Drawing from his own experiences as a novelist and creative writing tutor, Richard Skinner takes you through the process of writing a novel, from ways of generating ideas and beginning the actual process of writing, through to producing a final draft. The book is a both a 'guide' and an 'aid' to writing a novel. The first part - the guide - offers solid practical suggestions for writers who are just getting started on a long piece of fiction. The second part of the book - the aid - operates more like a troubleshooting gallery for those who are well into a long piece of fiction. Eschewing formulas and prescriptions, Skinner encourages readers to think differently about issues as they arise by means of lateral thinking, oblique strategies, aphorisms and quotations, and offers a range of ideas about the art of writing that stretches beyond the bounds of fiction.