First published by Text Publishing, 1 March 2022

— Age

‘[Simsion’s] tone is encouraging, and he shares fragments from early stages of his own development process, which demonstrate how much these ideas can grow and change over time for any writer…This book would best serve those who might already feel comfortable with the creative elements of writing—generating ideas, crafting sentences—but who are looking for direction on structure, or on time management when approaching a longer project. Possibly the neatest thing The Novel Project achieves, by the end, is making writing a novel seem—if not easy, or fast—achievable.’

— Kill Your Darlings

‘If you’re one of the many people wondering if they have a novel in them, but feeling overwhelmed by the process, then Graeme Simsion has written the book for you. The author of the internationally bestselling Rosie trilogy will lead you step-by-step through it…[The Novel Project] is uplifting and encouraging.’

— ArtsHub

‘Eminently absorbing, encouraging and inspiring for the novice…Simsion is sometimes disarmingly candid about discovering what worked and didn’t work for him…[He] says the writer must move from seeing creativity as unpredictable magic to seeing it as an aspect of thinking that can be managed, if not always summoned at will, and he has practical suggestions for summoning it.’

— Jane Sullivan, Age

‘Simsion takes pains to ensure that the reader is on the path to success, explaining the theory behind some of the more popular structures of writing…Overall, this is a helpful, clear and effective guide to the writing process.’

— NZ Booklovers

THE NOVEL PROJECT

‘Writing is easy: all you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.’ That’s one way to do it. But you risk finding yourself blocked and directionless, with a manuscript that may never be finished staring back at you.

This book is about another approach, based on established theories of creativity and design—and on the experience of authors who have adopted a more structured and reliable process. It could have been called What They Don’t Teach You in Writing School because, rather than focusing on prose, it covers the entire writing process, from premise to proofreading, as a step-by-step project.

Instead of waiting for the blood, you’ll approach each day with clarity and purpose, progressing steadily toward the best book you’re capable of. Easy to follow, practical and highly entertaining, The Novel Project is a masterclass from an author who started his writing career at fifty and whose novels have sold millions of copies around the world.

‘The Novel Project came out of a situation I’d experienced back in my data modelling days: giving the same information and advice over and over to classes and mentees and casual enquirers. I figured it made sense to get it down in a book, so I could give it to the interrogator and we could continue our dinner without it turning into a lecture on writing. I think what makes the book different from most of what’s out there is that it treats the writing process as a project that you can break down into more manageable steps. Because I think the biggest problem that new writers face is the sheer scale of a novel: you may be able to write two thousand words, just as you may be able to tell a five-minute story in the pub. But eighty thousand words and a story that’d take hours to tell is a different proposition.’

— GCS