Product Description
Classic book on writing. ... Read more

Product Description
Classic book on writing. ... Read more

Product Description
Classic book on writing. ... Read more

Product Description
Classic book on writing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

so useful
this is a great little tool to have for aspiring bands and/or songwriters; A friend and I depend on it to catalogue/ organize our songs; there are chord boxes to draw in the chord, lines for lyrics, place for song title; repeat measure, etc. (Of course you can see for yourself with the search inside tool on Amazon); My only complaint is that for me the lines/ space alotted for lyrics is too short(but I tend to write lengthly lyrics); For others the space provided is probably enough; And this isn't a complaint on my part, as I don't write the guitar parts usually, but others may wish there were spaces for tablature; There is good quotes throughout; It's a small paperback, but we haven't used it all yet(2 pages per song). I wish they would combine some of the aspects of the guitar version and it would be perfect; People at Amazon you really need to sell this book; I'd buy another but since it's from other sellers it's more costly and you don't get free super saver shipping; Which you really do need b/c I wouldn't pay more than $13 total for this book; Don't bother paying more or you may be dissapointed. ... Read more

Product Description
Classic book on writing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Do Not Buy the General Books Edition!
Very good book -- but the edition published by General Books is sloppily put together, unformatted, missing large chunks of text, contains garbled and nonsense words. Buy a different edition!

What a great read!
I bought this with "Q's" On the Art of Reading.I'm halfway through this one and can't wait to start the other one.I'm constantly going back to review my old Latin/Greek HS and university readings and have enjoyed the process immensely.

On the Art of Writing
This book is a classic on the subject of writing.It was a favorite of Helene Hanff, author of 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. In a third book, Q's Legacy, she relates how studying this book became the core of her writing education.She found Q to be both articulate and humorous.I find I agree.

The Book that Inspired Helene Hanff's Charing Cross
This slender volume is the book that began Helene Hanff's journey -- a path that led eventually to her writing the 84, CHARING CROSS ROAD series. Because I loved her books, I wondered what the master who taught her might have had to say. All I knew of him was what I had learned through Ms. Hanff.

This series of lectures, delivered in England more than nine decades ago, sparkles with a dry wit that is utterly endearing. No wonder his students loved him. Still, for someone who is the product of a late-20th century education, I must admit I was appalled by my ignorance of the classical references he made, expecting that his students would follow them with ease. Not a light-weight book, despite its compact size.

His challenge to his students, put forth in the first lecture, was to become a person [he said a man, but the statement applies to all of us] "of unmistakable intellectual breeding, whose trained judgment we can trust to choose the better and reject the worse." Not a bad goal for anyone, is it?

A word of warning. He quotes in Greek here and there -- and does not translate it, since all his students were expected to understand that language. Ditto Latin.

If you can manage only two chapters, try the first "Inaugural" and the last "On Style." ... Read more

Product Description
A treasure-trove of scene-writing wisdom from award-winning author and teacher Sandra Scofield

To write a good scene, you have to know the following:
• Every scene has an EVENT
• Every scene has a FUNCTION in the narrative
• Every scene has a STRUCTURE: a beginning, middle, and end
• Every scene has a PULSE

The Scene Book is a fundamental guide to crafting more effective scenes in fiction. In clear, simple language, Sandra Scofield shows both the beginner and the seasoned writer how to build better scenes, the underpinning of any good narrative. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

This book is about VIGNETTES NOT SCENES!
I read this book several months ago when I was looking for help in writing taut, exciting scenes.This book is about writing pretty word passages, with little regard for propelling your plot forward.It DOES NOT DISCUSS topics such as Goal, Motivation or Conflict.Pretty word painting DOES NOT MAKE A SCENE that ADVANCES your story.And, THAT is what you are concerned about as a writer.You want to create a series of scenes that link together and make a tight story that keeps YOUR reader turning the pages!There are some really wonderful books out there that will help you.This is NOT one of those books.

Making a scene
Only 18 pages in and I'm alreadyglad I bought the book. Don't skip the exercises!

