Practical Short Story Writing [Import] [Paperback]

John Paxton Sheriff (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Robert Hale Ltd (February 28, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0709055471
• ISBN-13: 978-0709055471
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It can`t gift you with talent but it doesn`t claim to do so, April 30, 2004

By 

ZH (Budapest, Hungary) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Practical Short Story Writing (Paperback)

What to write, how to write it and where to send it to get a chance for being published: in essence this is what the book is intended to help you with.
I found the book a little too focused on the "craftmanship"-element of writing rather than the art in it, but that`s not necessarily bad: it is a short (160- pages) HOWTO-like book with which you can evade the mistakes you would probably make in your first 5-10 stories.
What I was glad to find in the book were the one or two mentions that there is really more in writing than the technique - altough a short summary or at least a few examples of famous titles not fitting in any category (consider some early 20th century short-story writers) wouldn`t have hurt the book either.
In short: it is a great start if you want to start writing (especially since it has information for getting published not only in the UK, but also in the US and Australia) but don`t forget that there is much more in writing than what the book covers.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good start., October 13, 2000

By 

C. Morales (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Practical Short Story Writing (Paperback)

It is possible that you have always wanted to write a book. So do I. Searching for information, I came across this little book. Although it is more oriented to writing stories of about 3000 to 5000 words in length, suitable for magazines, it contains helpful information that will help you have a better idea on how to develop a story, how to structure it and how to keep track of the plot. With this book handy, you now can approach that book that you have always wanted to write. To me, it got me up and running and it has been a good start.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It is practical, September 20, 2001

By 

mary wright (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Practical Short Story Writing (Paperback)

A look at plot, technique, and twist. Not bad, not the best, but not bad at all.