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Product Description
From Library Journal
- Cathy Sabol, Northern Virginia Comm. Coll., Manassas
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Bible!,
By Dave Schwinghammer "Dave Schwinghammer" (Little Falls, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Weekend Novelist (Paperback)
I've read all of the so-called writing gurus, John Gardner, Janet Burroughs, Dwight Swain etc., but this is the one that has been most helpful.Don't be put off by the title. This was how Robert Ray wrote his first novel; I don't think he means to imply that everybody should write only on weekends. If you're a beginning writer, Ray will take you from idea all the way through three rewrites. The first thing he will do is help you get to know your characters. You will write a back story for each of your main characters, you will come up with a time line, and you will dress them for business. When you finish they will start to come alive for you. Next he will provide a structure for your novel, something I've been led to believe is the biggest problem for beginning novelists. Ray uses the Three Act method. Act one is where you show the problematic situation and bring your main characters on stage. Act Two is where you build complications. Act Three is the climax and resolution for your novel. Ray will help you fashion plot points that will help you write all the way to the end. There are three of them, plot points one and two and midpoint, which will give you targets to aim at. Ray also emphasizes chains of events before and after each plot point which will further hold your work together. Every time I start a new novel I skim over the WEEKEND NOVELIST. The man clears things up. I had no idea how rhythm worked in a novel until I reread this book. The scales have fallen from my eyes. What's really surprising is that the book is out of print (Used copies are available). It was originally a Dell Trade Paperback but I got it from Writer's Digest Book Club. They need to republish this baby; it will enhance their somewhat suspect reputation.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A GOOD REFERENCE GUIDE,
By bowery boy (seattle) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Weekend Novelist (Paperback)
Mr. Ray's Weekend Novelist is an excellent reference book. However, I wouldn't necessarily use it as a template for writing a novel . . . unless you plan on writing novels similar to Mr. Ray's or to Ann Tyler's "The Accidental Tourist", the novel that Ray uses as an template throughout citing it as a perfect example of a well written novel.For those new to the daunting task of writing a novel, this book can pigeonhole you into thinking this is the only way to tackling writing. I came across that dilemma. After getting halfway through the book, doing the exercises and starting to write my own novel I began to abandon my old habits of writing and started to adopt Mr. Ray's. I started to feel that I couldn't put pen to paper UNLESS I completely plotted my novel, developed my characters and set up every scene. This didn't work for me. The natural flow I usually feel when writing was taken away and eventually I completely gave up on the process returning to my methods of writing: sitting down with a pad and pencil and allowing the ideas to flow. Then fine tuning the story only after I have a huge chunk of it written and some idea of what I want to convey. Not all novels are structured in Mr. Ray's manner, not all novels use Aristotle's incline to develop plot and storylines and not all novels can be written in 52 weekends. Not to say this is a bad book at all. It's a wonderful reference book full of ideas and exercises to help you strengthen your writing. For example, it never occurred to me to create backstories and timelines for each of my characters giving them dimension and realism. Ray also offers exercises to help you set up scenes, write dialogue, write action and plot your novel. I now find that I refer to these exercises to help me develop my writing but I no longer follow the program. This book is a great starting point for those interested in writing a novel but do not have an idea how to start (one more thing: you definitely have to have some idea of what you want to write BEFORE you start). However, for experienced writers you will find that this book is more useful as a reference guide rather than a program to follow.
4.0 out of 5 stars
GIVE THIS TO ANY ASPIRING WRITER YOU KNOW,
By bowery boy (seattle) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Weekend Novelist (Paperback)
They'll thank you. this is a very concise, easy to understand program to help any aspiring writer jump start their novel. Excellent!
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