Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies [Hardcover]

Sol Stein (Author), David Stanford Burr (Editor), Pei Loi Koay (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1995

Your future as a writer is in your hands. Whether you are a newcomer or an accomplished professional, a novelist, story writer, or a writer of nonfiction, you will find this book a wealth of immediately useful guidance not available anywhere else. As Sol Stein, renowned editor, author, and instructor, explains, "This is not a book of theory. It is a book of useable solutions-- how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good, how to create interesting writing in the first place."

You will find one of the great unspoken secrets of craftsmanship in Chapter 5, called "Markers: The Key to Swift Characterization." In Chapter 7, Stein reveals for he first time in print the wonderful system for creating instant conflict developed in the Playwrights Group of the Actors Studio, of which he was a founder. In "Secrets of Good Dialogue," the premier teacher of dialogue gives you the instantly useable techniques that not only make verbal exchanges exciting but that move the story forward immediately. You won't need to struggle with flashbacks or background material after you've read Chapter 14, which shows you how to bring background into the foreground.

Writers of both fiction and nonfiction will relish the amphetamines for speeding up pace, and the many ways to liposuction flab, as well as how to tap originality and recognize what successful titles have in common. You'll discover literary values that enhance writing, providing depth and resonance. You'll bless the day you read Chapters 32 and 33 and discover why revising by starting at page one can be a serious mistake, and how to revise without growing cold on your manuscript.

In the pages of this book, nonfiction writers will find a passport to the new revolution in journalism and a guide to using the techniques of fiction to enhance nonfiction. Fresh, useful, informative, and fun to read and reread, Stein on Writing is a book you will mark up, dog-ear, and cherish.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"The best reading experiences," says Sol Stein, "defy interruption." With Stein's assistance, you can grab your reader on page 1 and not let go until "The End." Stein--author of nine novels (including the bestselling The Magician) and editor to James Baldwin, W.H. Auden, and Lionel Trilling--offers "usable solutions" for any writing problem you may encounter. He is authoritative and commanding--neither cheerleader nor naysayer. Instead, he rails against mediocrity and demands that you expunge it from your work. Perhaps the concept of scrutinizing every modifier, every metaphor, every character trait sounds like drudgery. But with Stein's lively guidance, it is a pleasure. Stein recommends that you brew conflict in your prose by giving your characters different "scripts." He challenges you, in an exercise concerning voice, to write the sentence you want the world to remember you by. He uses an excerpt from E.L. Doctorow to demonstrate poorly written monologue and a series of Taster's Choice commercials as an example of dialogue that works. Stein's bottom line is that good writing must be suspenseful. Your job, says Stein, "is to give readers stress, strain, and pressure. The fact is that readers who hate those things in life love them in fiction." --Jane Steinberg --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In this stimulating guide, a veteran novelist (The Magician), editor (Stein & Day) and teacher offers a banquet of savvy advice. Unlike Anne Lamott et al., Stein aims not to help his readers wrestle with writerly anguish; rather, he gets on the page, citing examples from writers famous and fledgling, closely analyzing first sentences, creation of character, plotting and dialogue (use "speech markers" to differentiate among characters). Stein concentrates more on fiction?point of view and the creation of love scenes?but his advice on such issues as self-editing and choosing a title applies also to nonfiction. A section on nonfiction contains worthy remarks about adapting fictional techniques (suspense, visual particularity, etc.) but is too brief to be a full guide to journalistic writing or producing an account of a historic event.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 308 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st Edition Dec. 1995/ 1st Printing edition (November 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312136080
• ISBN-13: 978-0312136086
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Which writer are You?, July 26, 2000

By 

Douglas Dowers (Londonderry, NH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies (Hardcover)

Aristotle taught us that plot is everything. But then came Lajos Egri with Art of Dramatic Writing and told us that no it is character that creates plot. If you still reside in the plot creates character camp then stay away from Stein on Writing. Sol Stein goes as far as to say that that method is for hacks. That authoritative no nonsense do it this way or you're wrong attitude is what I love about this book. He doesn't stumble around in the dark mumbling out fancy writers' jargon. He covers everything and you better believe he will be clear about what and what not to do. Many of these reviews already tell the specifics of the contents so I won't repeat that. I just wanted to make it clear that all the reviews for this book are either going to be 1 star from plot based writers, or 5 stars from character based writers. I've read this book 3 times already and I keep it next to me while I write along with the above Lajos Egri book and Bill Johnson's A Story is a Promise. Stein specifically laid it out in such a way that it could be used for quick reference. And you will use it that way. Buy this book and use it. It's worth a lot more to you than the $$ he's asking for.

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want to Write Better? Start Here!, December 8, 1999

By 

Karen Hertzberg (Oconomowoc, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies (Hardcover)

Sol Stein knows his stuff when it comes to writing, but this isn't just another dry writing reference. You'll find a wealth of writer's secrets between these pages, all written in an easy, readable style.

I was so enthralled by some of the methods provided here--from The Crucible to The Actor's Studio Method--that I promptly plunked myself down at the keyboard and started writing something just to test drive the concepts.

Stein On Writing will probably prove more useful to the advanced beginner than the starry-eyed newbie, but I do believe this book belongs in every writer's library.

55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on Writing You'll Read, May 24, 2004

By 

Daniel L Edelen (Mt. Orab, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies (Paperback)

Any aspiring writer looking to start a library of essential writing books should make Sol Stein's "Stein on Writing" the cornerstone of that library. It captures the craft better than any ten other writing books and does so in a manner that other books do not: it gets to the point.

No review can capture the essence of the book perfectly because the author is so multitalented. As an editor, author, publisher, and book doctor, Stein brings a wealth of wisdom. His greatest skill, though, is cutting through the drivel other books peddle by telling writers what really will take their work to the next level. For instance, his chapter on pacing techniques is unique to all the writing books I've encountered. If you want to know how to cut the flab from your work, Stein gives the best advice you'll find. His recommendations on particularity are especially helpful, and just another of the essential writing tools that others gloss over. Few writing books discuss the importance of choosing an appropriate title for one's work, and again, Stein gives stellar advice. Chapter after chapter is filled with sage solutions to every writer's problems.

The best thing about "Stein on Writing" is that the advice is timeless. Stein himself shows how his answers aren't new, but go back to Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, and Melville. This creates a sense of fraternity that gives the new writer the courage and hope to press on. The best thing that can be said about this book is that right after reading a chapter you want to rush to your computer and get to work.

The most deserving of five stars of any book on writing I've read, "Stein on Writing" is the best book on the subject you'll find. Essential reading.