The Passionate, Accurate Story: Making Your Heart's Truth into Literature [Paperback]

Carol Bly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1990

A book about how to write, generally, and with much attention paid to how to write the short story How to use empathic inquiry instead of conventional literary critiquing methods.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Escape has its value, of course, like dessert: It is not food . . ." Here, short-story writer Bly teaches you how to cook up tales that--in a time of nukes, greenhouse gas, and ozone holes--matter. Even if you don't write directly about such things, Bly argues that none of us can escape the current "stage" on which all our art must be played out. Contemporary realities lurk in our psyches; attempting to drive them from our stories will result in prose that is, well, like too many sugary meringues when what you really wanted was red beans and rice.

Review

"Bly provides excellent discussions of many aspects of the writer's craft, but she also delves deeper...she excels at coaxing writers (and readers as well) toward a larger vision of life and literature." -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Bly's purpose in this rich, original book is to show writers and teachers how to move beyond technically competent stories to ones that are morally, politically, and emotionally deep...a supberg resource in general for all teachers and writers." -- Choice

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 197 pages
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions (October 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915943530
• ISBN-13: 978-0915943531
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,796,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Story development and conveying passionate beliefs, October 2, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Palo Alto, California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Passionate, Accurate Story: Making Your Heart's Truth into Literature (Paperback)

Carol Bly's primary contribution is to look at the development of a story after the writer creates the first draft. "For the short story writer, [and probably longer fiction as well] a story is a combination of what the writer supposed the story would likely be about - plus what actually turned up in the course of writing. For this kind of process, literary criticism is of no use at all."

and

"Inventions come from one's original ideal joined with whatever service the imagination subsequently offers."

Unanticipated invention is what Bly wishes to encourage, fostering a fertile environment to create. It is the unfettered play of the unconscious upon the first draft that provides truly creative writing, writing outside of rules for drama, characterization, dialog and the rest. Those come later. The strength of the book is focusing on reviving the writer's unconscious.

Bly makes the case that writers are not neutral observers. Writers must believe in something and formally state, to themselves what they believe. These beliefs, which she calls a value listing, should be the foundation for writing. She does not imply that the writer should write propaganda, rather the values important to the writer should form the foundation, the story question perhaps, for the main character.

Bly does have comments on more writerly issues, plot, character, dialog, etc. gleaned from teaching writing. These are presented as well elsewhere. It is the chapters on invoking the unconscious and creating a values listing that set this book apart.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius......and good advice, July 17, 2001

By 

Suzanne E. Anderson "Author of Mrs. Tuesday's... (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Passionate, Accurate Story: Making Your Heart's Truth into Literature (Paperback)

If you want to write, read this book. If you are writing, and feeling overwhelmed by the plethora of "do's and don't's" out there.....definetly read this book. This is absolutely the best book on writing I have ever read...Carol Bly is a compassionate, wise teacher and writer, the type of teacher you wish taught every English class. This book will take you from the free-for-all first draft, through the shaping of characters, plot, and dialogue. Her voice is encouraging, kind, and fully in support of the writer. A true gem. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's wonderful.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb insights and thoughtfulness, December 11, 2002

By 

John Farrell (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Passionate, Accurate Story: Making Your Heart's Truth into Literature (Paperback)

Definitely a student of the late John Gardner, Ms. Bly has written a wonderful guide for anyone--whether you're just starting out or have been writing for years already. I don't agree with her theory about the purpose of literature. She's a little too political for my taste. But that is easily dismissed in light of her wonderful eye for detail and her articulate view of what truly motivates people to write.