Novel Writing - 16 Steps to Success by Evan Marshall

Novel Writing – 16 Steps to Success

By Evan Marshall

Publisher: A & C Black Publishers Ltd ( Feb 2000)

ISBN: 978-0713652925

Creating a novel – is it a process, clearly defined with logical steps or is it a more organic creation, taking you along different paths until you find the place you want to be?

Evan Marshall very much thinks it is a process, with steps, order and templates to help you ‘manage’ your novel. Great, I thought – perhaps that is just what I need to get my story written. I have recently submitted an article on a similar theme – how to organise your novel – the editor liked the idea at first, made some suggestions about how it looked which I took on board and then rejected it for being too ‘vague’. Mmmm.Anyway, he might well have had a point but it was his suggestions that caused the wooliness, my system was very clear.

So what is the point I’m making I hear you cry? Well, just that novel writing, like many other parts of the craft of writing, is very personal. It’s what suits the individual. There isn’t a right or a wrong way. Novel writing is the right way for Evan Marshall and indeed, it cannot be accused of being ‘vague’ in any sense of the word. And as for the 16 Steps to Success, they will only lead to success I imagine if you follow them AND you can write a good tale.

Marshall takes the reader (and the writer) through the mechanical process of writing, including ‘Finding the Right Novel for You’, shaping your ideas and characterisation, which he calls, ‘planning for success’ – a sentiment very much close to my heart and indeed is the key to my own system.

Part 2 incorporates a ‘Complete Guide to Plotting’ full of handy templates but where, I’m afraid I lost interest. It’s just not the side of the brain I use to its best ability - the logical side - and I would never be able to keep it up. But it is a way of organising things. I prefer to let things grow more naturally, less linear, in fact I prefer the meandering path to a straight walk to the centre any day.

Part 3 is about Fiction Writing per se – Marshall refers to ‘Mastering the Modes’ (did you know there were modes in writing – oh yes,). He defines these ‘modes’ in two camps – Action, Summary, Dialogue and Feelings, Thoughts, Background. This too had a lot of interesting stuff for the non-logical writer underneath all the ‘technical’ talk.

It was not until towards the end that my interest really perked up. Up until then I had been skim reading. Here under ‘Polishing Your Manuscript’ was most helpful section on being your own editor. I had a similar experience with ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King, where the most useful advice was about editing. Marshall provides a very useful checklist, which I have and shall use for editing my manuscripts, and is a good reason for purchasing the book. Some of it is common sense, but others are thing that I hadn’t thought about – there is always something to learn about the editing process.

Overall, I found this book a little too technical for me, but could pull out some useful tools and tricks of the trade which helps with the final product. The first part of the novel writing process for me has to be more unrestrained, more of a free spirit.

Readability Rating: 5

Recommend to buy: Certainly, for the last few sections on editing and seeking publication if you are like me. And most definitely if you want some templates which help you to plot and plan.