This book talks about how to plan, write and revise a novel. It describes the sensibility and art required, and it conveys concrete, practical elements of craft. It details how to structure the novel, choose the characters, drive the story, diagnose narrative ailments, and find and apply specific remedies. McCormack is constructive at every level--from individual word choice, up to the over-arching total effect of the novel. Included in full are the author's often-excerpted attack on the notion of "theme" and his innovative analysis of the act of art itself.