Radford, describing her own book, states that it's "my process for finishing a book. Yours may vary." By extension, it's fair to say that one's appreciation of this book may depend on how well the author's process suits the reader. Or perhaps not; a glimpse at a successful craftsman's workflow and technique may well trigger ideas for other approaches.

Committing Novel consists of short chapters -- too brief to be called essays, really; perhaps "comments" -- on various aspects of the writing process. Radford comments on everything from generating ideas to handling points of view in a story to the logistics of trying to publish. I found some of the chapters to be too brief, as if the author was just getting warmed up before suddenly wrapping things up and moving on to the next topic. But they're useful as starting points, or ways for aspiring authors to start thinking about how to tackle things on their own terms.

Overall, I found this to be a useful, quick read that I'd recommend to anyone interested in learning how things are done in the writing world -- by one author, anyway. ( )

This is good advice and includes Radford's own modus oprandi as one way of producing a novel. The process is well described and pleasant to read until towards the end a few chapters are anomalous: the person slips (is she now an editor/publisher not a writer?); there is a steampunk chapter (why?); the ego impinges uncomfortably (acceptance speech). At the end, I saw that the book comprises essays from a blog, author's notes and a magazine. This explains the disjointedness. I received this as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer. Thank you. ( )

Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest and open review.

This doesn't feel like a book for beginners - most books about writing start with a variety of ways to generate ideas etc. and this one doesn't - instead it offers a few examples of how the author puts those ideas together into a cohesive story.

Is this book going to help you come up with your million dollar story idea? I don't think so. What it will help you with, however, is making sure you execute that million dollar idea with a little more thought and care than you might have otherwise.

Not a beginner's resource, not a 'writing bible', but a great collection of hints for writers looking to hone their craft. If it was a little longer (it's 81 page in print), I would look at buying a physical copy for reference (I'm not a fan of keeping digital reference material) but the book is just the right length to be easily searchable on a device.

Definitely not just a rehash of the same advice given in most writing books - worth a read!

4 stars ( )

Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest and open review.

This doesn't feel like a book for beginners - most books about writing start with a variety of ways to generate ideas etc. and this one doesn't - instead it offers a few examples of how the author puts those ideas together into a cohesive story.

Is this book going to help you come up with your million dollar story idea? I don't think so. What it will help you with, however, is making sure you execute that million dollar idea with a little more thought and care than you might have otherwise.

Not a beginner's resource, not a 'writing bible', but a great collection of hints for writers looking to hone their craft. If it was a little longer (it's 81 page in print), I would look at buying a physical copy for reference (I'm not a fan of keeping digital reference material) but the book is just the right length to be easily searchable on a device.

Definitely not just a rehash of the same advice given in most writing books - worth a read!

4 stars ( )

As I am wanting to improve my writing skills, I was looking forward to some experienced guidance, having said that, this book is aimed towards getting a first novel published. Irene Radford's practical knowledge is concise and straightforward, however I just want to improve my Blog writing at this stage and at times felt a little out of my depth here. If ever I decide I want to get a book off to a publisher, I'll re-read this very helpful guide. ( )