AH-HA MOMENT!
I had Sandra Scofield as an instructor for a week-long writing workshop at Iowa one summer. In class, she was absolutely a no-nonsense kind of teacher and got right to the heart of the matter. So does her book. Not one sentence is unnecessary. The book is filled with useful information about crafting scenes, which are themselves tiny stories with a beginning, middle and end. (Fractals come to mind.) I had an ah-ha moment when reading this book and was almost immediately inspired to pick up my short story writing again, after letting it lay dormant for nearly three years. I'm so excited to write again. I see a path and a new way to let my stories unfold. Mostly, I'm so grateful to Sandra for this book and for all of her work putting it together.

A Must-Have for the Would-Be Writer
Ever wondered why some scenes work and others don't? Why readers think "nothing happened" during a scene, even though there's plenty of activity? Scofield answers those questions and more. Instead of focusing on issues like grammar or style, she demonstrates the real function of a scene within a story and the questions it must answer in order to be effective.

This is, by far, the most useful book I've read in a long, long time, and it's a must-have for the would-be writer.

Excellent resource
This book provides excellent guidelines for keeping your writing fresh and moving along. It breaks down the mystery of keeping the reader in the moment and gives you exersize to put each idea into practice. If you are looking to make your writing more vivid or how to keep the reader in the moment with you. Then this is your book. ... Read more

Product Description
Wallace Stegner founded the acclaimed Stanford Writing Program-a program whose alumni include such literary luminaries as Larry McMurtry, Robert Stone, and Raymond Carver. Here Lynn Stegner brings together eight of Stegner's previously uncollectedessays-including four never-before-published pieces -on writing fiction and teaching creative writing. In this unique collection he addresses every aspect of fiction writing-from the writer's vision to his or her audience, from the use of symbolism to swear words, from the mystery of the creative process to the recognizable truth it seeks finally to reveal. His insights will benefit anyone interested in writing fiction or exploring ideas about fiction's role in the broader culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

on teaching and writing fiction
It's good. I knew that when I ordered it.Video review?You guys have got to be kidding...get a grip.

Full of good advice.

This is a thin volume on writing (more than teaching) fiction from a great American author and someone who helped pioneer the modern fiction workshop by running the Stanford creative writing department for many years. This book probably won't help beginning writers as much as other how-to books on fiction writing. The chapter with the most practical advice on mechanics is only four pages long, with much of the advice simply listed whereas other writing books might spend entire chapters on each point. But these are things that anyone would learn in any beginning fiction class, and Stegner concerns himself with larger issues. Among those, how to deal with the pressures of publication, questions of audience, point-of-view, and putting what is said before how it is said. There's a lot of wisdom packed into this small book. You'll find yourself using your highlighter often.

Lessons from a True Teacher
Wallace Stegner was known during his lifetime as one of the greatest teachers of creative writing.As the founder of the creative writing graduate program at Stanford, he taught some of today's best known writers.This slim volume compiles some of his essays and interviews that illuminate his views about what it takes to be a fiction writer - and what it takes to instruct one.The book, however, is probably more useful to aspiring fiction writers than to teachers.

"Fiction: A Lens on Life" offers Stegner's philosophy about what serious fiction should aim to be."Creative Writing" discusses the use of language, insight, sensory description, layered significance, and point of view - all supported with examples from literature. In"On the Teaching of Creative Writing",the reader is treated to a lively interview conducted at Dartmouth College when Stegner was in residence as a Montgomery Fellow."To a Young Writer" is perhaps the least interesting of the group - a somewhat condescending "letter" about what fiction writers must face in a hostile world.The most practical chapter is "A Note on Technique", four pages of basic rules that a fiction writer would do well to master.

While this book cannot be called a true how-to book, the lessons it offers are well worth considering for those who are, or who hope to be, in the writing profession.

Remarkable
Simple. Elegant. Potent. This thin paperback is a Master-Class on the Creative Writer. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author harnesses both his Socratic teaching philosophy and his obvious understanding of the literary modus operandi to pass on his knowledge of what the creative writer is and, more importantly, what he or she does on the page. From caveats of the craft to criticism of critics and on to methods of cultivating one's own potential as an Artist, this collection of essays and letters is, at the same time, a love letter to creative writing, an invaluable guide to those new to the art form, an informative advisory to those looking to teach it, and a humbling reminder of the essential tools needed for those craftsmen and craftswomen already sawing, nailing, and sanding their own literary projects.

