Book Review - Troubleshooting Your Novel

Book Title                    Troubleshooting Your Novel

Book Author                 Steven James

Publisher                      Writers Digest Books

Pub. Year                     2016

Pages                          355

Genre                          Non-fiction Writing             

Ease of Read              Easy reading, but thought provoking on the craft

ISBN                           978-1-59963-980-2

I was attracted to this book because...

   This is Steve’s newest book on writing. And boy, do I need a manual for troubleshooting my novel. I trust Steve's thinking about writing and storytelling. I wasn’t disappointed. 

This book was about

   He provides ‘essential techniques for identifying and solving manuscript problems. With a great deal of transparency, Steve shares in this book problems and solutions he has found in his own writing. 

Things I liked about this book

   It is so encouraging to have a slice of life view of how Steve has written his books. I don’t feel like I’m off the track in my writing, but encourage to continue pursuing turning my fiction into a ‘worthy’ and entertaining story. 

Why you should read this book

   I would like to have these techniques burned into my writing processes. If you’re a plotter, some of his techniques will be difficult to read. He is going to try to win you over, but he also shows you how to use these techniques within your plotting world. For ‘organic’ writers, it is a great textbook to reinforce those techniques which feel natural to you and show how to deal with typical problem areas. No matter which type you are, he reminds you again and again, writing is hard work. 

This book lived up to the back cover copy

  I love this sentence, “You owe your book more than just a polish and a proofread.” This book shows you how to accomplish this challenge.

Steven James