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A review by fantasybookworm01
Aristotle for Novelists by Douglas Vigliotti
4.0
So this is a bit of a deviation from my usual type of book, it’s non-fiction for a start! And is not about true crime, archeology, space, history, or autobiographies, which are my usual non-fiction go-to.
Douglas has taken Aristotles key principles from his poetics work and adapted them for novelists, in particular for writers of fiction, starting his own thoughts along the way.
Out of the 14 principles I think the principle that resonates with me most is principle 2 - novels should be consistent. Whilst I agree with the points Douglas makes about stylistic changes, it is when the writer flips from 1st to 3rd person or the tense mid sentence, I get frustrated when there are inconsistencies in a piece of writing, whether it be a book, film, play or even a news article. There is nothing worse because it can lead to confusion which in turn can lead to frustration from a readers standpoint.
This is a great book for anyone looking to write anything really, it is not overly long or complicated which is helpful. It is well written and easy to read, and is interesting too!
Douglas has taken Aristotles key principles from his poetics work and adapted them for novelists, in particular for writers of fiction, starting his own thoughts along the way.
Out of the 14 principles I think the principle that resonates with me most is principle 2 - novels should be consistent. Whilst I agree with the points Douglas makes about stylistic changes, it is when the writer flips from 1st to 3rd person or the tense mid sentence, I get frustrated when there are inconsistencies in a piece of writing, whether it be a book, film, play or even a news article. There is nothing worse because it can lead to confusion which in turn can lead to frustration from a readers standpoint.
This is a great book for anyone looking to write anything really, it is not overly long or complicated which is helpful. It is well written and easy to read, and is interesting too!