What If? is the first handbook for writers based on the idea that specific exercises are one of the most useful and provocative methods for mastering the art of writing fiction. With more than twenty-five years of experience teaching creative writing between them, Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter offer more than seventy-five exercises for both beginners and more experienced writers. These exercises are designed to develop and refine two basic skills: writing like a writer and, just as important, thinking like a writer. They deal with such topics as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language that both sings and communicates precisely. What If? will be an essential addition to every writer's library, a welcome and much-used companion, a book that gracefully borrows a whisper from the muse.
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From the Back Cover
An essential to any writer's library, What If? is comprised entirely of specific exercises intended to help the reader master the art of writing fiction. The exercises isolate the various elements of fiction - dialogue, plot, characterization, point- of-view, etc. - and present specific problems to solve through writing. Directed toward both beginners and professional writers, this book addresses topics such as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language that both sings and communicates precisely. For those interested in writing fiction.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Anne Bernays, a novelist and writing teacher, is the author of eight novels, including Professor Romeo and Growing Up Rich, as well as two works of nonfiction, including The Language of Names written with Justin Kaplan and What If? written with Pamela Painter. Her articles and essays have appeared in numerous major publications, among them The Nation, the New York Times, Town & Country, and Sports Illustrated. She lives in Cambridge and Truro, Massachusetts with her husband, Justin Kaplan. They have three daughters and six grandchildren.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
80 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you did one exercise a day from Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter's "What If?" you would be writing for more than a third of a year. The book is packed with 115 exercises. The goal of a writer is to write, preferably every day. This book not only provides exercises, it also includes discussions of writing before each exercise to teach the skills necessary to become a good writer. Bernays and Painter finish off their book with 24 short stories, from a variety of authors, to provide the reader with examples of the lessons.
The book is split up into fifteen different sections (two of these are devoted to the short stories and short-shorts), each with several exercises. Each section discusses a particular part of story writing including, beginnings, plot, POV, characterization, dialogue, styles and rewrites. I found the majority of the exercises useful, and nearly all of the lessons and discussions worthwhile. There where even a few "Ah-ha!" exercises that instantly solved, or gave me ideas on how to tackle, a problem that I'd been dealing with.
This book can be used in two ways. The first is to use it to strengthen your weaknesses. If you feel that your writing is lacking in a certain area, you can focus entirely on the lessons and exercises to improve that area. The second way to use this book is to read it straight through for the lessons and advise while using the exercises to further your writing. Either way, I believe that any writer will find "What If?" a useful tool.
43 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I teach creative writing in the UCLA Writer's Program (online) and always recommend this book to my students as one of the two best books (along with Janet Burroway's "Writing Fiction") on the craft of writing ever penned. I have used the information in this book time and again in writing my own novels and stories ("The Death of Tarpons" (novel), "Monday's Meal" (story collection), "Over Easy" (thriller forthcoming from Random House, 1999). A more intelligent book than this has yet to be written. If you aspire to create memorable, quality prose, you must buy this book! It will aid you throughout your writing career in thousands of ways. Five stars is not enough to award this book, which I'm sure is destined to become a classic if it is not already considered so.
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have been teaching writing and using this book for over five years. It has been beyond invaluable for me and my students, and I don't know how I am going to live without it.
The earlier, brown version is not the greatest, but the "Revised and Expanded" 1995 edition (blue cover) is fabulous. We were supposed to get a new 2000 edition in January, but now I heard that Prentice-Hall has decided not to do the new edition. So "What If?" is now out of print. NO!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bent
This book is really really awesome. There is a plethora of ideas, lessons, and examples. You'll be able to break out of your writer's block!
Published 1 month ago by cminju
Wonderful Resource
This book is a great resource for writers. It's the only book of its kind that I've read that actually helped me produce stories. Read more
Published 2 months ago by RaeLou
An Amazing Tool For All Writers
I love this book. As a creative writer, I find it really helpful and the excercises are great. In fact, my friends want to buy this book even though they don't want to. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kelsey
Good book!
This book was a requirement for a course. The material was presented in a clear manner. It wasn't too hard to get through, and it definitely added to the overall class experience. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Brandon Lee Blessing
The Occasional Writer Tries Her Hand at Fiction
I bought this book on a whim because it sounded intriguing. As a former attorney and high school English teacher, I have both written and taught writing for many years. Read more
Published 5 months ago by English Teacher
A wonderful resource for writers of all kinds
This is what textbooks should be: engaging, practical, dynamic, instructive. It's really pushing my writing into places that I didn't realize it needed to go. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Amber Dahlin
Writings in Fiction
I used this book as a textbook book in my Writings in Fiction class. The exercises in this book really made me think about how and what I was writing. Good writing book.
Published 7 months ago by Jackie B.
Teaching exercises without a teacher to teach them
Someone recommended this book as the best book she'd ever encountered. It is quite possibly the best collection of "creative writing" exercises I've ever encountered. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jodi Henley
What If? drew out the best in me
I purchased this book for a creative writing course and I must say that it really helped to bring out some really awesome ideas. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jolena Close
Great shipping speed
I didn't realize until after I purchased it what an old writing book it was. But it still has excellent advice and the shipping speed was very fast.
Published 10 months ago by Bryan O
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
NEW WRITERS OFTEN FIND BEGINNINGS DIFFICULT-WHETHER they're starting a story or a novel-because they take the word "beginning" too literally. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Judith, Flannery O'Connor, Henry James, Paris Review, Story Machine, Virginia Woolf, Margaret Atwood, David Ray, Doctor Pantry, Evelyn Waugh, John Smith, Miss Ferenczi, Money Club New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
NEW WRITERS OFTEN FIND BEGINNINGS DIFFICULT-WHETHER they're starting a story or a novel-because they take the word "beginning" too literally. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Judith, Flannery O'Connor, Henry James, Paris Review, Story Machine, Virginia Woolf, Margaret Atwood, David Ray, Doctor Pantry, Evelyn Waugh, John Smith, Miss Ferenczi, Money Club New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
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- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald on page 50, page 133, and page 213
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- Sandstorm by James Rollins on 4 pages
- Black Order (Sigma Force, Book 3) by James Rollins on page 206, page 245, and page 262
- Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing by Les Edgerton on page 134, page 188, and page 232
- Directing the Writing Workshop: An Elementary Teacher's Handbook (Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy) by Jean Wallace Gillet EdD on page 67, page 92, and page 125
- Learning Through Storytelling in Higher Education: Using Reflection and Experience to Improve Learning by Maxine Alterio on page 78, and Back Matter
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