This Year You Write Your Novel

One of the most important things that you will do this year will be to create complex, authentic characters that begin at one point in their lives and advance (or devolve) to another.
                 ~Walter Mosley, from This Year You Write Your Novel



I'm reading This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley. I picked it up the other day because I've been wanting to read it and because it's very short--less than 25,000 words, with lots of punch. I'm reading with hi-liter in hand, marking those passages that make me want to toss the book aside and get back to writing. Those are the good ones. Good, GREAT passages inspire me, motivate me, make me wiggle on the sofa with anticipation for my own writing accomplishments.

Walter Mosley is the author of 38+ books, including the Easy Rawlins and Fearless Jones mysteries, as well as numerous other works of fiction and nonfiction. He knows the value of a word and gets right to the point in this how-to book. I highly recommend it. You can go to Amazon to read many wonderful reviews but don't be swayed by those few naysayers who whine. They wanted an easy fix to their writing problems and expected Mosley to give it to them. Believe me when I say, I have almost every writing book available. They say the same thing over and over and over again. What differentiates them is the author's voice, his passion and his way of explaining something. The fact that Mosley has a straightforward, honest voice and didn't bloviate makes this book a winner!