How Not to Write a Novel: Confessions of a Mid-List Author
"Comes a point in the career of any aspiring novelist--when you find yourself in the second decade of revising your opus, for instance--that you may wonder why you ever bothered. This how-not-to by British novelist David Armstrong (Night's Black Agents) will either give you the strength to soldier on or inspire you to get out the lighter fluid and torch your manuscript before evil publishing types get the chance. Every chapter--on agents, advances, discipline and all the other joyful components of the writing biz--offers useful anecdotes and advice and ends with a cheerful list of tips (number one is usually "Don't do it!"): "Especially when you are young, do as wide a variety of jobs as you can. They'll often be low paid and involve long hours and tedium. Perfect for fostering the writing spirit."---The Washington Post