How to Write Short Stories 3E (ARCO's Concise Writing Guides) [Paperback]

Arco (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0028622014 | ISBN-13: 978-0028622019 | Publication Date: January 26, 1998 | Edition: 3rd

An update of the classic guide to constructing insightful, well-crafted short stories.

Product Details

• Paperback: 133 pages
• Publisher: Arco; 3rd edition (January 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028622014
• ISBN-13: 978-0028622019
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,616,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A terrible guide that models bad writing, June 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Write Short Stories 3E (ARCO's Concise Writing Guides) (Paperback)

I bought this book based on reviews here and was horribly disappointed. To describe it as "an upadate of the classic guide to constructing insightful, well-crafted short stories" is ridiculous. The book features a VERY poorly written, awkward, hackish "model" short story called "Mosquito" that demonstrates all kinds of terrible traits but says they are good. A sample exchange from that story: "What'd you do that for!" Todd demanded without lifting his eyes. "It was hurting," said Andrew, as he carefully picked the mosquito from the small stain in which its crumpled body adhered." Other examples from the text are so poor they're almost comical. To illustrate metaphor: "Her moods are the endless myriads of a kaleidoscope."

Buy this book only if you miss instruction from amateurish creative writing teachers and think good writing consists of finding a humdred different ways to say, "he said." You'd be far better off with SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS, which intelligently describes the kinds of faults this book exemplifies. Then you can REALLY learn how to show not tell, which this book also proclaims--and then demonstrates the opposite. A classic indeed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It's okay for new writers, July 18, 2007

By 

Bryan Catherman (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Write Short Stories 4E (Arco How to Write Short Stories) (Paperback)

I'd recommend this book, BUT only to short story writers who are considering the short story medium; that's to say, newer writers who are just starting to get a feel for the short story. This book is basic; and I'd expect nothing less of a "How To" book as thin as 135 pages. How to Write Short Stories reminds us that every good short story has a setting, a plot (with conflict), character development, and a theme. The book dives into dialogue and description, but the examples aren't that great. Is your story best told in the first or third person, or some variation? This book also opens the door to the strengths and weaknesses of perspective. It's not a bad book and it reads quickly, but it feels like a creative writing 101 class at a local community college. (Nothing against community colleges. I received my first two degrees from a community college.) The best part of this book is that it uses "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne as one of its samples. (However, is analyzing a classic without analyzing a modern written short story wise? That is like analyzing the movie, "Casablanca" as an approach to making movies today. The classics are great, but we need to look at the art form across time.)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Literary Short Story Books, October 15, 2002

By 

Sandra Merz (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Write Short Stories (Paperback)

Ms. Sorenson's book was the perfect accompanament to a short story course I took last January 2002 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The course taught how to write short stories that get accepted for literary magazines. It was taught by a young woman with a Master's Degree in Creative Writing. The course was excellent and when I found this book, I felt it was the course all over again. It covers so much of what we took, and, of course, I couldn't remember everything. This book, which I have already read once, is the perfect reference book for writing literary short stories. I have been recommending it to anyone interested in the short story writing form. I can't tell you how happy I was to have found it. I have read so many books on how to write short stories and they all tend to be the same, but this one takes your hand and walks you step by step through the process. I can't praise this book enough.

Keep up the good work, Ms. Sorenson.

Sandra Merz.