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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Your Brain on ChatGPT: Cognitive Debt When Using AI for Essay Writing Excerpts as follows: " A total of 54 participants took part in Sessions 1-3, with 18 completing session 4. We used electroencephalography (EEG) to assess cognitive load during essay writing, and analyzed essays using NLP, as well as scoring essays with the help from human teachers and an AI judge." "Cognitive activity scaled down in relation to external tool use. In session 4, LLM-to-Brain participants showed reduced alpha and beta connectivity, indicating under-engagement." "Self-reported ownership of essays was the lowest in the LLM group and the highest in the Brain…
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Robert Pfaff, Shrunken Heads, Book Reports Book Reports: The Art of Fiction (Gardener) 1. I have loved John Gardener since I read Grendel in high school. He validated my instincts. For example, I like to break the rules but have always believed that you have to master the rules before you can break them well. Learning a musical instrument or a foreign language teaches you the same idea. You must understand and appreciate structure before you can manipulate it. 11. 1) He debunks certain myths like “Write what you know.â€� It’s a good departure point for a first book, and my first book is a memoir. But I prefer to write about topics that inspire me to learn…
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Book Reports Connie Whitmer WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL Donald Maass I found Donald Maass’s book empowering, and invaluable as a writing craft reference, in general, and for my project in particular. “If I write an amazing story, well – they will come!â€� His advice improved every paragraph, page and chapter, knowing what to cut, and what to leave in. And affirmed the passion I feel for the importance of my story, and my need to tell it. And, most exciting, he reaffirmed exactly what I am trying to do. “To write a Break out Novel is to run free of the pack – To go beyond what has been done before - delve deeper, more original, unexplored realm…
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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…
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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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Have you ever had a hard time figuring out what genre your story fits into? Or, maybe you know the genre of your story, but you don’t know how to structure it. Perhaps your book keeps switching from one genre to the next depending on which chapter you’re writing. If genre is feeling a bit hazy for you, or if you just want to understand it better then this week’s picks are for you: #1: Tinker, Tailor, Wizard, Spy: The Joys (And Dangers) of Blending Genre Elements W.L. Goodwater states, “When readers browse the genre shelves at the bookstore, they are looking to sign a contract with the writer: I, the undersigned, will purchase and read this book, but only under t…
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The Art of Fiction, by John Gardner 1. One of the major lessons I learned from Gardner’s work was that all questions I raise within a text, I must answer. Otherwise, it leaves the reader feeling dissatisfied. Upon reflection, I discovered that all of my favorite works follow this guideline.They wrap up every individual character’s storyline and identify any unknowns/solve any mysteries by the end of the story. For example, in Les Miz Hugo wraps up the storyline for not only Valjean, but for Cossette, Marius, Javert, Eponene, Gavroche, and even the Master and his wife. They don’t all have happy ends, but they all have definitive conclusions to their stories. …
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Creating your author’s platform can be both exhilarating and nerve-wracking, and for good reason. There’s lots to worry about. What do I say about myself? What photo of me looks the best? What if I’m nowhere near close to being published? Do I start with a website first, or a presence on social media? Rest assured that all these questions, and more, get answered in my top picks of the week: #1: Your Author Platform – Is it Ever too Soon to Start? The short answer is no. It is never too soon to start and I’ll let Karen Cioffi explain why. #2: Do I Need a Platform and If So, How High? Are you an expert on what you’re writing about? This article gives tip…
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Books on Fiction Writing Utilized in the Algonkian Novel Writing Program "The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner (a great primer for this commercial program) "Writing the Breakout Novel" by Donald Maass (another good primer) "Write Away" by Elizabeth George (a no nonsense primer, and humorous) "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. Therefore, the purpose of this forum is to nudge you into taking what you've learned from these …
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Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
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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…
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Also created in error! Sorry, please delete.
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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…
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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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“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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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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WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL by Donald Maass How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? Each chapter breaks down a key element of the breakout novel. Essentially Maass offers an outline, followed by straight-forward detail, to writing a publishable novel. The book is simple and isn’t cluttered with poetic rhetoric just for poetry’s sake. In other words, Maass’ writing isn’t bogged down in fancy wordplay; instead he uses his time to clearly articulate what young writers need to know. If the writing of the breakout novel were a pool, I felt this book was the diving board. He asks the reader a lot of quest…
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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…
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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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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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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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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…
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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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"The Writing Life" by Annie Dillard (a look at the struggle) How did the book help you as a writer? What overall aspects of it taught you something? It helped me to trust your assignment to rewrite my opening 5000 words in third person. (She is brutal in “killing all her darlings.â€� The beginning of my book was the oldest part and containing the original idea—I had started it seven years ago, then it lay buried during many hard years. I was overly attached to it as it was. I don’t know if I’ll keep it in third person but the whole enterprise liberated me from what I had written and it is much improved because of it. Annie’s ruthless approach to this was…
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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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