Many thanks to Lynn Stegner for taking the time needed to compile and publish the collection and, of course, many thanks to Mr. Stegner himself for having taken the time to compose it in the first place.

And to any and everyone who picks up a copy...enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
If you read or write science fiction, here is the best introduction tothe secrets, the craft, and the art of science fiction.Included are thirteen classic works of modern sf; wondrous stories by Alfred Bester, Philip K. Dick, Jack Vance, Frederick Pohl, and many others.If you love science fiction, read how a young fan grew up to become one of the most honored masters in the history of the field, as told in his own words. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

finding jack vance novella - thr new prime
i searched for years to find thiswork. found it was included in silverberg's text :science fiction 101. ordered, received and was very pleased with the item which was in top shape. would do business again with this supplier.

Big Disappointment
I rarely give really bad reviews, but this guy deserves it.He had no business calling his book Science Fiction 101 or anything else 101.He didn't teach anything.This is nothing but a brag book for him.And it's a shame to deceive people who want to learn how to write into spending their money on a book like this.I understand that he is thrilled to death that he "made it," and I commend him for it, but although he obviously can write well enough to get published, he is no teacher.

I urge those who want to learn to write science fiction, or any other type of fiction, to get James N. Frey's books, How to Write a Damn Good Novel, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II and How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, especially if you can only afford to buy a few books.I have read a number of books on writing, and while some of the others are quite good, I have found none better, and I think if you have these three, you won't need any others.He tells you plainly and simply exactly what you need to do.I've seen other books called writers' bibles, but Frey's books really are what the others say they are.If you don't believe me, check out the high praise he has gotten from other published authors.

Wonderful Collection
This is a superb collection of some of the finest short works of science fiction.

Some of my favorite stories are included here:

"Fondly Fahrenheit," Bester, one of science fiction's most beautiful examples of rhythm and poetic styling.

"Hothouse," Aldiss, an example of a future Earth that will fill you with awe.

"Day Million," Pohl, the classic boy-meets-girl story of the distant future.

The others are good as well, but the above tales are worth the price of the book alone. Add in Silverberg's commentary, and you've got a treasure-trove.

Lessons from a Master
As the blurb on the book says, there really is something for any science fiction fan in here. You may choose to skip the first part where Silverberg talks about his entry into the wrold of SF writing, though, as a writer myself, I enjoyed it a great deal. It's a warm reminiscence not onlyof a young writer finding his voice but of those halcyon days of the so-called Golden and Silver Ages of science fiction.

The stories themselves are a terrific collection and include some true masterpieces of short story writing, some of which are rarely anthologised. Just go to the sample pages above to check out the contents list. I defy any SF fan not to enjoy most of these stories.

Then there are the essays on the stories, where Silverberg deconstructs and analyses the stories (without, I should add, in any way detracting from them). This isn't a case of the illusion being spoiled when you look at how it's done. I came away from them only more admiring of the skills and imaginations of the writers.

As to those who accuse this of being an ego exercise by Silverberg I can only say they obviously miss the point. There's a clear love of the craft and art of science fiction at work here. Silverberg tells us plainly that he chose these stories not because they are the all-time greats of the genre necessarily (though some actually are - and for a fuller list of such stories see Silverberg's anthology The Science Fiction Hall of Fame vol.1. The greatest SF short stories as chosen by the SF Writers Association).

These are the stories that a fledgling writer was moved by, astounded by, impressedand dazzled by. We all have our own lists of such stories and they often include ones that wouldn't be on anyone else's list. Doesn't make them bad choices, just personal ones. And frankly, if someone as talented as Robert Silverberg, an author and editor who's proven his talent time and again in this field, by any standard, hasn't earned the right after forty years of writing to do a collection like this, then I don't know who has.

There are any number of authors who have projected their own egos into their works. Harlan Ellison does it all the time and is wonderfully entertaining at it. The great Isaac Asimov published three thick volumes of autobiography that are a pleasure to read. Any editor who puts together an anthology projects their own tastes into it. The proof is ultimately in the work itself. And it's certainly on display here. End of sermon.

