Author: Tom Monteleone

ISBN: 1-59257-172-7 

Novelist Tom Montelone is such an entertaining writer that it is quite possible readers without writerly aspirations would enjoy his “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Novel.”  Monteleone is that funny! 

In the chapter dealing with plot, he claims that writers who allow their antagonists to triumph at  story’s end “would probably also enjoy trying to jump motorcycles over canyons.”  Regarding the“paranoia” associated with finding replacements for the word “said,” Monteleone writes that “Half the time, the substitute is a word or word-sound that would preclude the speaker from actually producing speech. (Just exactly how would you “chortle” out a sentence?)” 

Although it’s easy to just sit back and enjoy Montelone’s clever writing style, his book simultaneously packs an educational punch, largely because he has an incredible knack for getting to the core of his subject in a very short space.  While books such as Elizabeth George’s “Write Away” frequently take the aspiring writer down long subjective pathways (and, in George’s case specifically, include many lengthy writing examples), Monteleone’s book not only covers the same basic material in a shorter space (and in a more objective style), but because he is so concise, he is able to handle even more material than most similar books.

From the beginning chapters – which include an analysis of creativity and talent, novel genres and bestsellers – to the final chapters dealing with marketing, agents, and royalties, there isn’t a more concisely informative book on novel writing currently available.  “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Novel” is certain to facilitate the aspirations of the beginning novelist and will also be a valuable reference for those more experienced with the genre.

The above review was contributed by: Kathryn Atwood: Click Here To View More Of Kathryn's   Reviews:

Kathryn Atwood's poetry, reviews and essays have appeared in numerous online and print journals, including "The Aurora Review,", "Afterimage," "Void Magazine," "Wild Violet," and "PopMatters."  When she's not writing or driving her three kids around somewhere, she's usually teaching at a local music studio or givng vocal performances with her husband on the  subject of American song.