Look elsewhere for mathematical formulas on how to write a novel. You

won t find them here.

This is the "how to write" book with a difference. Geoffrey Bocca--who

has published twenty-six books--says that "of all the rules of writing fic-

tion, the most ironclad of all is that no rule is absolutely ironclad."

In this refreshingly original book, the author makes you a participant of the

freemasonry of novelists. To be sure, Bocca provides instruction on all the

standard creative-writing topics--setting, plot, characterization, and so

on--and it is eminently practical, sound instruction. But what makes this

book so valuable is the author s advice in addition to formal instruction.

For Bocca is concerned with the writing process--the practical nuts-and-

bolts business of sitting down at a typewriter and creating strong,

marketable fiction.

The book abounds in illustrative anecdotes. Did you know, for example,

that Ernest Hemingway frequently typed standing up? Or that Harold Rob-

bins keeps a list of his characters birthdays on the wall above his type-

writer? And Bocca is generous in providing prose excerpts from a wide vari.

ety of fiction (from James ]oyce to Judith Krantz) to show you exactly what

he means by active language, dialogue, monologue, characterization, de-

scription, downbeat tension at the end of a chapter, hooks, fast opening

paragraphs, and much more. He goes into detail on the touchy problems of

how to handle sex, violence, and obscenities and four-letter words--

unavoidable aspects of fiction whose handling is generally ignored in text-

books. And 13occa devotes an entire chapter to getting published, featuring

inside tips learned from years of experience with editors, agents,

and publishing houses.

If you re an aspiring novelist or a creative-writing student, you can t miss

this book. Much more than just a manual, it is both engaging to read and a

real eye-opener for the practitioner.