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A review by dellydoos
The Novel Project: A Step-by-Step Guide to Your Novel, Memoir or Biography by Graeme Simsion
4.0
So I'm a creative writer and one day I (bloody hell) hope to publish a novel- if I can get my shit together. But after two attempts, and over seventy-thousand words for a first draft that failed to impress my inner critic, I'm about to begin from scratch. Looking for inspiration or perhaps just a sign from the heavens that I'm not going to fail again, I picked The Novel Project up at a local bookshop during my road trip through New Zealand.
Now, I've read only two other books on writing novels and getting them published, and I found them to be quite vague in what works and what doesn't. Chapters on the industry, on writing habits and overcoming perfectionism were perhaps reassuring, but not ultimately helpful. You see, I'm incredibly process-driven, and work well under being given set rules and procedures to get shit done. And this is exactly what Graeme Simsion offered me.
This book is a fantastic guide to getting started on a new novel, memoir or whatever you want to write about. It's straightforward, it's plain and it really just worked for me. Taking the lens of viewing your writing as a project shifted the way I thought about my story. It told me that planning (not pantsing) is key, that structure is integral and that your characters and their decisions are the heart of your story. I really liked his chapter on brainstorming especially, as again, it was direct, it gave me tangible solutions other than: do some painting, and read books and you'll be inspired!
If you're someone that doesn't care much for structure, that flies by the seat of their pants and wants a book that focuses more so on creating perfect prose, this probably won't be for you. Simsion mainly focuses on the initial set-up of understanding the structure of your book, and how you're going to successfully finish it from a project-managing standpoint. I felt it did lack a little in the later chapters of what happens after you've finished your first draft, and on the actual craft on writing. But ultimately, I don't think that's what I was looking for in this book. So in conclusion, I'm so happy I picked this up, and I'll be referring to it aplenty I'm sure as I work through my novel and novels to come! 4/5 stars
Now, I've read only two other books on writing novels and getting them published, and I found them to be quite vague in what works and what doesn't. Chapters on the industry, on writing habits and overcoming perfectionism were perhaps reassuring, but not ultimately helpful. You see, I'm incredibly process-driven, and work well under being given set rules and procedures to get shit done. And this is exactly what Graeme Simsion offered me.
This book is a fantastic guide to getting started on a new novel, memoir or whatever you want to write about. It's straightforward, it's plain and it really just worked for me. Taking the lens of viewing your writing as a project shifted the way I thought about my story. It told me that planning (not pantsing) is key, that structure is integral and that your characters and their decisions are the heart of your story. I really liked his chapter on brainstorming especially, as again, it was direct, it gave me tangible solutions other than: do some painting, and read books and you'll be inspired!
If you're someone that doesn't care much for structure, that flies by the seat of their pants and wants a book that focuses more so on creating perfect prose, this probably won't be for you. Simsion mainly focuses on the initial set-up of understanding the structure of your book, and how you're going to successfully finish it from a project-managing standpoint. I felt it did lack a little in the later chapters of what happens after you've finished your first draft, and on the actual craft on writing. But ultimately, I don't think that's what I was looking for in this book. So in conclusion, I'm so happy I picked this up, and I'll be referring to it aplenty I'm sure as I work through my novel and novels to come! 4/5 stars