Do yourself a favour. Read this book. Maybe, Like Robert Silverberg, some of these stories will inspire you enough to begin writing yourself. Or at least to read more. And that can't be a bad thing.

Learn from a master.
I've used this book twice, teaching science fiction writing at MIT, and will use it a third time this year.It's an excellent introduction to "Golden Age" science fiction, with thoughtful analysis of each story by Silverberg, explaining why each was important to his development as a writer. ... Read more

Product Description

This affordable, chronologically arranged anthology features 72 short stories carefully selected for their representation of international voices and techniques, their significance in the development of fiction, and their educational and thematic value. Selections are weighted toward the modern and contemporary, with a fair representation of earlier stories. Story groupings help instructors shape thematic units, and help students recognize thematic and technical points of comparison between readings. Multiple stories by the same author allow students to compare works and analyze the evolution of the writer's literary technique.

Product Description
This book is suitable for ages 8 to 12 years. In this revealing book, readers are introduced to nutrition fact labels and ingredient lists that appear on most packaged foods. The high school characters in this story learn how to use these labels and lists to make healthy food choices. ... Read more

Product Description
The Stuff of Fiction is a collection of lively essays by esteemed novelist Douglas Bauer on the tools of the fiction writer's craft. Based on his popular lectures as a core faculty member in the Bennington Writing Seminars, individual chapters examine the components of successful stories, from creating the first sentence to crafting a fitting ending.
Bauer's primary focus is on three critical elements of fiction writing: dialogue, character, and dramatic event. He sees dialogue as an overheard conversation that has an inherent intimacy and power that should not be squandered by the writer. He discusses the challenge of creating characters that are psychologically complex, both flawed and sympathetic. He cautions new writers against overloading their stories with highly dramatic events--or avoiding them altogether.
The book draws upon work by a range of contemporary fiction writers, including Alice Munro, John Cheever, William Kennedy, Alice McDermott, and Denis Johnson. The Stuff of Fiction recognizes that, finally, the most crucial element for a fiction writer is that which cannot be taught: talent. But it also recognizes that without developing a regular habit of work, a doggedness of effort, no amount of talent can come forward and be recognized.
Douglas Bauer is author of the novels The Book of Famous Iowans, The Very Air, and Dexterity. His essays have appeared in Writers' Chronicle, Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Playboy, and New York Times Book Review.Amazon.com Review
To read Douglas Bauer's lovely ruminations on the art of literary fiction is to be transported back to those intimate seminars one never quite appreciated enough in school. How refreshing it is to read a book about fiction writing that speaks of nothing so crass as hooking readers or marketing oneself or conforming to genre specifications. Instead, Bauer contemplates one element of fiction per chapter, opening with openings and ending with endings. What he finds, whether developing dialogue or character or sentiment, is that it is crucial to say neither too much nor too little. A writer must have the balance of an acrobat, and be able to navigate the gray zones. An opening should "beckon" readers. Dialogue works best when one eliminates many of the words. "Villainous, ignoble, antiheroic characters" should be presented sympathetically; "admirable, noble, heroic characters" should be flawed. "Any ending that succeeds both culminates and at the same time continues the story," he says. While "schlock is primarily interested in the breathless depiction of the drama," Bauer (and literary fiction) is interested in "the richness of the resonance." And though he has written a primer on the craft, bad news: "No amount of tweaking and altering ... can rescue a piece of elementally flawed writing." The book contains excerpts from the works of William Kennedy, Denis Johnson, Alice McDermott, E.B. White, Toni Morrison, and others. --Jane Steinberg ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Buy this book
Weighing in at a mere 131 pages, Douglas Bauer's book is the Cassius Clay of my craft shelf. And though I am tempted to take this boxing metaphor farther, tempted to say things like, "it floats like a butterfly stings like a bee", and draw parallels between its eight chapters and the eight fast rounds Ali went with Sonny Liston in 65', I'll check myself and simply note the elements of the book that I found most helpful.



