THE CRAFT OF NOVEL WRITING

Dianne Doubtfire
published by Allison & Busby
paperback, £8:99
ISBN 0-74900-311-1

Review by Jean Currie

"Writing a successful novel demands not only talent and determination but also a high degree of craftsmanship." With those words Dianne Doubtfire introduces the revised edition of a book that has been guiding new writers for twenty years.

Although she has separate chapters for Theme, Viewpoint, Setting, Characterisation Dialogue etc., she points out that the topic discussed in one spills over into another and no single chapter should be taken in isolation. Dialogue, for instance, helps to portray characterisation.

The book begins with Theme because that defines what the novel is about and what binds the incidents into a story. It is also the driving force that compels the writer to write that particular novel rather than another.

The theme may not be clear from the outset, but the viewpoint must be. It is essential to decide whether the book is to be written in the first person singular, third person singular, (from the point of view of one person only), third person (from the point of view of several characters), or perhaps with a narrator overlooking all. The type of novel and the kind of writer you are will influence your decision.

Planning is a matter of personal choice. Some writers start right in and allow the story to evolve. Others make pages of notes -- personality traits, family background, education etc., historical events to pinpoint the period, contemporary dialogue, sketches of buildings and rooms and maps of the locality. An extension of planning is deciding the length of the novel. Publishers of popular fiction have particular requirements according to the genre and comparable books should be studied.

In her chapter on working arrangements, Dianne advises you to decide whether you are an owl or a lark, and snatch a few hours from your day accordingly. She goes on to discuss the all important first chapter, plot, construction and style before tackling rewriting, and for this she uses of one of her own novels as an example.

The final chapters include advice on sending the book off, agents, publishers and reviewers, and payment and contracts.

"No text-book can supply talent or determination," she says, but this easy-to-read book, based on lectures given at writers' conferences, deals with the third requirement, craftsmanship. It is short, but there is plenty of advice and it answers many of the problems that face new writers. An invaluable guide.