Writer's Little Helper [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Most of the content is a combination of his previous how-to books, "The Fiction Writer's Brainstormer" and "You Can Write A Novel" - both of which I have, use, and highly recommend.

The advice is still excellent - however, it's rather jumbled in its presentation here, following a recent trend of cafeteria-style how-to-write books: you gather a bit here on crafting scenes and a bit there on getting published and little more on characterization. Every two to three pages, the topic changes completely - rather than one idea building directly onto another - and it makes some topics feel incomplete.

For a true beginner, this approach can be confusing. For example, by spreading out his tools for crafting a novel (such as scene cards and character cards), the unity or "big picture" of how they work together is diminished.

I would recommend his other two books first, but "The Writer's Little Helper" is still a sound alternative.

Like most writers, my bookshelves are crammed with books of all kinds. Mostly, books on writing. As a member of the Writer's Digest Book Club, this book was sent to me automatically. I considered sending it back, but thought, What the heck? Might as well peek between the covers. What I found were short, snappy chapters oozing with solid advice. Abadoning any sense of organization, fiction writing topics like "What's the most important key element in bestselling fiction?" and "Texturizing your novel" are scattered throughout. It deals with the normal story elements: plot, pacing, characters, point of view, etc. One of my favorite sections explained how to use Microsoft Word or WordPerfect to edit for readiblility. After finishing those sections, I checked out the advice by browsing a few first chapters of bestselling novels. Sure enough, what Smith said rang true. Another benefital component of this book that it explains how to plot your book in ten easy scenes, goes into detail on how to create scene cards, and how to pace each scene for maximum impact. There are a few things mentioned that you have probably heard before, but I'm willing to bet there's a few nuggets of practical wisdom that will help you polish your work. But my copy isn't available. I've decided to keep it.

James V. Smith's "Writer's Little Helper":

The difficulty with a HOW-TO-WRITE-A-NOVEL text is the tendency to drag the reader into either rigid outlines that enslave, or alternatively, suggest the reader embark upon diverse trivialities which separate him from his own power to tell a story. Neither does knowledge of spelling or grammar indicate whether one can tell a story.

Does James Smith fall into either of these traps in his HOW-TO? No, definitely not. Smith also does not write one of those big books with lots of tiny print that make one feel like a shrew. Rather, Smith has written a book that is a bit of an OUTLINE, but he will tell you plainly that you do not need an OUTLINE; but for lack of another word..... You could read almost any chapter in this book entirely out of order and get just as much out of it. Whether studying CHARACTERS, or TRANSITIONS, or SUB-PLOTS, Smith has only put into this book what an aspiring novelist can use.

PLANNING: Smith tells you that you need only TEN SCENES for the PLANNING of your novel. [You can end up with many more, but for the PLANNING, you only need about ten scenes.
1) an Opener 2) a Point of No Return 3)----through----6) Complications [that's 8] 9) a Closer 10) Ending ...and then Smith explains how this scene tool is to be used.

What you must know about Smith's book is that none of his chapters are very long. He is one of those writers who is not so full of himself that he confuses QUANTITY with QUALITY. Perhaps because Smith is a successful author in his own right, and this book has evolved out of his own experience, he can reduce what he has learned into a methodology of practical imperatives. The reader will benefit from the distillation of his hard won experience.

There is not ONE-WAY to write a novel. The information contained here is a combination of Smith's formal learning and his discoveries. t It is not written as though Smith were telling you that you MUST write a book his way. It is what some refer to as SHOTGUNNING, because Smith gives you everything, and you can select what is most helpful to you. It is a kit of tools

Having examined dozens of book about writing novels, I find that Smith's is by far the very best for its straightforward simplicity, ease of use, and practicality.

Also, I think I know why books such as this come under criticism for being disorganized. Perhaps the reason is that LIFE itself is not "organized" and a creative person must develop their skills and methodologies whenever and however they happen to come by them. If those things actually WORK, they must be included. These different methodologies may have no identifiable inter-relationship.

Some criticisms can also be based upon some false inferrence that all readers already know and understand many METHODOLOGIES that are published and familiar to all. This is highly doubtful, especially when it comes to writing FICTION. That is why it is so important when a published author offers some of his original METHODS such as Smith does, that we recognize it and take advantage of it.