The language is so wonderfully straight forward and the examples so clear that I used the chapter on dialoguewith a group of high level 8th graders who are working with me on an independent study. We were able to have a wonderful conversation about "TV Dialogue" and how we can best to avoid it in our writing. They were quick to point out how rampant this sort of mundane dialogue is in adolescent and young adult fiction.



Along with clear language, the chapters in Bauer's book are concise. Despite their brevity they draw on a wide range of other craft books and essays. In the dialogue chapter, Brauer mentions Dillard's "Notes for Young Writers." A few of my young writers became curious about Dillard and her work. They expressed an interest in this book, and if I wasn't so personally biased against Dillard's other essays I might have taken it on myself.



This anecdote points to the fact that Brauer does not shy away from the words of others on the subject of craft. To the contrary, this book excels at pairing down those words to essential ideas. He draws from Booth's "The Rhetoric of Fiction" and E.M. Foster's "Aspects of the Novel." He quotes from Gardner's "The Art of Fiction" and Joy William's "Why I Write." I am sure that there are others that he mentions, but those are the ones that I personally underlined in the text.



The two most useful chapters for me, the chapters that answered questions I have long harbored concerning fiction, were chapters 5 and 6. These two chapters examine the issues of what Bauer calls "High Points" and "Sentiment versus Sentimentality."



I especially liked his treatment in the chapter, "High Points," of television violence, "the sort of violence with no accompanying long-lasting emotional consequences." It in some ways resembles television dialogue in that it draws the reader's attention to something that has no real importance to the characters or the story. It is interesting to me, as somebody who has not lived in a house with a television for over a decade, to see how television affects the way people write. I also cannot help but to think that it also changes the general public's expectations of stories.



The chapter on sentiment versus sentimentality, cleared up very nicely the differences between the two. I had always thought of sentimentality as something I could recognize, but nothing I could clearly define. I believe Bauer makes a comparison to pornography--we know it when we see it. But he does not stop there; he gives clear examples of how sentimentality can be avoided and points the reader in the direction of people who define this boundary.



"The Stuff of Fiction" is not the end all and be all of craft books. But it is for me at this point one of the most valuable books on craft I have read. It is a book I can draw from as I teach my students about some of the elements of fiction. It is a book that answered some fundamental questions I have had for some years now. Lastly, it is a book that points the reader in the right directions, bringing into view not only some of the great writers and storytellers of the West, but also the great works by others on craft.

Practical and inspiring
This book picks some of the finer points of story/novel writing and analyzes them with great elegance and insight.It does so in light of specific in-depth examples.For instance, on the issue of pinpointing exactly where to end a story, it discusses alternative stopping points and the emotional impact they are likely to have on the reader.What you learn is inspiring but also eminently practical, both in the narrow and broad senses. It is not as comprehensive as "The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner or "Getting the Words Right" by Theodore Rees Cheney.It is, however, just as inspiring and satisfying.

Excellent
For the beginner or the serious amateur or anyone serious about writing fiction, this is the book to read.

for all writers
What a beautiful book!I can't remember when I've read such an eloquent work about the craft of writing, making me wonder why any of us pay any attention to advice about writing which arrives in less artful form ("the long half-life of sorrow" is one of the many well-turned phrases which clings to memory).This essay collection (nonfiction writers have as much to gain as fiction writers from reading the book) is elegant, compelling, succinct, and breathtakingly clear without being condescending.The author (who also writes gorgeous fiction) covers all of the most important aspects of craft--openings, dialogue, character, high events (dramatic moments), sentiment vs. sentimentality, and closings, and includes advice from the best of the other writing "gurus" and wonderful passages of first-rate literature to illustrate points made.The Stuff of Fiction is truly a book for writers at all levels.I felt an immediate need to underline when I began reading; the book made me seriously re-think a novel on which I'm currently working.What more could a writer ask.

Illuminating for any writer or reader of realistic fiction
If you want to understand more about how a good piece of realistic fiction is put together, read this book.It provides both rules and the wisdom to make it clear that if a writer is on the right track, he or she can go ahead and break those rules.

*The Stuff of Fiction* explains to ordinary readers what has gone wrong when a book suddenly turns unsatisfying (for example, when it doesn't know when to end), the book gives new writers a set of guidelines to keep in the back of their heads while they are slaving away, a kind of frame to check the day's work against, and the book offers experienced writers a welcome articulation of the things they have been trying to do since they began this strange line of work.

