I've read a fair few books on writing fiction, but this one is probably the best. Dorothea Brande's "Becoming A Writer" tells you how to think like a writer; this book explains how to write like a writer.

I thought I knew the bones of writing technique already, but this book contains so many insights that I often felt it necessary to break off reading in order to consider fully what I'd just read - not because the writing is not clear and easy to read, but because the points the author makes are so momentous.

Many writing guides talk in generalities or talk down to the reader, but this one isn't like that. Just one word of warning - I think the best of the book is in the middle and end, so don't be too impatient when reading the introductory chapters.

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Product Description

Explains effective use of structure and pacing, and offers advice for creating realistic dialogue, plot, and characters.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26089 in Books
• Published on: 1997-03-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 209 pages

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Customer Reviews

Excellent, intelligent guide
I've read a fair few books on writing fiction, but this one is probably the best. Dorothea Brande's "Becoming A Writer" tells you how to think like a writer; this book explains how to write like a writer.

I thought I knew the bones of writing technique already, but this book contains so many insights that I often felt it necessary to break off reading in order to consider fully what I'd just read - not because the writing is not clear and easy to read, but because the points the author makes are so momentous.

Many writing guides talk in generalities or talk down to the reader, but this one isn't like that. Just one word of warning - I think the best of the book is in the middle and end, so don't be too impatient when reading the introductory chapters.

Simply the best of its class.
As an MFA student I've been looking at a lot of books about how to write fiction, and very few of them do anything other than encourage you to keep writing. This book teaches you how to write a short story, and encourages you to write a =better= short story (without imposing its own definition of "better"). It is the only "how-to" book in fiction that I have found that I can recommend, and I use it in my own teaching.

Gets better and better as you read it...
Damon Knight's Creating Short Fiction is rooted firmly in the world of commercial fiction and it contains a number of techniques and exercises that would help the beginning writer

I did have an immediate inclination to dismiss some of the exercises as disappointingly formulaic, particularly on the basis of the first part of the book which reads like a "you too can be a writer" advertisement. However, once section one is out of the way the book got better and better with some great sections - for example a line by line analysis of one of the author's own stories, where he shows what he was trying to achieve throughout the text which was fascinating, and a really good section on Point of View.