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Book Review of
TEACH YOURSELF: WRITING A NOVEL
By Nigel Watts
McGraw-Hill

A GOOD STARTING POINT

If you're thinking about writing a novel or are just getting one started, the first book you should read is Teach Yourself: Writing a Novel, by Nigel Watts.

Chapter subjects include beginnings, plot, subplot, symbolism, character, dialogue, viewpoint, setting, theme, and editing. One chapter provides a detailed discussion of an eight-point plot arc. Later chapters deal with the personality of the writer, support for the writer, and marketing the manuscript.

Chapters are not summarized at the end, but most offer practical exercises, as "Things to Try." The author provides a list of other books for further study. An index is provided for easy reference.

Critics might fault this book for failing to provide more examples. But one of the strengths of this book is its conciseness; this one isn't padded with the redundancies common in many other books.

Also, the book could have been better organized around the five elements of fiction: character, plot, setting, theme, and style. And it didn't adequately address scene & sequel or writing modes.

Bottom line: this is a good starting point for a beginning novelist.

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