The book explains how to start a story (maybe at the beginning, maybe not), how to write dialogue that doesn't thud or crawl on the page, how to create characters with mixed blessings and curses (like a human being in other words), how to give drama its necessary subtlety, how to create sentiment not sentimentality (a discourse on how to write with taste, which is kind of like explaining how to play jazz, but amazingly it really works), and how to end a story.Bauer uses examples effectively--taking apart work from Denis Johnson, Toni Morrison, Alice Munro, and yes Wm. Shakespeare--and writes directly but also elegantly.

Douglas Bauer is the author of three novels, each of which I loved (he never does the same thing twice, but since the prose always contains the same steely twists, you know it is the same guy), and teaches at the Bennington MFA Program.

Writing programs, take note--instructors can cut to the chase by judicious use of this handy and straightforward volume.I won't say it's the Strunk and White of contemporary realistic fiction writing--only time can tell that--but it's as close as I can imagine.Full disclosure requires me to say that I know Douglas Bauer personally, but honestly, I would say all of this if I didn't know him.It is a terrific and useful volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Looks at the techniques, methods and philosophies of some of the leading writers of modern fiction as revealed in essays by and interviews with the authors. The book takes a look at the creative powers and techniques of writers such as William Boyd, Mary Wesley, Fay Weldon and Hilary Mantel. ... Read more

Product Description
A Pocketful of Plays: Vintage Short Stories contains 18 short stories that research reveals to be currently among the most commonly studied in class around the country. The works include source materials to encourage further discussion and analysis, Among these enhancement are author's comments, biographical and critical commentaries, and sections of a play and a film script for comparison of media. The reception of this series has supported the original assumption that students and teachers would welcome an innovative alternative to huge anthologies, which are rarely used entirely, tend to be too bulky to carry and to handle in class. This anthology is aimed at satisfying the need for a concise, quality collection that students will find inexpensive sand that instructors will enjoy teaching. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Perfect!!
I'm in 9th grade, and I had to get this book for English.This is a wonderful collection on short stories.Madden does an excellent job assembling the stories and the information and history behind them.Even if you're not a student, this is a wonderful book full of short stories that will keep you up all night!! ... Read more

Product Description

My book is an instructional workbook for the aspiring romance writer who doesn't know how or where to begin.It takes the aspiring writer from the "idea" to the "synopsis" with concrete examples of "how-to."In addition, it lists further reading and information where the aspiring writer can get additional help. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Perfect book for first time writers
I just decided this year to start writing a romance novel. I had no clear starting point where to began and someone recommened this book. I'm so glad they did. It helped me start an outline describing how I wanted my characters to be.

It's a step by step guide for anyone who needs help getting started. It also hows you how to introduce secondary characters into your book.

Don't miss out on this book. It's worth the money!

Very disappointing!
I was very disappointed when I received my copy of this book.

Initially, my displeasure centered round the unprofessional editing. The book appears to be in draft form as typos abound, the formatting is inconsistent and the overuse of uppercase letters left me gasping. And these are just a few of the points that should have been rectified before publication!

The actual content is poor to fair, but it's difficult to read because of the glaring editorial mistakes. The book contains too many exercises and very little concrete information.

I would not recommend this book. It's a waste of money.

Very helpful for aspiring authors
The Romance Writer's Handbook by LaFlorya Gauthier shows how to develop characters, how to plot and then organize all the elements into a romance novel.

Written as a workbook, this resource offers a way to understand your characters and story.There are many good exercises to do before you write the rough draft.However, the book is not intended for the writer who has completed several manuscripts.The focus is on how to begin.

