Art and Life in Novel Writing
Classic and valuable archive. Misc pearls of utility, agent irritation points, plus takeaways on craft. Also, evil authors abound!
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AS II – Module 8 Book Reports "The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner (a great primer for this commercial program) 1. How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? This is the second time I’ve read this book. It should be the first book any writer reads on the craft of writing. It validated the areas of craft that I’ve been studying for the past eight-plus years. The book taught me that you have to know the rules of craft and master them before you can break them or create your own. 2. What two or three major lessons did you learn from the book that you can apply to your writing and/or your novel? a. The…
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1. The Art of Fiction, by John Gardner Invoking the power of the pen (keyboard), I will return to review this novel after the other three with a brief explanation for why I changed the order. 2. Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maas: I read the book years ago and reread it for this program. Key overall aspects I took to heart then (and now) include: I want to write a breakout novel, not a mid-list one, storytelling matters above all other considerations, word of mouth drives a breakout novel rather than marketing, and high stakes and gut emotional appeal are critical, especially when they escalate. Major lessons that I sort of learned years ago, an…
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THE ART OF FICTION, John Gardner How the book helped me as a writer: The copy I have is dated 1984, and it was interesting to see what I’d underlined in red, what my younger writer self found important. There were many great insights and to be reminded of things like not starting a sentence with an infinite verb phrase, were valuable. Gardner wrote, “The reader cannot understand or believe the change unless some clue is provided as to the reason for it.â€� And “moment by moment authenticating detail as the mainstay of fiction.â€� I find myself struggling as I revise, finding so many instances where I have not provided enough of a reason for one of my cha…
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"The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner Since honesty is what you’re seeking... At the time I read it, I remember feeling very annoyed with Gardner and got very little out of the first part of the book. However, now, as I flip through my copy, I’m struck by how much I highlighted and certain passages are connecting. “In all the major genres, vivid detail is the life blood of fiction.â€� And the writer “must create, stroke by stroke, powerfully convincing characters and settings; he must more and more clearly define for himself what his overall theme or idea is; and he must choose and aesthetically justify his genre and style.â€� I had to remind myself to remain i…
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Book Reports: Gardner The Art of Fiction taught me that there are no absolute rules when it comes to fiction. For example, a term used often with regard to creative writing instruction is “show don’t tellâ€�. For many beginning writers this is good advice especially if they are drowning in abstraction. However, for the art of fiction to be entirely void of exposition is disastrous, turning a novel into a screenplay. While these rules can be helpful tools, the writer has to assess them and use them fittingly. One vital lesson from this book is “What Fancy sends, the writer must order by Judgementâ€�. An author may discover a tantalizing plot point but if it is not …
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The Art of Fiction: I had the good fortune of drinking in some of the same bars Gardner frequented. I was an undergrad at SIU-Carbondale. Didn't know him. Or maybe I did. I drank a lot in those days, then went back to the dorm and had ponderous discussions about the meaning of everything. Maybe this is where this book came originated. I might have been there. I don't remember, but it makes a good story, particularly if one forgets that Gardner was a family man with young children and a national reputation following the publication of Grendel. Did I know him? Probably not. Did I sit in the dorm lounge, drinking crappy beer and pontificating about the virtues of clean writ…
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Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
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AS II, Module 8 -- Reviews of Books About Writing THE WRITING LIFE by Annie Dillard 1. How it helped me, overall aspects Annie Dillard's writing voice combines the practical with the artistic or whimsical, as solid advice mixes with poetic images. She relies heavily on her observations and impressions in her work, to the point where sometimes I wonder where her point lies. But there is no denying her power, the strength of her voice -- you hear it from the page. So I learned from her confident voice, her use of poetic images, and from her lessons about the discipline of putting fanny in seat and working every day, not relying on some muse to inspire me.…
