This comprehensive, informal, practical guide/anthology approaches the elements of fiction from the writer's point of view. Writing Fiction includes freewriting to revision, addressing how writers must work through problems in plot, style, characterization, dialogue, atmosphere, imagery, and point of view to write exciting and fresh stories. The tone of this market-leading text is non-prescriptive and personal, helping students feel comfortable with themselves and their writing.

A widely used guide to narrative craft, Writing Fiction is an elegant, informal, and practical text/anthology. In its third edition, it continues to range from intuitive freewriting to revision, treat the elements of fiction from the writers point of view, and offer solutions to structure, imagery, and style. Important features in the third edition include:

• Chapters analyzing the elements of fiction that include short examples from published and unpublished work and 25 whole stories that illustrate narrative craft
  
• Suggestions for discussion that include retrospective questions linking stories back to elements discussed earlier
  
• Exercises after each chapter geared to helping the student face the situations and problems fiction writers face in each area
  
• A new chapter on revision that includes what to look for. how to treat criticism, and the possible pleasures of the rewriting process
  
• 75 percent of the selections are new

Contents

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Preface 1 Whatever Works: The Writing Process  Get Started  Keep Going  From One Writer's Beginnings EUDORA WELTY  From The Art of Fiction JOHN GARDNER  From The Writing Life ANNIE DILLARD 2 War Games: Story Form and Structure  Conflict, Crisis, and Resolution  Story and Plot  The Short Story and the Novel 3 Seeing Is Believing: Showing and Telling  Significant Detail  The Active Voice  Prose Rhythm  Mechanics  "The Things They Carried" TIM O'BRIEN  "Rape Fantasies" MARGARET ATWOOD 4 Book People: Characterization, Part I  Individual, Typical, and Universal Characters  Round and Flat Characters  The Aristotelian Hero  The Indirect Method of Character Presentation: Authorial Interpretation  The Direct Methods of Character Presentation  Appearance  "Girl" JAMAICA KINCAID  "Orbiting" BHARATI MUKHERJEE 5 The Flesh Made Word: Characterization, Part II  The Direct Methods of Character Presentation (Cont'd)  Character: A Summary  "My Man Bovane" TONI CADE BAMBARA  "Everything That Rises Must Converge" FLANNERY O'CONNOR 6 Climate Control: Atmosphere  Narrative Place  Narrative Time  "How Far She Went" MARY HOOD  "Waiting for Mr. Kim" CAROL ROH-SPAULDING 7 Call Me Ishmael: Point of View, Part I  Who Speaks?  To Whom?  In What Form?  "The Masked Marvel's Last Toehold" RICHARD SELZER  "The Wrysons" JOHN CHEEVER 8 Assorted Liars: Point of View, Part II  At What Distance?  With What Limitations?  "The Era of Great Numbers" LEE K. ABBOTT  "I and I" JOHN HOLMAN 9 Is And Is Not: Comparison  Types of Metaphor and Simile  Metaphoric Faults to Avoid  Allegory  Symbol  The Objective Correlative  "Signs and Symbols" VLADIMIR NABOKOV  "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" URSULA K. LE GUIN 10 I Gotta Use Words When I Talk To You: Theme  Idea and Morality in Theme  How Fictional Elements Contribute to Theme  A Man Told Me the Story of His Life GRACE PALEY  Developing Theme as You Write  "Cathedral" RAYMOND CARVER  "Ralph the Duck" FREDERICK BUSCH 11 Play It Again, Sam: Revision  Worry It and Walk Away  Criticism  Revision Questions  An Example of the Revision Process  "Aliki Towers" HEATHER SELLERS  "From Dawn to Noon" HEATHER SELLERS  "Squirrelly's Grouper" BOB SHACOCHIS Appendix A – Narrative Techniques: Workshop Symbol Code  Format  Usage  Style Appendix B – Suggestions For Further Reading Acknowledgments Index

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Tags: WritingTechnique