![]() ![]() ![]() Gardner laments that works of literature taught in many writing classes are “lesser” works of fiction, often chosen because they demonstrate a certain element of writing (“theme” for example), but frequently are missing good storytelling.Without rehashing the whole book, here are a few things that struck me: He is able to describe particular fiction-writing approaches and clearly articulate why they work or don’t work, while acknowledging that rules don’t always hold: “Whatever works is good.” I learned what I need to consider in writing fiction-some new concepts, some things I might be doing poorly, some opportunities to enhance the impact of my writing. The Goodįirst, let’s stipulate that Gardner knows what he’s talking about. The book is structured into two parts: the first with four essay-like chapters on “theory” and the second with three practical chapters: Common Errors, Technique and Plotting. It felt like a huge accomplishment just to finish it. Whereas Stephen King’s On Writing took me a mere few hours over the course of two days to read, this book took me the entire month of February. ![]() As fiction writing is still fairly new to me (though I would hardly call myself “young”), I eagerly ordered it. ![]() Recently a workshop instructor recommended John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers. ![]()
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