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!
108 topics in this forum
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Conflict should be at the very heart of every story you write. Its presence throughout your manuscript, or lack thereof, can literally make our break your ability to get published. Your main characters need internal conflict, they need conflict between themselves and other characters (more than just the conflict raised by the antagonist). There should also be conflict within the setting of your novel like a picturesque countryside that isn’t entirely what it seems, etc. etc. etc. Without conflict, or tension or raised stakes for the main characters, beginning with the first scene and ending with the resolution, stories meander, they are quiet and your readers get bor…
Last reply by KaraBosshardt, -
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A subject that often goes by the wayside until too late. People say, I write for myself, and it sounds so awful and so narcissistic, but in a sense if you know how to read your own work—that is, with the necessary critical distance—it makes you a better writer and editor. When I teach creative writing, I always speak about how you have to learn how to read your work; I don’t mean enjoy it because you wrote it. I mean, go away from it, and read it as though it is the first time you’ve ever seen it. - Elissa Schappell ____________ Twenty years, several novels, a room full of edited manuscripts, and hundreds of workshops late…
Last reply by Chief Editor M. Neff, -
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By Richard Curtis If you do something so horrendous as to provoke your agent to declare, "Life is too short," you'd better start looking for someone else to handle your work. It means you have tried his or her patience beyond its limit. You're a walking dead author. We recently described good timing as one of the most important virtues a literary agent can bring to the job. There's another that most good agents possess, and that's patience. If timing is the art of "when to," patience is the art of "when not to." Unfortunately, that often means when not to knock my head against a wall, wring an author's throat, or hop in a taxi, race over to a publisher's office…
Last reply by Chief Editor M. Neff, -
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Since you asked... Nearly everyone has the potential to write a breakout novel and go on to become a successful commercial author, but precious few finally accomplish the task. Do we know why this is the rule? Writer conferences, author workshops, books, ms editors, and even the most pointless of MFA programs play a part in a writer's evolution, but none of these provide the overall pragmatic means and method to finish the job (and quite often, not even to start it). If this were not the case, an imaginative and ambitious writer would only have to attend an MFA program at Iowa, for example, and become a published author in due course. But this rarely if ever hap…
Last reply by Chief Editor M. Neff, -
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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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Also created in error! Sorry, please delete.
Last reply by EvadneMacedo, -
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The Writing Life – Annie Dillard HOW DID THE BOOK HELP YOU AS A WRITER? WHAT OVERALL ASPECTS OF IT TAUGHT YOU SOMETHING? This book helped me connect with the pure beauty of the word, and the wonder I felt at the beginning of writing novels when I realized that setting my own vision down could make me feel something so powerful. I just loved the sentiment in this writing guide, which is epitomized by this statement: "The line of words fingers your own heart" (p. 20). WHAT 2-3 MAJOR LESSONS DID YOU LEARN FROM THE BOOK THAT YOU CAN APPLY TO YOUR WRITING AND/OR YOUR NOVEL? 1. How to use metaphor in writing non-fiction. This style has influenced my writing o…
Last reply by EvadneMacedo, -
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Books on Technique Utilized in The Novel Writing Program 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? Don’t write what you know, rather write the kind of story you know and like best. Of course this reinforces the notion that the writer MUST know the genre s/he chooses to write. 2. What two or three major lessons did you learn from the book that you can apply to your writing and/or your novel? The first is about authenticating detail. Even in fantasy what the character says or does must fit their nature. The nagging wife turned sweet and gentle is a good example. Did she he…
Last reply by RitaMoore, -
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? I have to say when I started to read it, for a moment I was not liking John Gardner's tone. For me, a little too pompous. But, I agree with what him in that a writer needs to work on his craft to get even better, even if you are born with the talent. The book helped me have a better understanding on the overall craft of writing and the dedication one must put to really become one of the bests. I also learned by his examples proper way of tackling different ways of expressing oneself as a writer. …
Last reply by Lafayette A. Villada, -
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Writing Hacks. Are they helpful or hurtful? I, for one, have never cared for the word hack in this instance because it makes it sound like you are potentially BS-ing your way through your writing goals, thus leaving your integrity at the door. I’ve also never really understood the entire “hacking” trend because in so many instances they are just using the word hack in place of the words tip or advice. However, with all that being said, we’ll say that hacking is a good thing for our purposes today because it helped me find some new techniques for novel writing that I couldn’t have found any other way. So, here are my top five writing “hacks” for the week (the titles are pr…
Last reply by KaraBosshardt, -
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When it comes to my all-time favorite fictional character it will always and forever be Andrew Wiggins, better known as Ender. I have loved fictional stories ever since I could read. I especially love fantasy and sci-fi. However, I had never really connected with a main character very deeply in a novel until I read Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, when I was in the latter part of Junior High school. I have since read that story multiple times and my 14-year-old self connects just as deeply every time. Every author’s dream, right, to have their stories cherished for decades? But why did I completely fall in love with this particular character? I was a teenage girl w…
