How Not to Write a Novel: Confessions of a Mid-list Author by
David Armstrong
pbk out June 03
(Allison Busby)
at £9.99
This hilarious book is sub-titled 'Confessions of a Midlist Author'. David Armstrong
himself describes it as 'an A-to-Z through the maddening, infuriating, heart-breaking
journey that most writers face'. Along the way, he provides not only rich
entertainment but also a good many nuggets of sensible advice for anyone who has
ever contemplated trying their hand at full-length fiction. Each section includes 'top
tips', most of which simply read: 'Don't do it.' Armstrong writes honestly and
without false modesty about the trials and tribulations facing a novelist who manages
to win great reviews but not the Ferrari-driving, champagne-quaffing lifestyle to
match. Occasionally gloom takes over - a section headed 'The Joy of It All' is left
blank – but it is a safe bet that hundreds of other professional writers will empathise
with his misfortunes. Certainly there were moments when I thought he was writing
about my own experiences rather than his. David Armstrong has written five
distinctive crime novels that are well worth seeking out. It would be a sweet irony if it
is this first venture into non-fiction that finally catapults him to fame and fortune. If it
happens, it will be well-deserved: I guess I have read even more 'how-to write a
novel' books than Armstrong, and this to my mind is the funniest and truest of them
all.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
How Not to Write a Novel: Confessions of a Mid-list Author by
David Armstrong
