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BOOK REVIEW OF
NOVELIST'S BOOT CAMP:
101 Ways to Take Your Book from Boring to Bestseller
by Todd A. Stone
2006, Writer's Digest Books

Novelist's Boot Camp: 101 Ways to Take Your Book from Boring to Bestseller by Todd A. Stone is interesting and funny. Although portions of the book are pretty superficial and I flat out disagree with some of the statements, others offer interesting insight for students of novel-writing.

The pithy, no-nonsense, boot-camp approach certainly sets this book apart from its competition, the other A-Z, concept-to-publication, how-to-write-a-novel books. No doubt, the military analogies that preface each drill (chapter) will be viewed by some readers as hokey, but I found them humorous and refreshing.

Boot Camp passed my "Hi-Liter test." As I read a book, I highlight the meaty parts for further reference. Books with little substance survive relatively unscathed, while information-packed, insightful books get a heavy dose of yellow ink. My copy of Boot Camp is now painted yellow.

Boot Camp faired less well on my "note-taking test." After I finish reading a book, I review the passages marked with the Hi-Liter, scribbling notes to be filed by topic. Some of the chapters were packed with insight and juicy tidbits I noted for future reference, but much of the subject matter was a review for me.

Using a five-star rating system, I rank Boot Camp four stars. I didn't give it five stars because of what's missing from the text. I found the chapters about raising the stakes and description insightful while some subjects such as theme and scene & sequel were hardly mentioned. And the examples could have been better chosen to illustrate the points being made. I consider some of the material outdated for today's writer.

With some revision this book could set a new standard. Future additions might expand treatment of theme and scene & sequel. Outdated references to narrative might be replaced with writing modes as outlined by Evan Marshall in the The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing. There are several chapters that could be trimmed or eliminated if space is an issue.

Bottom line, if asked to select the first how-to book for a novice writer, this wouldn't be my pick. But there's plenty to note for a more seasoned student of novel-writing, and Boot Camp is fun to read. Now hit the deck and do some pushups.

Learn more about this author, Mike Klaassen.
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