Last reply by KaraBosshardt, -
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In reading these four texts, I found myself marvelling at Annie Dillard's descriptive powers, John Gardner's analysis of the fundamental tasks required in writing fiction, Elizabeth George's practical advice, and Donald Maass's acute understanding of the different types of novels and where they should be sold in the marketplace. I know I will return to these books again and again. Here are some of the first lessons I've acquired. Annie Dillard It is immediately evident why Annie Dillard's nature writing received such acclaim, because when she turns her naturalist's eye to the life of the writer, it is as if she turned up the lens on the microscope on the writ…
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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…
Last reply by GMBrowning, -
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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 …
Last reply by Geoffrey_Storm, -
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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…
Last reply by BillDoughertywrites, -
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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…
Last reply by HollyDucarte, -
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Truthful, authentic, honest. All these words mean roughly the same thing, but in this case, I’ve chosen these words to describe writers and the stories they create. I’m sure you’ve all heard phrases such as “find your own authentic voice,” or “write your truth,” or “be true to your craft.” Or even “be honest with your readers.” I realize that these phrases are ambiguous at best and are usually tossed around at writing conferences to make a speaker sound like they know what they are talking about. So…what am I getting at? To be honest in what you are writing, or to be truthful in the story that you create means showing a side of yourself that you may not want to. To b…
Last reply by KaraBosshardt, -
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By Chris Stewart As someone who organizes readings and a large literary arts festival with workshops, author appearances, and exhibitors, I have developed a list of writers who I will not work with again. And rest assured, I’m not the only one who does this. Why? Because they didn’t follow directions. It’s that simple. Who's on it? Writers who acted like the organizer/staff were their personal assistant/manager. Take note of the following ways to avoid this blacklist and be a true professional! KNOW YOUR OWN SCHEDULE Double booking is such a big no-no we can’t believe you’re not aware of this already yourself. Whatever you have to do to make sure you …
Last reply by Chief Editor M. Neff, -
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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 This book challenged me on two levels: an abstract/theoretical level and a more concrete “craftâ€� level. As difficult as it is to apply theory sometimes, it is good to pull yourself away from your work and try to look at it from afar. The “common errorsâ€� section …
Last reply by J.T. Brown, -
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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. …
Last reply by JaneIgharo, -
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WRITE AWAY, By Elizabeth George “The art of writing is what you get to do once you become familiar with the craft.â€� The promise in these words by Elizabeth George in the preface of her book, WRITE AWAY, caught my early attention. For me, this is the most important message of her work: talent and passion (obvious plusses in the act of writing a novel) can better thrive once they’re in a framework established ahead of gametime. She strikes down the pervasive notion that writing a novel has to be an experience rooted in artistic suffering and instead shows that the worries over block, direction, and feeling at sea can be lifted through pre-considerations and pl…
Last reply by JanetZupan, -
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…
Last reply by Jen, -
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Jody Flosi AS BOOK REPORTS THE ART OF FICTION by John Gardner How did the book help you as a writer? What aspects of it taught you something? The most interesting knowledge I gained from Gardner's tome of wisdom was an historical overview of the use of point of view in novels. I'm paying closer attention to POV in my current novel, thanks to the AS modules. More knowledge on this malleable tool was nice. I do wish he had been more organized in his presentation of the topic. I will go back, some afternoon when I need a break from my story, and create a timeline for myself from his ramblings, very nice ramblings, for the most part. I wish I could sit in his classr…
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Gardner I first read Gardner many years ago, when I knew I wanted to be a writer but did not know what kind. Gardner was one of the books that convinced me to write non-fiction. So, here I am. It is still relevant, still intimidating, but either I am wiser and more worldly now than I was at 25, or more likely, I just have an itch that needs scratching. I find that keeping in mind his idea of fiction as a vivid continuous dream helps reveal unnecessary details or intrusions. His schematic approach to plot and other aspects of construction are also useful rubrics, though I admit I found them laughable at first. His advice to always keep in mind the impact of the story on…
Last reply by Jonathan Adams, -
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"The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner (a great primer for this commercial program) How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? The name itself - not that I realized it at first, but it came to me eventually. Fiction is art. I thought of it as words on a page. If you put them together right, you communicated what you meant. In my new way of thinking of fiction, I have a deeper understanding of the things I already know: the need to paint the scene, choreograph the movements of not only characters but objects, to feel, touch, and smell everything in the scene. I think I recognize more mistakes in my own writing. What two or t…
Last reply by KarenRandau,
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