Inspiration is for Amateurs

‘Inspiration is for amateurs’ - Jule Styne.

Styne was an English born composer who had a string of hits in Broadway Musicals. He could name Frank Sinatra as a friend.

Styne was being, practical not insulting, when he said, ‘Inspiration is for amateurs’. What he meant is that inspiration is useless if you don’t know your craft.

A would-be author must have a firm grasp of the aspects of the novel before they start writing - or be doomed to fail.

What are the aspects of a novel?

My professor taught me that there are seven fundamental parts to a novel.

1) Theme

2) Character

3) Plot

4) Setting

5) Structure

6) Style

7) Drama

These may be patently obvious to some of you, but a would-be author must be proficient in all, in order to succeed. Numerous creative writing books have been written on each item on my list, but to be brutally honest, even those written by successful writers are mostly of a poor standard.

I cite Stephen King as an example. Stephen King has the fantastic ability to chill with words, but his book on creative writing, fails miserably. It is mainly a semi-autobiography with little information about creative writing, and what there is has been taken from the books of literary experts. King’s book proves that brilliant writers don’t necessarily make the best teachers.

I can, however, suggest some excellent books, which I acquired on the advice of my literary professor. Others on this site have private messaged me to say how they have helped them enormously.

1) Aspects of the Novel - E M Forster. (Passage to India, Howards Way, Room With a View). A book for novices’.

2) The Elements of Style by William Strunk jr. and E. B. White (Charlotte's Web). Search for the latest edition. This book is vital for those that wish to learn to write in the active voice, because failure to do so, will result in instant rejection from an agent.

3) The Art and Craft of Novel Writing – Oakley Hall. A fantastic book that covers many aspects of creative writing.

4) How Fiction Works - Oakley Hall. Another brilliant book by Oakley Hall.

5) Learning to Write Fiction from the Masters by Barnaby Conrad. Barnaby Conrad held weekly, creative writing course in Santa Barbara.

6) The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction - Barnaby Conrad.

7) Sol Stein on Writing - Sol Stein. Sol and some of his friends set up the actors’ studio in New York. Sol was a publisher, editor, best-selling author and award winning lecturer on creative writing at American Universities. Famous authors came each year to attend his lectures. Sol was a friend of Barnaby Conrad.

8) Solutions for Novelists - The Secrets of a Master Editor by Sol Stein.

9) Characters Make Your Story - Maren Elwood, who was a renowned creative writing teacher.

10) Write the Short Short - Maren Elwood. An excellent book for those who wish to write short Stories. Some of the content in Maren Elwood’s book is dated, but there is so much useful information to make buying both copies worthwhile purchases.

I’m sure that many of you have read books on creative writing, and believe you know what you’re doing. For those of you that haven’t, I suggest you check the reviews on Amazon. You can buy cheap second hand copies for a few pounds.

We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master – Hemingway

Do you believe that inspiration is for amateurs?

I hope that helps.

Adrian Sroka.