Howard Mittelmark – författare

There are many ways prospective authors routinely sabotage their own work. But why leave it to guesswork? Misstep by misstep, How Not to Write a Novel shows how you can ensure that your manuscript never rises above the level of unpublishable drivel; that your characters are unpleasant, dimensionless versions of yourself; that your plot is digressive, tedious and unconvincing; and that your style is reliant on mangled clichés and sesquipedalian malapropisms. Alternatively, you can use it to identify the most common mistakes, avoid them and actually write a book that works.Guardian Award shortlisted novelist Sandra Newman and veteran editor Howard Mittelmark have distilled 30 years of teaching, editing, writing and reviewing fiction into a hilarious and liberating guide that is the perfect read for anyone who's ever laughed at a badly written piece of prose and for anyone who's ever penned one - and doesn't want to do it again.

“The teaching of creative writing just entered a whole new era . . . Heavens, what a joy this book is.” —Lynne Truss, New York Times–bestselling author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves“What do you think of my fiction book writing?” the aspiring novelist extorted.“Darn,” the editor hectored, in turn. “I can not publish your novel! It is full of what we in the business call ‘really awful writing.’”“But how shall I absolve this dilemma? I have already read every tome available on how to write well and get published!” The writer tossed his head about, wildly.“It might help,” opined the blonde editor, helpfully, “to ponder how NOT to write a novel, so you might avoid the very thing!”Many writing books offer sound advice on how to write well. This is not one of those books. On the contrary, this is a collection of terrible, awkward, and laughably unreadable excerpts that will teach you what to avoid—at all costs—if you ever want your novel published.The authors of How Not to Write a Novel distill their decades of combined experience in teaching, editing, writing, and reviewing fiction to bring you real advice from the other side of the query letter. Rather than telling you how or what to write, they identify 200 common mistakes unconsciously made by writers and teach you to recognize, avoid, and amend them. With hilarious examples to demonstrate each manuscript-mangling error, they help you troubleshoot your beginnings and endings, bad guys, love interests, style, jokes, perspective, voice, and more. As funny as it is useful, this essential how-NOT-to guide will help you get your manuscript out of the slush pile and into the bookstore.“A great resource, this tongue-in-cheek guide is a fun read with a lot of solid advice.” —Publishers Weekly“This writing how-to should carry a warning: it’s the kind of book one reads at the expense of other responsibilities. . . . a surprisingly distinctive approach.” —Library Journal“Hilarious, wickedly observed and deeply useful.” — The Observer“An invaluable guide.” —The Independent

Are you tired of bland, overly earnest reading guides that discuss the same old books? Read This Next by Sandra Newman and Howard Mittlemark is the answer. A smart, irreverent, honest, and truly hilarious guide to your 500 new favorite books, Read This Next is aimed at those readers and book groups that are looking for great reading suggestions with more variety and spice than the usual book club picks—while offering food for thought and laughter in equal measure.

The house has a terrifying history and now history is repeating itself. Once upon a time, a group of student radicals found a leader and followed him beyond all reason. Years before that, in the same place, a prophet was visited by an angel, and followed it to a horrible end. Peter Coulter ignored the strange rumors about the house—until things started changing. His sister Ginny, once outgoing and popular, is now secretive and self-destructive. Peter’s nightmares have become so vivid, so real. His father is possessed by a sudden calling from God. And all of them have seen the long-haired stranger in the woods. The one who wants them to do such shameful things, and who beckons them too, to follow him.