On Becoming a Novelist

On Becoming a Novelist contains the wisdom accumulated during John Gardner's distinguished twenty-year career as a fiction writer and creative writing teacher. With elegance, humor, and sophistication, Gardner describes the life of a working novelist; warns what needs to be guarded against, both from within the writer and from without; and predicts what the writer can reasonably expect and what, in general, he or she cannot. "For a certain kind of person," Gardner writes, "nothing is more joyful or satisfying than the life of a novelist." But no other vocation, he is quick to add, is so fraught with professional and spiritual difficulties. Whether discussing the supposed value of writer's workshops, explaining the role of the novelist's agent and editor, or railing against the seductive fruits of literary elitism, On Becoming a Novelist is an indispensable, life-affirming handbook for anyone authentically called to the profession.

Picture the poor, young, serious-fiction writer. He toils alone at a pace not so different from that of Lincoln Tunnel traffic at rush hour in New York. His spouse has a "real" job, or perhaps he has a trust fund. His college friends are cashing in on their dot-coms and wondering if he's ever going to join the real world. He is not hell-bent on publication; he is trying to write "serious, honest fiction, the kind of novel that readers will find they enjoy reading more than once, the kind of fiction likely to survive." He's likely to have no idea whether he's succeeding. Nobody understands him.

Well, almost nobody. John Gardner understands him. Gardner's sympathetic On Becoming a Novelist is the novelist's ultimate comfort food--better than macaroni and cheese, better than chocolate. Gardner, a fiction writer himself (Grendel), knows in his bones the desperate questioning of a writer who's not sure he's up to the task. He recognizes the validation that comes with being published, just as he believes that "for a true novel there is generally no substitute for slow, slow baking." Gardner also has strong feelings about what kinds of workshops help (and whom they help), and what kinds hinder. But a full half of Gardner's book is devoted to an exploration of the writer's nature. The storyteller's intelligence, he says, "is composed of several qualities, most of which, in normal people, are signs of either immaturity or incivility." In addition, a writer needs "verbal sensitivity, accuracy of eye," and "an almost demonic compulsiveness." But wait--there's more. A writer needs to be driven, and to be driven, he says insightfully, "a psychological wound is helpful." --Jane Steinberg

After enjoying John Gardner's The Art of Fiction, I made a mental note to read his book On Becoming a Novelist. During a trip to Manhattan, I found an old copy at the Strand Bookstore in Greenwich Village. Again, Gardner provides his readers with much "food for thought" about the nature of great fiction.

If you think that you might have what it takes to become the next great novelist, On Becoming a Novelist is for you. After reading this book, you may be more or less encouraged about your prospects of making it as a "serious" novelist. It is, however, a near certainty that you will never look at writing and publishing the same way again.

Gardner's perspective differs from most authors who discuss how to write, and that gives On Becoming a Writer its value. Gardner does not shy from expressing very strong opinions. He tells you exactly what he thinks you must do to become a great writer; Gardner is famous (in writing circles) for maintaining that the best fiction sets off "a vivid and continuous dream in the reader's mind" (p. 39). On Becoming a Novelist does not focus on how to write so that you can create that dreamlike state. (Gardner covers that topic in The Art of Fiction). Here, Gardner is concerned with explaining the novelist's life (education, work habits, mindset, interactions with publishers and agents, etc.). He also spends a great deal of time explaining how you can tell if you have "the right stuff" to become a novelist.

Before reading On Becoming a Novelist, you should be aware of the book's limitations and drawbacks. This book is for those who aspire to write "serious" fiction; if you want to write to entertain or to become a best-selling author, you probably will want to look elsewhere. You will find that the book lags in the middle; these sections on the writer's training and on publication are not particularly strong. (This material accounts for about 40 of the book's 140 pages). Finally, Gardner is not particularly encouraging about your odds of becoming a successful novelist; if you decide to write, he wants you to go into it with your eyes wide open.

There are a lot of books out there that purport to tell you how to approach your writing. On Becoming a Novelist is one of the most-provocative books that you can read on the topic.

It's like plucking through a blackberry patch on a too-bright day, plenty of juicy berries if you don't mind the burrs. Gardner has a lot of valuable advice, both concrete and abstract, and can state them in a clear and concise manner, but you have to disengage from the fact that he is product of his time, a time that allowed the denigration of women as intellectual and creative beings long after racism was no longer acceptable. He also states as fact that genre writing isn't worth anybody's time, so if you're writing science fiction, mystery, horror or women's fiction, you might want to steer clear of this one. However, if your skin is thick enough and you have a keen enough sense for separating the helpful from the not so much, there are some words of wisdom in there.

I've read and re-read this book over the years as a fiction writer of novels and short stories. It's served me very well. Enough that I've committed a lot of it to memory. Any serious writer will find a great amount of truth in this book - his suspicions, his ideas, and his beliefs are sure to be answered by Gardner. On Becoming a Novelist is written in a clear, concise style. It is not full of hints and tips or strategies for plotting, rather it is about the full conciousness of the writer. I believe it to be invaluable for the literary writer - it discusses some extremely important aspects of writing, the writing life, and the writing career. Remember, Gardner was a seasoned pro at both teaching and writing. This book shows his wisdom, his experience, and reaffirms many notions the writer has. Follow this book. Carry it with you. Even if it's thirty years old, it still holds valid today. As Gardner says, "the pains the writer takes must be his own". This book belongs in every writer's collection.

For aspiring writers wanting to get some heavy insight into the steps, practices, discipline and a "how-to" look into becoming a Novelist, you may want to look elsewhere.

While "On Becoming a Novelist" is a decent read, I found the content somewhat disengaging making the book, overall, hard pressed to keep my attention.

Gardner's "Becoming a Novelist" is a career advice book for authors who are serious about writing novels. (Short story writers need not apply.) John Gardner was not a man to pull his punches, so expect brutal honesty--especially regarding his dim views of most science-fiction, horror, and other genre writing. While I can't say that I agree with every word that he wrote, "Becoming a Novelist" provides more food for thought for aspiring novelists than a dozen "how-to" writing books. It's short enough to read in an afternoon--and, believe me, I've read it many times on many afternoons when I needed a good life coach to help me with my writing.