Every novelist dreams of it--writing the book that rockets to the top of the best-seller lists. Now, they can see how it's done, up close, in a book by an agent who has sold manuscripts that turned into hits. Here Albert Zuckerman covers the essential elements of the blockbuster novel and shows writers how to put them to work in their books. Zuckerman covers the subject thoroughly, from creating outlines and building larger than life characters to injecting suspense and more. His instruction is decisive, direct and clear and is supported with examples from Gone With the Wind, The Godfather and other blockbusters.
Writing the Blockbuster Novel is part fiction-biology textbook, part cookbook. Its author, Albert Zuckerman, dissects the commercial bestseller, then provides recipes for each discrete element. Settings, according to Zuckerman, should be "topical, trendy, 'sexy'"--either newsworthy hotspots or uncharted territory--and main characters, à la Don Corleone and Scarlett O'Hara, should loom larger than life. Like Hollywood blockbusters, "mega-books" should be high concept, with high stakes. Zuckerman discusses point of view (there should be multiple), character relationships, plotting, revision, and especially outlining. "Every mega-book with which I've been involved was planned and replanned and planned again," he confides. Indeed, a 63-page chapter here features four versions of Ken Follett's outline for The Man from St. Petersburg and an analysis of each. Still, no matter how good your outline, remember that there's a learning curve. A beginning novelist writing a successful blockbuster novel, says Zuckerman, is about as likely as "a high school athlete trying to play with the Dallas Cowboys." --Jane Steinberg
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Very good if you are planning to polish:
I think this book SHOWS, more than theorizes about writing. It has little theory (so if you've read other "how to write" books, then this book probably will have a few pages that'll be kind of known for you). But it's the first book I've read that really shows how polishing is made:
It has "unrefined" excerpts from Follett's books and it shows how he turned them into a masterpiece. It was very helpful to me, but I think that if you're looking for theory, maybe a book like "how to write a damn good... more info
Practically necessary:
I'm torn. Normally, there are books I recommend to absolute beginners, & books I push on those who are about ready for publication. Zuckerman says more than a few things that someone who's just starting out should really ponder, but most of the book is for Serious Students. In any case, please understand that Zuckerman's agenda is right there in the title: the "Blockbuster" part. This isn't about High Art -- it's about aiming for best-seller status, & improving your chances (however marginal)... more info
Same-o, Same-o:
WRITING FOR STORY by Jon Franklin remains the best of the writing aids books, followed by Richard Rhodes' and Stephen King's contributions to the genre. Zuckerman's book is a fair, yeoman's effort. I think book agents ought to be up-front about liking one kind of writing over another, and that this is what it's all about. Theyre fools for what they like and sell to publishers with the same tastes. I'm a fool for John LeCarre and cannot get enough of his George Smiley character. But LeCarre violates most of... more info
For The Serious Writer Of Novels This Is An Excellent Book:
I don't know what it is about most of the reviewers here of Zuckerman's book when they pan parts of it. The point for me, as a well-published writer of psychology books, is that I started training myself to write fiction five years ago with on-line classes and buying around 40 how-to-write books from Amazon, if you please. I studied them carefully. Now that I have 110,000 words done of my Jesus novel, for a re-write I needed a pro to give me all the basics again so that in tightening the plot I have the... more info
Privacy policy: we don't collect information
about visitors except for the standard technical server logs. We don't send unsolicited emails. We don't
sell the information that we don't collect about you to anyone. When you follow
links to other sites, their privacy policies apply. Thanks for visiting!
