Writing the Novel from Plot to Print to Pixel -- Lawrence Block

Whenever people ask me about good books on writing, there are two that I always name.  One of them is Lawrence Block's Telling Lies for Fun and Profit, and the other one is Writing the Novel from Plot to Print.  The latter has now been revised and reprinted with additional material to bring it up to date for the eBook era, and the new title is Writing the Novel from Plot to Print to Pixel.  Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), it's an essential book, not just for writers but for anybody interested in writing and reading.

Before I say anything about the new edition, though, I'll say a few words about Telling Lies for Fun and Profit.  Back in the '70s when I was looking at Writer's Digest every month, I didn't ever read any of the articles.  The only reason I wanted the magazine was to read Lawrence Block's column.  Telling Lies for Fun and Profit is a collection of those columns, and it's another book that's just plain fun to read for everybody, writer or not.

Now back to our regularly scheduled review.  Writing the Novel from Plot to Print to Pixel says it's been both expanded and updated.  The updated parts are set off in a different typeface from the rest to make it easy to find if you're looking for it, as Block explains in his new introduction.  The intro also tells about Block's writing the columns I mentioned above, and it's worth a read.  In the rest of the book, the advice there is still as solid and convincing as ever.  There's no one way to write a novel, and there's no secret formula.  So don't expect one.  Instead you can expect plenty of commonsense suggestions and comments about the writing process, and in the new sections about eBooks you'll find a lot really good stuff about the new world of ePublishing.  It's as good as the rest of the book, which I consider high praise.  My favorite chapter is Chapter 18, which is the one I advised my daughter to read first after I gave her the book.  You should start wherever you want to.  Just be sure to go ahead and read them all because this is still right at the top of my list of good books about writing.  Highly recommended.