How Fiction Works: The Last Word on Writing Fiction, from Basics to the Fine Points
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.10 (781 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1884910491 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 240 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-05-05 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Oakley Hall is the author of fourteen mainstream novels and five mysteries. He was the director of the writing program at the University of California for more than twenty years, and is presently director of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers.
Beginning, as well as more advanced writers, will find much to like about this book.. In How Fiction Works, Oakley Hall expands upon and broadens the instruction that made The Art and Craft of Novel Writing so successful. He explains the basic and finer points of the fiction-writing process from word choice and imagery to authority and viewpoint. This new book covers all forms and lengths of fiction, probes deeper into every topic, offers new examples and includes exercises and the end of every chapter. He then moves on! to "The Elements," which covers the primary elements of fiction: point of view, characterization and plot. Citing numerous examples from classic and contemporary work, he shows readers how these elements function separately and in concert. The book is divided into three
Dr C J Singh said Excellent for Learning the Art & Craft of Writing Fiction (Novels and Short Stories). This book is an updated version of Oakley Hall's "The Art & Craft of Novel Writing." Moreover, it covers short-story writing as well.HOW FICTION WORKS comprises chapters on craft elements such as specification, sensory details, language, indirection, point of view, characterization, and plot. To illustrate his points on the craft of fiction writing, Hall presents numerous examples from masters such as Gustave Flaubert, Henry James, and Joseph Conrad as well as great contemporary writers like Gabriel Garcia. "I hated, hated, hated this book" according to A Customer. It starts out being a not a bad reference and some of the examples are adequate, if not particularly insightful, or dealt with in any great depth. The author belongs to the colorful detail school of fiction writing -- he tells you every chance he gets. Fine. But by the final third of the book, the author is into total self promotion, and it gets on ones nerves. Instead of "How Fiction Works" being the title, perhaps it should have been "How Fiction has Worked Very, Very Well for Me." The book appears to ha. "Instruction on Writing: Instruction on Writing: 4- Stars Debbie Lee Wesselmann In his instructional book on writing fiction, Oakley Hall combines good, solid advice with self-congratulatory passages about his own writing. The book is divided into two major parts: "The Dramatic Method" and "Forms of Fiction", the last of which discusses the short story and the novel. Most beginning writers will find the first part--and the bulk of the book--much more helpful than the last, although Hall's discussion of forms is worth reading for the distinctions it makes.Within the first part, Hall br. - Stars" according to Debbie Lee Wesselmann. In his instructional book on writing fiction, Oakley Hall combines good, solid advice with self-congratulatory passages about his own writing. The book is divided into two major parts: "The Dramatic Method" and "Forms of Fiction", the last of which discusses the short story and the novel. Most beginning writers will find the first part--and the bulk of the book--much more helpful than the last, although Hall's discussion of forms is worth reading for the distinctions it makes.Within the first part, Hall br
He was the director of the writing program at the University of California for more than twenty years, and is presently director of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. About the Author Oakley Hall is the author of fourteen mainstream novels and five mysteries.