Refuse to Be Done

How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts

By: Matt Bell

Narrated by: Matthew Boston

They say writing is rewriting. So why does the second part get such short shrift? Refuse to Be Done will guide you through every step of the novel writing process, from getting started on those first pages to the last tips for making your final draft even tighter and stronger.

From lauded writer and teacher Matt Bell, Refuse to Be Done is encouraging and intensely practical, focusing always on specific rewriting tasks, techniques, and activities for every stage of the process. You won't find bromides here about the "the writing Muse." Instead, Bell breaks down the writing process in three sections. In the first, Bell shares a bounty of tactics, all meant to push you through the initial conception and get words on the page. The second focuses on reworking the narrative through outlining, modeling, and rewriting. The third and final section offers a layered approach to polishing through a checklist of operations, breaking the daunting project of final revisions into many small, achievable tasks.

Whether you are a first time novelist or a veteran writer, you will find an abundance of strategies here to help motivate you and shake up your revision process, allowing you to approach your work, day after day and month after month, with fresh eyes and sharp new tools.

©2022 Matt Bell (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Structure

This book was great in helping me structure my book writing. Great ideas in improving your writing.

Short but worth the credit!

I will definitely listen again and probably again. It's shortness is good as some writing guides get bogged down. Everything here was useful and to the point. It provides a realistic look at how each draft process might look. It comforted me to know how okay it was to have a crazy messy first draft. Highly recommend!

Better Thank I Expected

As an established writer, I was surprised to learn techniques I had not heard before. I have bookmarked this to use as I edit my WIP when the time comes.

I was really surprised because so many advice books for writers hold the same information. Not this one!

Excellent resource

The only problem is the narration. I had to slow it down to .8 and still it was hard to catch certain things until afterward. He jumps so quickly into what you can tell are subheadings that he makes them part of the sentences that precede them.

It did give me several techniques I’ve put to good use.

My only other complaint is that it’s a little scattered. Like a million ideas from notecards, just listed off at high speed with no real organization.

Still I learned a good bit.

many great tips

really great break down on writing, really enjoyed the ideas here and learned a lot