

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I think I learned a lot too. Zuckerman is an agent with enough experience to deserve the ear of anyone wanting some basic advice and "how-to" on writing a best seller. He give lots of examples and explains clearly some basic rules and then gives some examples of the rules and also some examples of the rules being broken. What really makes this book a winner are the actual examples he gives of a Follet outline. Zuckerman mentions that reading the outline might get boring at places, but I was never bored. Intrigued to see how the development of a story actually happens including the addition and deletion of characters I was hooked and could barely put the book down.A time bomb, no a gun, no maybe a fire. A German spy, no a Russian diplomat, no wait a minute......Seeing how it's really done, how an idea evolves through the outline form to the story and then how rough draft changes to final draft make this book interesting and informative.I finished this book hoping I could someday befriend the author myself, maybe after writing my own blockbuster, hey, a guy can dream, yes?

If you want to write "serious" literature, look elsewhere. But if you want to write a blockbuster novel, one that will top the bestseller charts and be read for decades to come, then you NEED this book! Not a course in literature or even in novel writing (Zuckerman presumes that you know the basics) this book is a guide to writing the "big book," the book all agents dream of finding, the book that will earn you the million dollar advance, be sold to the movies, etc. While it's not absolutely necessary to read the blockbuster novels Zuckerman cites in this work, it does help, and some familiarity with them is certainly necessary. Knowing example is the best teacher, Zuckerman takes us, step-by-step, through each of the requisite elements of a blockbuster novel--elements that each and every big book share. The book is not for everyone, though. If you aspire to short-story writing or the writing of small, quiet books that may be excellent but will never "take the world by storm" then you'll probably find Zuckerman "too commercial." But if it's commercial you're looking for, this book is truly worth its weight in gold. Thank you Mr. Zuckerman for writing it, and a special thanks to Ken Follett for sharing his early drafts with us. You both did far more than you'll ever know and we appreciate it.

Get this book! Even without studying the works Zuckerman references, tools crucial to a novelist are ludicly described. The references give context for his examples.I read the work three times: the first time, without referring to the material; the second pass, having several of the reference works at hand; and the third, working through some of the examples.One reviewer understandably was irritated about having to use these references. If you want to pair them down, get only Follet's _The Man from St.Petersburg_. Zuckerman refers to it most often - and the novel is fun too.Along with Sol Stein's, _Stein on Writing_, Zuckerman's will sit next to Strunk and White on my shelf.

The only fault that I found with this book is that it should have been titled "Writing the Blockbuster Novel FOR DUMMIES". I have two BIBLES on how to create a novel-the other is Stein on Writing. Both of these books contain similar content but approach the topic of creation from a different point of view. A budding novelist should read both in order to grasp the key concepts required to create an interesting and sellable work.Like many people, I find it easier to grasp new concepts when introduced with an example. Mr. Zuckerman introduces a writing concept and then reinforces it by demonstrating how it is achieved in different blockbuster titles. The majority of the references in this book are to Ken Follett's "The Man from St. Petersburg." This book must be read in order to gain the full impact of the examples. I found that if you rent the videos "Gone with the Wind" and "The Godfather" the points of reference to these works can be gleaned over popcorn and soda. One of the most interesting chapters is dedicated to the outlining process. Mr. Zuckerman reprints several early outlines of "The Man from St. Petersburg." For anyone trying to build a work of fiction, it is comforting to see that even a successful writer such as Ken Follett doesn't get it right the first time.(Second, Thrid...) A must have!!!!!!!!!!

This is one of those must-have books for the aspiring novelist. Zuckerman's concept of the "commercial best seller" is very specific. His advice might seem constraining and formulaic, but it's hard to argue with the success of a best seller, monetarily and in terms of number of readers reached. For us philistines who would like to produce a good read and reach a wide readership, Zuckerman shows us the way to go. The successive outlines for Ken Follet's Man From St. Petersburg were very edifying, showing the author's struggle with plot development and characterization. It's a rare opporunity to see a clearly weak first idea develop into a first rate novel. So get this book and write a best seller first, then you can go back at your (well bank-rolled) leisure and write exclusive arcana for your elite cadre of literati.