5 Best Books on Writing Novels

Definitely, writing a novel is a daunting and creative task you need so much effort in order. In some cases, it seems very difficult to get started writing even when the plot, characters, themes, and structure keeps spinning in your head. The fact is that writers have been writing thousands of novels every single year, some from famous publishing press that takes place on The New York Times bestseller list, while others are self-published debuts from novice fiction writers.

The Nobel that you are going to write must be something that will inspire you to succeed as a novelist. This requires proper planning, background study, and step-by-step actions. In this context, to write a great novel you essentially need to study the best books on how to write a novel extremely impressive. Here I will discuss some great books on writing novels that will help you write your novel effectively which can win the hearts of readers.

Best Books on Writing Novels

1. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need

If you are a new novelist looking for a single book to help you write your novel successfully, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel is the best self-help on writing a great novel indeed. Jessica Brody a novelist shows completely a story-structure guide for novelists that applies the famed Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology to the world of novel writing. The book reveals the 15 “beats” (plot points) that comprise a successful story from the opening image to the finale. Most importantly it lays out the Ten Story Genres alongside quirky, original insights to help novelists craft a plot that will captivate and a novel that will sell.

Jessica Brody breaks down each “beat” with clarity and an easy-going writing style that made it fun to read as well as useful. She presents each beat in a way easy to understand, and her method of breaking the structure down makes it possible to absorb the book in smaller chunks if you don’t have time to read it in one sitting.

As soon as you begin to read, there’s a feeling of excitement as the book-tried and trusted recipe for successful novel writing is explained by Jessica Brody. In fact, the book is an idea by the late Blake Snyder, a Hollywood screenwriter, Jessica, one of his pupils who had used and succeeded with the original method created a concise, straightforward, easy-to-use guide to creating a great novel.

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel asks you questions about your book idea. The most essential thing is that it suits plotters or pantsers. If you want to organize and plot with precision, you can utilize this book from the word go.

The only downside of the book is the print edition you will not get the highest quality. The print edition is very light in places and difficult to read in low light.

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2. How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method (Advanced Fiction Writing)

If you are writing a novel, but facing problems getting your first draft written, if you have heard of “outlining,” but that sounds too rigid for you, If you have heard of “organic writing,” but that seems a bit squishy to you, then How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method would be your must-read.

You need just go through the widely popular Snowflake Method, ten battle-tested steps that jump-start your creativity and help you quickly map out your story. Most notably, all around the world, novelists are using the Snowflake Method right now to ignite their imaginations and get their first drafts down.

By reading this book, you can follow the story of a fictitious novelist as Randy Ingermanson learns to tap into the amazing power of the Snowflake Method. Surprisingly, she finds her story growing from a simple idea into a deep and powerful novel. Moreover, Randy Ingermanson finds her novel changing into a stronger, more courageous person.

By reading this best books on writing novels, you will discover how to define your “target audience” the right way, so you know exactly how your ideal readers think and feel. Then, you will learn how to create a dynamite selling tool that will instantly tell people whether they’ll love your story or hate it. The book will guide you on how to get inside the skin of each of your characters even your villain and how to find a deep, emotively powerful theme for your story. In addition, you will discover how to know when to backtrack, and why backtracking is essential to writing great fiction. And eventually, how to fire-test each scene to ensure it’s high-impact before you write it.

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3. Structuring Your Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Building Strong and Successful Stories (Helping Writers Become Authors)

Structuring Your Novel Workbook by K.M. Weiland shows novel writers how to create stories with strong and compelling plot structures. It presents a guided approach to writing solid first drafts, identifying and fixing plot problems, and writing consistently good stories.

Most importantly, the book contains hundreds of incisive questions and imagination bring into being exercises. This valuable resource workbook will show you how to implement a strong three-act structure, time your acts, and your plot points, unleash your unique and personal vision for your story, identify common structural weaknesses and flip them around into stunning strengths, eliminate saggy middles by discovering your story’s “centerpiece”.

First of all, you will never find a more writer-friendly book. If you are a linear-type person who likes to follow a “plan, this workbook will be ideal. It’s satisfying, productive, and exciting. The greatest thing about it is that it engages you to think deeply about every aspect of your story.

The workbook explains the Key Event and the First Plot Point as not the same but as “two distinct and important sides of the same coin.” She examples this by apt citations from Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” and other stories.

In addition, it explains the two Pinch Points: “To use your Pinch Points to their maximum potential, you need to make certain that they create distinct moments that influence every scene leading up to their subsequent Plot Points.”

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4. How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No-Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling

This book is perfect for beginners as well as professional writers who need a crash course in the down-to-earth basics of storytelling written in a clear, crisp, accessible style. Talent and inspiration can’t be taught, but James N. Frey does provide scores of helpful suggestions and sensible rules and principles.

How to Write a Damn Good Novel will enable all writers to face that intimidating first page, keep them on track when they falter, and help them recognize, analyze, and correct the problems in their own work.

This book includes the elements of what makes for good writing: well-rounded characters vs. stereotypes; conflict and the types of conflict; working towards a climax, etc.

You would love this book because author James N. Frey suggests a beat sheet, character interviews, a character’s ruling passion, a premise, a defined crucible, a defined denouement, and a setup. Therefore, it deserves to be one of the best books on how to write a novel.

Some writers might start writing with only a few of these elements in mind and discover along the way. James N. Frey doesn’t know how his books will end, which is probably why he’s so effective at scaring because he can really empathize with the clueless characters.

Most people discover character traits as they go, writing their character through some pre-created situations, watching their character take a different turn, etc. Few people can start from a pre-created premise, because the things you care about change as you put them on the page.

The premise, ruling passion, beat sheets, the defined crucible, falling conflict, and creating indirect dialogue happens in revision when you look at a first draft and start pulling some order out of what your brain dumped on the page.

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5. How to Write a Novel: That will Sell Well and Satisfy your Inner Artist

When you are writing a novel that means you’ll need to learn how to find the market you’ll be writing for and how to plan your novel. Know what works and what doesn’t and identify the ‘outstanding’ from the ‘good ideas.

You’ll need to know how to plot like the experts: learn about all the plotting methods open to you, and which one suits you and your writing style.

If you’ll also want to know who your characters are and why they’re the way they are. You’ll need to know about character development so that you can create dazzling characters that’ll leave your readers captivated.

But none of that will mean anything if you haven’t developed your prose style. This is what separates ‘people who like to write’ and ‘writers.’ So, you’ll need to learn how to handle technicalities like the point of view, tense, omniscience, writing with clarity, and the art of showing not telling.

Because you’re a writer who’s just created a world filled with evocative characters and excellent descriptions of place, you’ll also need to know how to edit. Really edit your manuscript so that it’s ready for publication. This book is written by someone who knows what he’s talking about.

There are plenty of writing manuals out there, but with this book, Harry will be with you from the very first sentence to the last full stop. Offering you actionable advice with real-life examples, all with the aim to help you write a book to be proud of.

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The Final Thought

You can utilize your creative thinking, writing ability, and skills the most by reading these best books on how to write a novel stunningly. The books here have successfully explained the process of writing a novel, step-by-step guidelines that will help you to find your own way of writing. There is no better way than reading great books on the subject for expressing and presenting your thoughts effectively and becoming a skilled novelist.

One thing we all might know is that the greater the writer, the greater the reader. To gain adequate knowledge on how to write a novel, reading books on this subject, would be not only potential but also essential to grow as a great writer. However, along with reading books, you have to develop the habit of writing. The more you write, the better your writing will be for sure.

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