My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Soho Press for an advanced copy of this book on the writing craft.

In Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts, Matt Bell an author whose works crosses over many different genres and writing styles, and who also teaches creative writing at the university level has written probably one of the most helpful and more importantly encouraging writing books that has come in quite a while. Mr. Bell breaks the writing process in his book into three steps. First get your ideas down, don't worry about the style the narrator even the plot, this as you go will all change. Second, go back and revise what you have, by outlining or listing what you have, and deciding if what you have is right. Change the order, maybe change the point of view, add or delete characters. Finally, polishing what you have, and revising where needed and even more where you don't think it is needed.

The writing for the book, is loose, conversational and never drags. Not really a class, nor a TED speech, more like a mentor sitting back and going, ok show me what you have. Mr. Bell uses many examples from his own writing, and shares his and other authors anecdotes in a way that shows a lesson, rather than beating the reader on the head with it. Mr. Bell is very encouraging, and wants to make the reader not just a good writer, but happy with their work. Mr. Bell stresses the work involved, has many good suggestions, promises that it won't be east, but the reward is really worth it.

This is a very easy book to recommend. For a slim title, there are many good suggestions and ideas, and practical honest advice. Positive advice for that matter. A nice gift for the friend you know has always wanted to try to write not the great American novel, but something for themselves, that is both encouraging and useful.

Refuse to Be Done is, above all, a generous book – it draws not only on the author’s extensive experience, but shares the insights and wisdom of other writers from a range of genres and styles and actively encourages the reader to seek out other books on the writing and editing craft. And this all happens right from the get go – in the epigraph, Bell quotes Karen Russell, American novelist and short story writer whose debut novel, Swamplandia!, was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize: “Writing a novel is kind of like scaling Mt Everest and passing by your own bones on the way”.

Bell gets it; he understands the uniquely personal aspects of writing and editing, and he prefaces his own advice with a caveat. This book is not to turn you into the kind of novelist he is (which, to be honest, wouldn’t be a bad thing…), but to “help you become more yourself, on the page and throughout your process…to serve you and your book.”

The core underlying belief of this book is that “rewriting and revision necessarily occur at every stage of the process”. The book itself is organised into three parts to match these key stages, what Bell terms ‘the three drafts’.. Each of these parts guides the writer on how to approach these drafts using tip, tricks, hacks, and examples from a wide selection of novels. To bolster the guidance, Bell also provides a wonderful selection of other writing craft books and sites to explore.

A motivational and practical guide for anyone trying to write and edit the best version of their novel.

The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it isn't out yet so I can't recommend and send it to all the writers in my life. This is an essential resource for people who are embarking upon writing a novel for the first time, revising for the 12th time, or writing a first or 10th book. It's accessible and thorough, but like any craft book, you can take what seems useful and leave the rest. I will probably revisit it again and again.

A great, highly readable, and incredibly helpful book on the craft of writing. I’ve never seen revision taught this way and I will be rereading this book in the future. Highly recommend

I have been reading Matt’s newsletter for a while and was excited to get his insights in a larger format. Refuse To Be Done did not disappoint. I finished, wishing it was longer.
If you write your first novel, this is a perfect book to start. But Bell has many tips, references, inspirations, and exercises, which make the book worth reading beyond the beginning stage of writing. Calling Bell an avid reader is an understatement. Refuse To Be Done is full of references and suggestions on what to read if you need to know more about certain topics. I had a whole list when I was done.

The first part acknowledges in an encouraging way how hard the writing process is. Bell’s advice to be mindful about one’s energy and motivation would have helped me a lot when I started to write my first novel.

The second part — the first fundamental revision of the novel — is a bit short for my liking. Especially since Bell points out how crucial this phase is — it’s where the book happens. I would like to have more advice for the process between the first wild crazy ideas and the polished fine tuning that is discussed in the last section.

The third part, the real Refuse-To-Be-Done phase, offers many helpful approaches on getting a fresh perspective on your novel and on how to push to make it even better.

Refuse To Be Done provides an excellent overview over the steps it takes to write a novel. Even though there are lots of books about writing on the market, this book fills a void in regards to taking a systematic approach to describe the entire process.
I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to improve their craft of writing.

This was such an excellent craft book, presenting the process of writing and revising in ways that I hadn't heard of/read about before. I love Matt Bell's newsletter and was so happy to get an arc of this! It's already helped my writing in so many ways; I know this is one I'll return to time and time again.

Matt Bell is the author of successful novels, including his recently released novel, Apple Seed. This book on writing craft, Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts, would be a great companion guide for students, teachers, or professional writers. It is divided into three sections which correspond to the recommended drafts of the novel. I particularly enjoyed the tips in the last section, and found the explanations for “eliminating weasel words” pulling up your widows” to be things that I could immediately apply to my own writing process.

An excellent addition to the writing craft canon. A recommended purchase for collections where similar titles are popular. HS crossover potentials for schools with strong creative writing programs.

Revision; for some authors, the worst, for other authors, easy!
Like any "how to" book for writers of fiction (I feel like even non-fiction writers would benefit from this book), it's up to the reader to determine if this will work or not.
A really interesting take on revision, and if you're still struggling with the how to revise, or the "I loathe" revision mind chatter, this could possibly help you.
Just like the perfect "chocolate chip cookie recipe" - "how to" books for authors have so many variations - and often it's frustrating because the advice/direction often contradicts a book previously read. The trick is trying all "recipes" until you find one that suits your needs/tastes.