The Romance Writer's Handbook is helpful for aspiring romance writers who want a lot of guidance in writing the first novel. ... Read more

Product Description
The Shirtpocket MFA is for anyone who cares about writing. What is "Fine Art?" Who is a poet, and who is a storyteller? What is the writer's responsibility in publishing? A concise discussion that will remain relevant year after year.
... Read more

Product Description
A guide to revision of reports, essays, or articles, helping writers improve the quality of their prose. Includes tips on grammar, punctuation, mechanical style, and content. Previous edition: c1987.Amazon.com Review
Good, clear writing appears effortless. But chances are, the more effective the communication, the more work that went into making it so. Rare is the individual whose professional or personal life doesn't call for some written communication. Jan Venolia's Rewrite Right! is small enough to slip into a laptop carrying case, yet it offers, as the author says,"a solid foundation in the principles of revising." Venolia recommendsediting on two levels--first to improve the writing, then to correct thelanguage--and lays out her lesson plan with a four-page editing checklist.Most professional writers (though, believe me, certainly not all) understandthe importance of writing to an audience, avoiding jargon and hackneyedexpressions, and getting the words right. But anyone else who writes couldbenefit from a no-nonsense guide such as this. Venolia peppers her textwith lists (e.g., of stuffy words, biased language, clichés), humor, andexamples from the likes of Mark Twain and Isaac Bashevis Singer. Entertaining quotations strewn throughout are fresh and to the point. ("Writing a first paragraph," quips Lynn Z. Bloom, "is like raising a first child. It's better if you start out on the second.") "Good writing gets things done," says Venolia. Her Rewrite Right! offers valuable tips on "how to tug on words and adjust them until they say what you want them to say." --Jane Steinberg ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

You write, you say?
If your answer is yes, you should own this book. In one version or another, it's been on my desk forever. Venolia dots all the "i"s and crosses all the "t"s. (Did I say that right?)

Fits nicely on th writing desk
Jan Venolia covers the editing process in essentially five stages: Content, style, punctuation, grammar and mechanical style. Rewrite Right functions better as a grammatical reference book than as a guide for how to edit an article or book. This is because her discussion of style, punctuation and mechanical style all inherently involve understanding grammar.

Vernolia's approach is to writing is technical, not theoretical. So, if your thinking and writing is nebulous, and you need help refining your ideas into a coherent message, Rewrite Right is not the book for you. However, if you are pleased with the orderliness of your work, Rewrite Right will assuredly help you isolate grammatical errors and inconsistencies in your writing style. Venolia also points out the grammatical subtleties that separates amateur scribblers from professional writers.

Rewrite Right is more functional than other grammar books I've purchased because it is small, 6 X 7, and contains just 189 well-used pages. Her use of images and short sentences from famous authors, particularly Mark Twain, also make this a fun read and quick learning tool. Her Index saves time.

Good functional little book
This is a simple and functional book that will assist any editor or writer. It contains some very useful advice about the craft of rewriting which is 80 per cent of writing. ... Read more

Product Description
Virgil Thompson is universally recognized as one of the dominant music critics whose unique sensibility was informed by his groundbreaking work as a composer of the mid twentieth-century. Whether writing for a daily newspaper or an academic journal, Thompson brought wit and erudition to a literary form that is often staid. Not suffering fools gladly, unwilling to kowtow to the powers that be, Thompson and his writing remain remarkably relevant and entertaining today. This essential reader includes his essays on making a living as a musician; his articles on classic composers; his relation to his contemporaries; his articles on newcomers in the music world, including John Cage and Pierre Boulez; his autobiographical writings and commentary on his own works. ... Read more

Product Description
"John Gardner was famous for his generosity to young writers, and (this book) is his . . . gift to them. The Art of Fiction will fascinate anyone interested in how fiction gets put together. For the young writer, it will become a necessary handbook, a stern judge, an encouraging friend."--The New York Times Book Review. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (59)

I Recommend It, But Not Much
This book is recommended in SELF-EDITING FOR THE FICTION WRITER, a book I have read twice and enjoyed a great deal. I had to give Gardner a try.

This is a tough review to write because I can't say this is a fantastic book to help one write fiction. At the same time, there is little or nothing said that I disagree with. So, what's the problem?

My confusion starts with my expectations when reading a book about writing. It's a situation where I want to gain information and hints on how to write better, without being bombarded by direction on how to write. This criteria has served me well and I've found a number of writing books that made me write or want to write better; SELF-EDITION FOR THE FICTION WRITER is one, THE FICTION WRITER'S WORKSHOP is another.

