Table Of ContentThe Complete Handbook of Novel
Writing Third Edition
Everything You Need to Know to Create and Sell Your
Work
The Editors of Writer’s Digest
Cincinnati, Ohio
The COMPLETE HANDBOOK OF NOVEL WRITING THIRD EDITION. Copyright © 2016 by the
Editors of Writer’s Digest. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief
passages in a review. Published by Writer’s Digest Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 10151
Carver Road, Suite # 200, Blue Ash, OH 45242. (800) 289-0963. Third edition.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Part One: The Art and Craft of a Strong Narrative
Best-Selling Advice: Inspiration and Ideas
Chapter One: Training Your Ideas
ESTABLISH A CALM, CENTERED MIND
STUDY YOUR BREED
TRAIN YOUR FOCUS
WALK YOUR INNER DOG
Chapter Two: Bend It, Amp It, Drive It, Strip It
BEND IT
AMP IT
DRIVE IT
STRIP IT
Chapter Three: The Taming of the Muse
FEEDING THE BEAST
STORMING YOUR BRAIN
SEDUCING YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS
INSPIRATION ON DEMAND
“INSPIRATION MEETS CRAFT” EQUALS
“PRACTICE MEETS PLAY”
Chapter Four: Testing the Strength of Your Story Ideas
1. DOES YOUR IDEA INVOLVE STRONG
CONFLICT?
2. ARE YOUR CHARACTERS TRUE TO LIFE?
3. IS THE SETTING DISTINCTIVE?
4. DOES THE IDEA FULFILL A CLEAR PURPOSE?
Chapter Five: Fire Up Your Fiction
FIND THE UNCOMMON IN COMMON
EXPERIENCE
FIND THE COMMON IN UNCOMMON
EXPERIENCE
DEVELOP THE MORAL OF THE STORY
BUILD THE FIRE IN FICTION
Best-Selling Advice: Plot and Structure
Chapter Six: The Hero’s Journey
EXPLORING THE THREE-ACT STRUCTURE
REFINING THE THREE-ACT STRUCTURE
THE HERO’S JOURNEY, STEP BY STEP
Chapter Seven: The Two Pillars of Novel Structure
A BRIDGE TO SOMEWHERE
THE FIRST PILLAR
THE SECOND PILLAR
THE OTHER SIDE
Chapter Eight: Weaving In a Seamless Backstory
TOO MUCH, TOO SOON
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
THE RIGHT BALANCE
WHEN IN DOUBT
Chapter Nine: The Essential Endgame Structure
THE FOUR PARTS OF EFFECTIVE
STORYTELLING
GUIDELINES FOR A COMPELLING ENDING
A PLAN FOR PART FOUR’S EXECUTION
WHY STRUCTURE MATTERS
Chapter Ten: Supporting Stories
REASONS FOR USING SUBPLOTS
CREATING COMPLICATIONS
ENLARGING THE STORY WORLD
CONNECTING CHARACTERS
CREATING SUBPLOTS THAT MATTER
Chapter Eleven: Behind the Scene
1. MAKE YOUR DIALOGUE FLOW
2. CUT OR HIDE EXPOSITION
3. FLIP THE OBVIOUS
4. APPLY THE CLOSED-EYES TECHNIQUE
5. KNOW WHAT YOU’RE AIMING FOR
Best-Selling Advice: Characters
Chapter Twelve: Character Study
Chapter Thirteen: Mining for Character
GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
CORE PERSONALITY TEMPERAMENTS
SELECTING YOUR CHARACTER’S
TEMPERAMENT
USING YOUR OWN TEMPERAMENT
COMMENCE LAYERING
Chapter Fourteen: The Outer Limits
CHARACTER IN CONTEXT
CONFLICT: I WOULDN’T DO THIS IF I DIDN’T
HAVE TO
PERMISSION: AS LONG AS YOU SAY IT’S OKAY
DECEIT OR DISCLOSURE: THAT WASN’T
REALLY ME
IF I DID THIS MORE OFTEN I’D BE BETTER AT IT
THE ROLE OF CONTRADICTIONS
EMOTION, INTUITION, AND TRUST
Chapter Fifteen: Complicating Your Characters
DEEPENING THE PROTAGONIST’S CHARACTER
DEEPENING THE ANTAGONIST’S CHARACTER
DEEPENING CHARACTER THROUGH
BACKSTORY
UPPING THE READER’S EMOTIONAL
INVESTMENT
Chapter Sixteen: Status
1. VARIABLE STATUS IS THE KEY TO
DIMENSIONALITY
2. WORD CHOICE DETERMINES
CHARACTERIZATION
3. PROTAGONISTS NEED OPPORTUNITIES TO
BE HEROIC
4. STATUS CRYSTALLIZES AS THE STORY
ESCALATES
Chapter Seventeen: The Main Introduction
INVOLVEMENT
THE STAKES
DESIRES
FEARS
MOTIVATION
CHALLENGES
Best-Selling Advice: Craft and Style
Chapter Eighteen: Transform Your Novel into a Symphony
THEME: YOUR NOVEL’S MELODY
YOUR ENSEMBLE: A STAGE FULL OF VOICES
TEMPO, DYNAMICS, AND MOOD: POWERFUL
TOOLS
YOUR FINALE: EMOTION AMPLIFIED
Chapter Nineteen: Something to Say
HAVING SOMETHING TO SAY
BUILDING A THEME STEP-BY-STEP
PRESENTING INESCAPABLE MORAL DILEMMAS
DEVELOPING A UNIVERSAL THEME
Chapter Twenty: Six Powerful Ways to Maintain Suspense
1. PUT CHARACTERS THAT READERS CARE
ABOUT IN JEOPARDY
2. INCLUDE MORE PROMISES AND LESS
ACTION
3. KEEP EVERY PROMISE YOU MAKE
4. LET THE CHARACTERS TELL READERS THEIR
PLANS
5. CUT DOWN ON THE VIOLENCE
6. BE ONE STEP AHEAD OF YOUR READERS
Chapter Twenty-One: Make Your Setting a Character
LINK DETAILS AND EMOTIONS
MEASURE CHANGE OVER TIME
REALIZE THAT HISTORY IS PERSONAL
SEE THROUGH CHARACTERS’ EYES
Chapter Twenty-Two: Strengthening the Conflict
RAISING THE STAKES
MATCHING THE PROTAGONIST WITH A
WORTHY OPPONENT
BUILDING THE CONFLICT
MAKING CONFLICT SUBTLE AND COMPLEX
MAKING ABSTRACT CONFLICTS CONCRETE
RESOLVING THE CONFLICT BELIEVABLY
Chapter Twenty-Three: Seven Tools for Talk
1. LET IT FLOW
2. ACT IT OUT
3. SIDESTEP THE OBVIOUS
4. CULTIVATE SILENCE
5. POLISH A GEM
6. EMPLOY CONFRONTATION
7. DROP WORDS
Chapter Twenty-Four: Choosing the Best POV for Your
Story
PROTAGONIST VERSUS POV CHARACTER
POV CHARACTER SELECTION
DIFFERENT EYES, DIFFERENT STORY
CASTS OF THOUSANDS
Part Two: The Writing Process
Best-Selling Advice: Getting Started
Chapter Twenty-Five: Write Like Poe
THE COPYCAT
THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE
SAY WHAT?
