Write and Revise for Publication: A 6-Month Plan for Crafting an Exceptional Novel and Other Works of Fiction

Of the many strengths found in Write and Revise for Publication the most important is the basic advice to divide fiction writing into two phases-creation and revision. Many new writers confuse the phases, so self-conscious about all the possible choices and decisions they block the freedom of a first draft. Jack Smith emphasizes the need to keep the two distinct by letting the draft flow and then revisiting it more objectively. While he offers useful tips about creating, his clear breakdown of the range of questions writers should ask themselves as they revise is most thorough I have encountered in books on writing fiction. He covers the options for character development, point of view, conflict, plot and structure, prose style, openings and endings, and much more. Especially helpful are the passages he has chosen to illustrate the various approaches. In addition to writers, any reader of fiction who wishes to understand how good stories and novels are made will learn much from this book.

The premise of Jack Smith's book is simple but absolutely essential to the developing writer. Again and again you will be led to examine other writers' works as models, and apply lessons learned to your own work. If you expect a book to tell you, "Here is how you write a novel," and guide you step by step through a pre-established formula, this is not the book for you. If you are a serious writer who wants insight on elements of craft on every aspect from preparing to write to marketing your work, you need this book.

This is an excellent book, full of great practical advice for both beginning and advanced writers. It would work well for individual writers and for classroom use in creative writing courses. It includes a wide range of story excerpts from many acclaimed writers and uses writing exercises and prompts to help writers develop their craft. The book not only explains important writing concepts, but clearly shows how to use the concepts to improve one's own writing. I highly recommend it for writers and for those teaching writing.Robert Garner McBrearty

(Three and a half stars)This was an enjoyable, useful reading that I found very well-articulated, although a bit generic on many elements. Jack Smith surely knows what he’s talking about. His style may be not original and his thoughts not ground-breaking, but the book itself is professionally wrote and clean. It gave me many interesting answer and, more importantly, started the right questions.What workedWrite and Revise for Publication is everything a writer seeking suggestions on how to improve or refine his writing skills could hope for. It covers virtually every step from preparing your thoughts and ordering your ideas, writing your first draft, revising it and getting it ready to submit to an agent.Its strength is exactly its breadth. It doesn’t focus on one stage of the writing process. It covers them all. If your dialogues are weak or your characters are opaque, Smith has useful suggestions to take them to the next level. Problems polishing your style or tone? He got the answer to that too.His broad knowledge is also worth mentioning. You understand he did his homework by the share amount of material he comments, analyzes and discusses. The man is a little encyclopedia.His style is maybe a bit dry, but the content is so solid and interesting that you’re pulled to read in more. Until you reach the quite frankly general and disappointing final part. The only real problem with this book.What didn’t workI consider myself not a particularly bright person, nor knowledgeable as I’d like to be. Plus, English is not my first language. I acknowledge that part of the reason why I found some faults on Smith’s book could derive from my personal experience and background.That being said, there are some issues I believe the author should have addressed better. One of these is the meaning he gives to the word “Conflict,” probably one of the single most used words in the entire book and also the less understandable. He uses it in a very generic way but at the same time it’s more time than not the bulk of his analysis. The hub of his explanations. I still don’t understand what he meant with this word due to the lack of a proper definition. Is it the conflict between characters? Something only the antagonist should create with his actions (and reactions)? Something managed by multiple characters at the same time? The conflict readers should feel in order to be compelled to read more, or something else?Also, as I previously said, Smith’s work may be too generic for someone seeking specifics advices on how to improve, say, his dialogue skills. It is surely useful to point out that dull dialogues are not a good thing, (not always, at least) but giving his particular thoughts, for example offering his own experience (not other’s experience), could have add something more to the reading experience.Finally, the major flaw with this book was its ending. I understand this book is not focusing on publication, I do. It focuses on the stages before it. But if you decide to spend the last part of the book speaking about nowadays ways to get your work published out there how can you not even mention, along with the traditional way, the self-publishing option? This is a too important particular not to even spend a paragraph on, especially nowadays, when some indie authors are much more influent and known than others, “traditionally” published.ConclusionSmith’s work is a real blessing for writers stuck somewhere in the writing process or someone else who seek inspiration or material to work on. Although it is generic and not particularly original, the book does offer useful examples and addresses many issues that bother the average writer.

Jack Smith has really nailed it with this one! Write and Revise is an excellent resource for writers of all levels... as a creative writing professor, I can easily imagine using this text in the classroom. He begins with a succinct overview of the "production stage" and briefly describes the primary elements and techniques of fiction, including clear descriptions and tips for developing characters, choosing the best point of view, establishing conflict, managing plot and structure, and developing setting, style, tone and mood. The majority of the book, however, focuses on the revision process, one of the most crucial steps to crafting successful fiction. As he notes, "Solid revision transforms unfinished work by giving it levels or depths it didn't have before, smoothing it out, and producing a polished product." The remaining chapters are categorized by the element of fiction one may need to concentrate on during the revision stage, including openings and endings, developing themes, and fine tuning your manuscript. This book is concise but comprehensive, making it an excellent addition to any writers' shelf. I'm looking forward to using it in the classroom and for my own personal revision projects.