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Books: The Art of Fiction Writing the Breakout Novel Write Away The Writing Life The first book I read out of these four was The Writing Life because I'd heard a great deal about it, and always enjoy looking through the window of another author's life. Did the book help me as an author? Not entirely, no, but Dillard's candidness about her journey as a writer with all of its struggles and procrastination was endearing and relatable. Her ability to set the scene when she goes in between topics is wonderfully crafted. Some lessons or advice I took away from this book were: 1) As a writer you climb a long ladder until you can see over the roof, or over the clouds. (I…
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AS II – Module 8 Book Reports "The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner (a great primer for this commercial program) 1. How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? This is the second time I’ve read this book. It should be the first book any writer reads on the craft of writing. It validated the areas of craft that I’ve been studying for the past eight-plus years. The book taught me that you have to know the rules of craft and master them before you can break them or create your own. 2. What two or three major lessons did you learn from the book that you can apply to your writing and/or your novel? a. The…
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Book Reports "The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner 1. I was surprised at how relevant this book was considering how long ago it was written, which is a testament to the truths of effective writing. Particularly, the science of sentence structure and rhythm was very interesting. I constantly say sentences out loud to see how they sound and look for rhyming distractions, but haven’t examined it as objectively before. 2. Three major lessons: a. “In serious fiction, the highest kind of suspense involves the Sartrian anguish of choice; that is, our suspenseful concern is not just what will happen but with the moral implications of action.â€� Fo…
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Also created in error! Sorry, please delete.
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Jen Prosser
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The Art of Fiction – Gardner 1. I found Gardner’s faults to avoid the most useful part of the book and have endeavored to remove or correct them in my manuscript when possible. 2. Three Major lessons a. “vivid and continuous fictional dreamâ€� – this is excellent advice to keep the reader enthralled, particularly applicable to the medical parts of my manuscript to ensure that it doesn’t become overwhelming and thus distracting to the reader b. Avoiding needless explanation and explanation instead of drama alone – this prompts me to show, not tell in the manuscript which will become a large part of the next revision c. “Frigidity towar…
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“The Art of Fictionâ€� A captivating work. He hits all the basses for young writers. I enjoyed reading it as a sort of checklist for me, But I could imagine reading it as a highschooler might be a little daunting I wasn’t really into writing. He focuses a lot on what the reader will think of what is on the page. These are very important points to hear for early writers, as they tend to only read/approach their work from their own pov, creating a disconnect with readers. As the title would suggest, he is very focused on the ART of writing. Which is true and important not to forget, but could also be argued that to succeed as a writer, one must comply to rules …
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WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL, by Donald Maass. I've had this book (and its companion book WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK) on my bookshelf since it was first published, as well as Maass's other craft books. I find them extremely helpful, but primarily in the way of editing pages once they're written; less so in the realm of helping me plan and execute a first draft. I've attended the Breakout Novel Intensive (BONI) workshop Maass gives twice. (BONI is based on this book and his more recent ones, particularly WRITING 21st CENTURY FICTION.) The exercises provide insight and help in making sure there is "tension on every page" and in crafting a compelling story. This b…
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Book reports The Art of Fiction by John Gardner How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? This was the last book I read out of the list, so much of it was review of what I had already read. I did learn a great deal from the chapters regarding common writing errors and technique. What two or three major lessons did you learn from the book that you can apply to your writing and/or your novel? 1. The use of active voice vs. passive voice. This may not be news to most writers, but it made me more aware of it in my writing. I had to change a few lines of dialogue because of it. 2. Not to begin sentences with inf…
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Write Away by: Elizabeth George I found the section of Character Analysis to be thought-provoking. I liked the concept of a Prompt Sheet and I plan to use this tool whenever I’m out traveling, stuck in a work meeting or maybe trapped at a family function I can’t escape. With this, I can quickly sketch out character frames that I can later return to, like a bank of possible characters to use in later stories. This tool is also very helpful to reference when getting in touch with a character’s voice. George’s chapter on voice was helpful because it reinforced the importance of setting and how the characters will speak as products of their environment and how they r…