Judging by that, this book didn't pass muster. Rather than coming away with a new awareness of what I want to include or exclude from my own work, I'm left feeling like I've been having coffee with an experienced author full of sweeping opinions on craft.

He's crafty in one way, his ability to pull me in with the sense of being an insider, watching other fiction writers through thick glass. He uses a lot of lines like "The writer who can't distinguish truth from a peanut-butter sandwich can never write good fiction. What he affirms, we deny, throwing away his book in indignation..." The implication isn't about writers of bad fiction so much as it is about 'us', him and I, being partnered in our unique ability to indignantly recognize a lousy writer. In fact, we're pretty decent to only discard the book when we're entitled to exact creative justice on its sloppyauthor.

Still, and here's the rub, it isn't a bad read. Don't skip an hour of writing to sit down with this book but if you're between projects and have the time, I'd recommend it.

Against Mediocrity, or The Art of Good Fiction
I suspect those who accuse Gardner of being arrogant, egotistical, condescending, etc., ad nauseum are likely to be the sort who either have a ideological agenda of their own, or prefer their egalitarianism served with a thoroughgoing relativism. Gardner was never soft-spoken in stating his opinions, and he had the good sense not to qualify every opinion with "that's just my opinion," or "ymmv," or "but what do I know."

I find Gardner's opinions welcome and often enlightening. His allusions to numberless works which I have yet to read -- and some I only learned about from him -- are an inspiring challenge to read more. The fact that he doesn't water down his message to spare the ego of his less experienced readers is a sign of respect for them -- they can take it, because the alternative is a vapid mediocrity. And if they can't take it, well, they're free to write scathing reviews castigating the hubris of a dead man.

The theoretical and practical concepts and techniques discussed in the book are reasonably thorough and engaging. It is clear that his purpose is to challenge would-be writers to aim for the very best, while making clear -- for those actually paying attention -- that good-enough-for-publication writing is achievable by most anyone willing to put in the time. The implicit idea here is that if you want to be a writer, you will have to put in the time anyway, so why not aim to be a very good writer? I fail to see how this is anything but an inspiring affirmation to anyone who really wants to write.

This book is not for "Junk Writers".Gardner says so.
I will keep this short, since after reading Mr. Gardner's opinionated statement of page two about this book isn't for "junk writers".You know the ones that write Nurse Stories, Thrillers, Porno, and as he puts it, "the lower breed of writing, Scifi".Any writer to form an opionion such as this shouldn't be writing books on how to write, as any "good" writer knows that genre is a publicist tool invented at the turn of the 20th century for marketing.Good writing is good writing, bad writing is bad writing.I have read well written Erotica, and I have read even better "Sci/Fi" stories than the just plain Literary Realism.If you want to think of it this way, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey would be viewed today as speculative fiction: Science Fiction, the umbrella; Fantasy; and Horror.Both stories contain elements from each of these genres.I quess Homer is a "Junk Writer" with all the sex, blood, monsters, and the thrill of the high seas his stories hold for readers. Maybe we should let Gardner have a conversation with Michael Crichton.

Do yourself a favor and buy Alice Laplante's "The Making of a Story".Laplante does a great job of being less opinionated, and breaks down conventional barriers that would otherwise set young writers astray, such as with "show, don't tell".

Gardner's Tone is Nauseating
As an MFA student, I thought this classic would be useful, but I found it extremely difficult to focus on what Gardner was trying to say because his message is relayed in such a pompous tone that it was nearly impossible for me to see past it. I understand that he's good at what he does, and bravo to him-- but please, it's hard to take someone seriously when they tout their opinions as facts. I'd recommend reading this because every person is different and what someone else might find this book brilliant, but personally I was so turned off by his cockiness that I had to stop reading.

Vastly Overrated
Tendentious and outdated in the sense that Gardner's views on the mechanics of fiction come right out of English departments of the 1940's and 50's. And I know it's been said elsewhere, but his defaulting to the masculine personal pronoun is incredibly grating. And then there's the question of why we are supposed to care about the views of someone who was neither prolific nor especially successful himself as a writer of fiction? He makes a few interesting points, but overall it's a pretty tedious read.

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