Drawing from his own experiences as a novelist & creative writing tutor Richard Skinner takes you through the process of writing a novel from ways of generating ideas & beginning the actual process of writing through to producing a final draft. The book is a both a guide & an aid to writing a novel. The first part
- the guide
- offers solid practical suggestions for writers who are just getting started on a long piece of fiction. The second part of the book
- the aid
- operates more like a troubleshooting gallery for those who are well into a long piece of fiction. Eschewing formulas & prescriptions Skinner encourages readers to think differently about issues as they arise by means of lateral thinking oblique strategies aphorisms "ations & offers a range of ideas about the art of writing that stretches beyond the bounds of fiction.