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The Art of Fiction by John Gardner 1. How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? By mentioning writing errors and discussing solutions to them, Gardner’s book was extremely educational. Through the examples and exercises in Gardner’s book, I learned appropriate sentence structure and vocabulary building. I also found Gardner’s examples to be very helpful. At the beginning of his book, Gardner promotes reading well-written novels. He explains that this will improve a writer’s craft. This definitely provoked me to read classics I’ve never read. Reading those novels definitely improved my writing skills. 2. …
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Write Away: Overall, this text was useful for me, in that its balance between instruction and examples is well-composed. It is far easier to become immersed in the theory of the instruction with well-chosen examples of the applied practices, and the examples of dialogue were most eye-opening for me. On page 108, included is an example from For the Sake of Elena, in which you can see the use of animated characterization. The dialogue portrayed how seamlessly dialogue can develop character and character relationships, rather than contrived dialogue with flat character animation. Dialogue is what I struggle with most, generally, when I write fiction. On page 113, still…
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AS II / MODULE 8 BOOK REPORTS I). The Art of Fiction by John Gardner At first, it was very hard to read and absorb this book. Lots of inferences that I should have gone to college (or still attempt to) in order to write a decent narrative. Not happening. I stopped reading this until I got to AS II and forced myself to dive back in and got a lot more out of it this time around. What I found of interest: Genre crossing, using more than one genre (i.e. fantasy and historical romance) for your story idea. The common errors section became a valuable tool on what not to do. I referred to this section more than once while rewriting the first hundred pag…
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AS II, Module VIII Nordstrom, John, Prose That Reads Like Poetry The Art of Writing Book Reports Assignment Writing a novel is a Sisyphean task, where the finished novel inevitably rolls down the hill and crushes the writer just as he thinks he’s beaten Fate by producing something rather than nothing. Elizabeth George, Write Away. George’s two fundamental points about writing, that is, that story is character and that setting is story too strike me as right on and thus reinforce my own theory of writing. In Prose That Reads Like Poetry, character and setting can be both internal and exterior parameters that interact with each other to create a plo…
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"The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner (a great primer for this commercial program)
 1. How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? “ The first and last important rule for the creative writer, then I stat though there may be rules (formulas) for ordinary, easily publishable fiction - imitation fiction - there are no rules for real fiction, any more than there are rules for serious visual art or musical composition. Pg. 158. That line made me question a lot of things. With that said Gardner does later imply that you have to be a master to learn how to break those rules correctly. It was good reminder that Im still gree…
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Books on Technique Utilized in The Novel Writing Program â—¾"The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner (a great primer for this commercial program) â—¾"Writing the Breakout Novel" by Donald Maass (another good primer) â—¾"Write Away" by Elizabeth George (a no nonsense primer, and humorous) â—¾"The Writing Life" by Annie Dillard (a look at the struggle) ________________________________________________________________________________ As you've noted on the novel writing program website, the above books are listed as must reads for this program. And that can't be closer to the truth. Therefore, the purpose of this forum is to cajole you into taking what you'…
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Book Reports: The Art of Fiction by John Gardner This book has been aided me greatly in fleshing out a succinct plot, as well as promoting good writing practices. John Gardner really knows the great detail that goes into writing a believable plot with multidimensional characters and interactions. For that reason, my writing has flourished. The craft points he makes are spot on, and any novice or intermediate writer would be wise to take notice. The three lessons that I’ve learned from John Gardner include the importance of plotting, characterization, and good practices. His plotting advice is something I’ve referred to whenever I’ve gotten stuck on how scenes s…
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BOOK REPORTS: 1. How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? 2. What two or three major lessons did you learn from the book that you can apply to your writing and/or your novel? 3. Was there anything in the books that obviously conflicted with lessons and readings in our novel writing program. If so, what were they? THE ART OF FICTION, John Gardner
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