| Look elsewhere for mathematical formulas on how to write a novel. You won t find them here.This is the "how to write" book with a difference. Geoffrey Bocca--whohas published twenty-six books--says that "of all the rules of writing fic- tion, the most ironclad of all is that no rule is absolutely ironclad."In this refreshingly original book, the author makes you a participant of thefreemasonry of novelists. To be sure, Bocca provides instruction on all the standard creative-writing topics--setting, plot, characterization, and so on--and it is eminently practical, sound instruction. But what makes this book so valuable is the author s advice in addition to formal instruction. For Bocca is concerned with the writing process--the practical nuts-and- bolts business of sitting down at a typewriter and creating strong, marketable fiction. The book abounds in illustrative anecdotes. Did you know, for example, that Ernest Hemingway frequently typed standing up? Or that Harold Rob- bins keeps a list of his characters birthdays on the wall above his type-writer? And Bocca is generous in providing prose excerpts from a wide vari.ety of fiction (from James ]oyce to Judith Krantz) to show you exactly what he means by active language, dialogue, monologue, characterization, de- scription, downbeat tension at the end of a chapter, hooks, fast openingparagraphs, and much more. He goes into detail on the touchy problems of how to handle sex, violence, and obscenities and four-letter words-- unavoidable aspects of fiction whose handling is generally ignored in text-books. And 13occa devotes an entire chapter to getting published, featuring inside tips learned from years of experience with editors, agents, and publishing houses. If you re an aspiring novelist or a creative-writing student, you can t missthis book. Much more than just a manual, it is both engaging to read and a real eye-opener for the practitioner. |
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