Chapter Twenty-Six: Break the Blocks to Creative Flow
ASSESS YOUR STAGE
MAKE WRITING A PRIORITY
TRY MICROWRITING
SET A WORD COUNT GOAL
FIND AN ACCOUNTABILIBUDDY
GET TO THE HEART
CREATE CLIFF-HANGERS
FINISH THE UNFINISHED
MOVE IT
MEDITATE
DAYDREAM OR LET YOUR MIND WANDER
Best-Selling Advice: Rituals and Methods
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Mining for Diamonds
CONSIDER THE ROLE OF FACT IN FICTION
KNOW WHEN TO STEP AWAY
DEFINE THE EDGES AND THE SHAPE OF THE
UNIVERSE
BEWARE OF FUSSING OVER THE FUSSY
INTERVIEW AND OBSERVE
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Map Your Novel with a Reverse
Outline
KNOW YOUR ENDING BEFORE YOU START
OUTLINE YOUR STORY SIMPLY AND BRIEFLY
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Creating a Flexible Outline for Any
Kind of Story
1. CRAFT YOUR PREMISE
2. ROUGHLY SKETCH SCENE IDEAS
3. INTERVIEW YOUR CHARACTERS
4. EXPLORE YOUR SETTINGS
5. WRITE YOUR COMPLETE OUTLINE
6. CONDENSE YOUR OUTLINE
7. PUT YOUR OUTLINE INTO ACTION
Chapter Thirty: Plantsing
ANIMAL INSTINCTS
PLOTTING AND PANTSING
THE HYBRID APPROACH
PLANTSING IN REAL LIFE
Chapter Thirty-One: Rough It Up
BE HONEST
LEARN TO LOVE ANARCHY
GET LOOSE
FACE YOUR SECOND DRAFT
Chapter Thirty-Two: Titling Your Story
Best-Selling Advice: Revision and Editing
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Geyser Approach to Revision
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LOW TIDE
INVITE THE FLOW TO RETURN
CHANNEL THE POWER AS IT BUILDS
LET THE GEYSER LOOSE
USE THE BEST OF BOTH TIDES
Chapter Thirty-Four: Your Revision Checklist
PLOT
CHARACTER
SETTING
POV
VOICE, ATTITUDE, AND HUMOR
TIMING
DIALOGUE AND SCENE
DESCRIPTION AND DICTION
THE POLISH
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Great Revision Pyramid
LAYER 1: THE NARRATION
LAYER 2: THE CHARACTERS
LAYER 3: THE STORY
LAYER 4: THE SCENES
ACCIDENT-FREE FINAL DRAFTS
Part Three: Exploring Novel Genres
Chapter Thirty-Six: Literary Lust Versus Commercial Cash
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Understanding the Elements of
Literary Fiction
STYLE AND RESTRAINT
SYMBOLISM
POINT OF VIEW AND CHARACTER
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Chapter Thirty-Eight: World Creation in Science Fiction
RULES OF STARFLIGHT
THE PROBLEM OF INTERSTELLAR FLIGHT
WHAT THE RULES CAN DO FOR YOU
TIME TRAVEL
Chapter Thirty-Nine: What "High Concept" Means in Any
Genre
Seven Qualities of High-Concept Stories
Chapter Forty: Write This, Not That
1. COINCIDENCES
2. DYNAMIC DESCRIPTIONS
3. FALSE CLUES
4. ACTION-PACKED DIALOGUE
5. CHARACTER MOTIVATIONS
Chapter Forty-One: The Stuff Series Are Made Of
TIES
STORY ARCS AND SERIES ARCS
C-S-P SERIES POTENTIAL
ORGANIZATION OF DETAILS
Chapter Forty-Two: Writing Investigation
INVESTIGATING: OBSERVING AND
INTERROGATING
PLAYING FAIR
CONFUSION: INTEREST KILLER
COINCIDENCE: CREDIBILITY KILLER
Chapter Forty-Three: Blurred Lines
THREE KEYS TO WRITING THE CROSS-GENRE
NOVEL
PITCHING YOUR CROSS-GENRE NOVEL
