Learning How Not to Write a Novel

A review of a misstep-by-misstep guide

2022-03-11 - David Redl

This year started with a bang in terms of writing. I launched this blog, my Twitter account started to gain some traction, and I was hitting my daily word counts for my novel-in-progress. Somewhere along the way, however, things went off the rails.

One of the main problems I face with my writing, and I believe a lot of other writers face as well, is a generous helping of self-doubt. When I’m struggling to write, I sometimes worry that I have run out of ideas. When writing comes easily to me, I sometimes worry that I am making lots of mistakes while getting the words down. It was the latter concern that I decided to tackle head-on by reading How Not to Write a Novel (200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide), by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman.

The premise of How Not to Write a Novel is a fairly simple one: there are almost as many ways to successfully write a novel as there are novels but there are a few consistent ways to fail at writing a novel. Or rather, there are a few consistent missteps that lead editors to reject a manuscript. Authors Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman, who at the time of writing the book had a combined 30 years of experience in teaching, editing, writing, and reviewing fiction, did a fantastic job of explaining the classic blunders in simple terms. They also provided seemingly realistic examples to show exactly what they mean.

I found it quite reassuring that I was avoiding most of the missteps outlined in How Not to Write a Novel. For writing of mine that was questionable, the authors provided helpful advice for getting back on track. I also found the book quite useful in articulating exactly what issues I took with stories I was reviewing for other writers.

While I have now read several books with advice on writing, this book is unique in offering advice on how not to write and, I think, that may be exactly what a lot of us writers need. I highly recommend all new writers give it a read, and encourage more experienced writers to check it out as well, if only to get a few nostalgic laughs and a reminder of how far you’ve come.

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