Customer Reviews

Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers' Workshop

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I've always wanted to go to a writer's workshop, especially Clarion. It's a workshop I had heard of when I first started writing, but one that was inaccessible to me because of both funds and locations. It's too far away, in other words.

But then Storyteller came out. Though at first I didn't know it was written about the Clarion workshop, I did know it was a book on the craft of writing. I was pleasantly delighted, however, when I found out that the writer, whom I had only known by name and not by what she actually writes, was a writer interested in fantasy and who was one of the original teachers at Clarion. Not only that, but her husband the late Damon Knight, one of the legends in sci-fi and fantasy, also taught here and is spoken of in a fond way by Kate Wilhelm in this book.

A lot can be learned in this book. While it's more of a biography of the early years of Clarion, it also has plenty of writing advice. Despite my reason for buying it (the advice on the craft), I enjoyed the sections that detailed some of the classes Wilhelm and Knight had taught, and some of the trials that the early Clarion workshop had gone through (like the fact that it had started in Clarion PA, which is very close to where I live). In fact, I liked these sections more than the advice sections (the ratio of biography to advice is about 50/50). It helped me live a small part of one of my dreams. For a moment, I was a student at Clarion, experiencing what past students had experienced. That may sound sentimental, and the memories relayed by Wilhelm in this book is told in a sentimental way, but that's how I feel. Kate Wilhelm was able to make me feel welcome into her world.

Now that's not saying that the writing advice found in these pages are to be ignored. While most of the advice is recycled and can be found in many other books, I think her word is a little more trustworthy, as she used the advice given here in teaching other young writers, a lot of which have gone ahead and made names for themselves. And the advice is given in a no nonsense kind of way. Wilhelm says what works and why, and tells you why something doesn't work and why to avoid using it. It's all told from plenty (years upon years) of experience.

This is an excellent book for any writer looking to go to college or a workshop for writing, and it's especially useful for anyone in the Michigan area who's considering going to Clarion, as it is the best workshop for genre writing. After that, I'd recommend this to writers who have already had some schooling but want some more solid advice. This is one of the best and most trustworthy books written in some time on the craft of writing.

There's only one other book that should be offered with this one via the "Better Together" section and that's Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight. Storyteller is Kate's homage to the Clarion workshop; Creating Short Fiction was the book Damon wrote about all the things he hoped writers would learn by attending Clarion. Anyone who's interested in Clarion, or Kate and Damon, or learning to write or more importantly, learning to write and SELL speculative literature, will want both these books. Anyone who already has one or the other, will want both. Anyone who bought Creating Short Fiction when it first came out undoubtedly needs a second copy to lend or to re-read or to give as a gift this Christmas. Anyone who has ever known Kate and Damon already knows they were and remain a magic pair of workshop instructors. Let their two books on/about Clarion have the chance to work the same magic by offering them as a set.

Prospective science fiction, fantasy, and horror writers will enjoy Wilhelm's "Storyteller" for both its Clarion workshop anecdotes as well as the writing instruction. Clarion, founded in 1968 by Robin Scott Wilson with Wilhelm and Damon Knight, has been the staple go-to destination for science fiction and fantasy writers since its inception, and this is the best history of the workshop available. Writers outside of those fields may be less inclined to pick up this book, as the instruction is often interwoven with Wilhelm's recollections (although the best tips are pulled out into a separate section in the back of the book).

Kate Wilhelm was already one of my favorite authors before she wrote Storyteller. Part memoir, part how to, this book is a fun and easy read. I often recommend this book to clients and they respond favorably. Read it and get in touch with your own Silent Partner.

Prospective science fiction, fantasy, and horror writers will enjoy Wilhelm's "Storyteller" for both its Clarion workshop anecdotes as well as the writing instruction. Clarion, founded in 1968 by Robin Scott Wilson with Wilhelm and Damon Knight, has been the staple go-to destination for science fiction and fantasy writers since its inception, and this is the best history of the workshop available. Writers outside of those fields may be less inclined to pick up this book, as the instruction is often interwoven with Wilhelm's recollections (although the best tips are pulled out into a separate section in the back of the book).

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Picked this up on a whim, and it was disappointing. I didn't finish it -- the book is repetitious and surprisingly dull, considering what a good writer Kate Wilhelm is. Though there are moments. Likely to be of more interest to Clarion alums and aspiring students. For others, caveat lector.

Sadly,
Peter D. Tillman

I lived through one of the worst Clarions on record. Kate and Damon were a soothing end to a month of hell, but in the long run, Clarion was like life - there's no rhyme or reason to who comes out ahead or who comes out alive.

If you feel cheated that you didn't get your six weeks on an arid Midwestern campus, just stay home and write for six weeks. You'll get more done and it will cost a lot less.