Sol Stein (1926–2019)

Sol Stein is charming. He offers practical advice for would-be novelists mingled with discrete anecdotes and examples from his long career as a playwright, novelist, editor, publisher, and non-fiction writer (he published his first non-fiction book at the age of 13). It would be no exaggeration to say that this book is suffused with wisdom, well earned. His three chapters on the state of the publishing industry at the end of the 20th century are sobering, if not disheartening. And yet, he show more counsels, great literature still manages to find its way to readers who care and who will keep it alive for future generations.

No doubt much of the practical advice in How to Grow a Novel can be gleaned in some form from other sources. But who else would inform the budding novelist that the most important thing she could learn is to be courteous? For Stein, to be courteous is to be constantly thinking of others, which for the novelist means the reader. What does the reader want? What will captivate or enchant the reader? What will bring your dialogue to life for the reader? What will help your reader stay with you as you shift point of view, or bring in some necessary back-story? In the end, it’s all about your potential reader. A writer, says Stein, is someone who cannot not write. And the novelist is, much like Sol Stein I suspect, a courteous fellow. show less

This was published in 1999, so a fair amount of what it offers is out of date. If you were looking to be a novelist between 1950 and 1990, though, this would have been a great source of information. Even today, much of what it says about basic storytelling remains valid, at least for popular fiction.

One thing that is changing (thankfully) is increased diversity. Novels today don't need to be as formulaic or appeal to as large a percentage of readers as they once did because eBooks (which show more aren't mentioned at all), don't cost much to produce and nothing to stock. Then there is POD, indie publishing, small presses and the like, which can offer readers much greater selection than they once had. This, I think, is a good thing because in the last century all that got past profit-motivated editors and publishers were books they thought would sell well, lowest common denominator popular fiction. If your tastes did not match those of the majority, you could have a tough time finding books you loved.

In How to Grow a Novel, Stein often mentions what readers like or want or expect, as if all readers are the same. There were a few places in which he makes such a claim, and my reaction was 'I don't.' For example, he mentions footnotes as something to avoid, but Terry Pratchett, whose books I love, was famous for them. Stein claims that readers want to be 'kidnapped' into the authors' fictional worlds to the extent that the real world seems 'flimsy'. Not me. Fiction that tries to pretend not to be kind of annoys me. He also stresses that authors need to evoke emotions in their stories. Again, not so much with me. I've always preferred stories that are more 'think' than 'feel'. I'm not looking for escapism. I don't need emotional catharsis. That's not what I want in a book. I tend to favor clearly fictional stories with themes, ideas, and insights that relate to the real world (e.g. Pratchett, again). Some popular, mass-appeal fiction is all right, but, with few exceptions, these a not books I love.

But for general advice for budding novelists who want to write popular fiction, this remains a pretty good guide despite its age. show less

Definitely one of my top 10 writing guides. Comprehensive and detailed with a plethora of examples. Two techniques, which I haven't seen described in this useful and epiphanic way in any other book, stand out:

Particularity
We hear about avoiding clichés and generalities, but here Stein puts forward a positive admonition.

"To characterize, particularity is used to show how an individual looks dresses, or speaks without resort to cliches or generalizations."

Triage revising
Instead of going show more through a page-by-page edit, you should fix the major problems first, much like a developmental editor would. I'll be using this revision process going forward.

"Even some of the most experienced authors are not aware of a better way of revising than repeatedly starting at page one and going through to the end... the writer, having gone through his entire manuscript, is likely to grow "cold" on his manuscript... What follows is a guide to the triage method of revision, which gives priority to those matters that are the principal causes of rejection by editors."

The process is to make sure that you've achieved the following:

1) Humanized your characters.
2) Your villains are morally villainous rather than merely badly behaved.
3) Created a credible conflict between your protagonist and antagonist.
4) All your scenes are important and memorable.
5) All actions are clearly motivated.
6) Your first page is compelling enough for the reader to turn to page two.

His occasional self-aggrandizing salesman voice can be irritating, but don't let that get in the way of learning numerous, solid techniques to improve your craft. A must-read book on the craft of wrting! show less

The story of my reading this book is way too simple: it just happened. Actually, I only read it on the second try. What changed? Well, my guess is that this time I read a little bit further than the first time, and this little bit was enough to finally get me hooked. So, yes, the fault lied on me and I’m solely to blame.

To cut even shorter an already short story, what happened is that on the first time around I stumbled on something on the introduction that made me think this was just a show more superficial self-help you can do it! kind of book that I’m not particularly very fond of. But this was very far from the truth.

To be fair, and before I get lost in adding anything else, let me cut to chase and just state the obvious: this is a great book. It doesn’t matter if you are into writing or not. For every single time we open a book we are on the receiving end of the writing process, so we share a not so unimportant part on that process. This means that knowing about the trade will inevitably make you a better and more demanding reader. And, believe me (for I have fallen into to that dark pit of prejudice before), this book will tell you a lot that goes behind the scenes when it finally comes to get that book you love so much onto your hands.

In my case, and on my intentions for reading this work, let me just get it straight and tell you upfront that I’m not harboring any grand desire to become a writer. If anything, and because I’m trying to graduate from college, my sole interest in knowing about the nitty-gritties of writing ends where the production of sensible non-fiction is concerned. And even here I was struck by another pleasant surprise. For even the most committed boring non-fiction writer such as myself will greatly benefit from reading Sol Stein’s advices contained in this work.

Truth is that every chapter, every example, every little particular detail that Sol Stein breaks down to you matters in finally understanding how great writing comes about and how to work your way to it (that is, if you’re really interested in overcoming whatever stands in your way).

This happens because Sol Stein, out of a depth of knowledge that only comes from a long and hard fought experience, gives you an authoritative outlook on the writing trade both as a writer and as an editor. This makes his advices even more pertinent, for these are not the run of mill this is how I’ve done it! kind of shallow biographical accounts, but more akin to a roadmap on how to get across every step of the way throughout the publishing process, and this from the perspective of an experienced and talented insider.

Enough is enough. The book is what you want to read (not this review). Find the time for it and get it done. If you’re into writing, you probably already stumbled upon very similar recommendations (I’m just adding my grain of salt onto that pile). And if you’re just a reader, get it done nonetheless. Next time you’re reading something else, you’ll have a sharper eye and you will be much more critical in your understanding. show less