Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (5th Edition) [Paperback]

Janet Burroway (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321026896 | ISBN-13: 978-0321026897 | Publication Date: July 21, 1999 | Edition: 5 Sub

This comprehensive, informal, practical guide/anthology approaches the elements of fiction from the writer's point of view. Writing Fiction, 5/e, includes freewriting to revision, addressing how writers must work through problems in plot, style, characterization, dialogue, atmosphere, imagery, and point of view to write exciting and fresh stories. The tone of this market-leading text is non-prescriptive and personal, helping students feel comfortable with themselves and their writing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Longman Publishing Group; 5 Sub edition (July 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321026896
• ISBN-13: 978-0321026897
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

150 of 156 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book--learned on it, taught on it, May 17, 2000

By 

Dave Cullen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (5th Edition) (Paperback)

This is THE book on fiction writing, and I've read plenty. I used it in the first fiction course I took, and used it on my own students, when I taught undergrads at U of Colorado. And I had them rate the various readings I assigned, and these came out on top.

It takes one key issue (character, plot, POV ...) at a time, spends a chapter on it, in very concrete terms, with lots of examples from classic and contemporary great works. It really unveils the magic behind great writing.

For inspiration and left-brain exercises, get Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones." That's the best book for what it is. But that book is all about getting the writing going, making it happen; this is the book for UNDERSTANDING what's behind it, decoding why some characters are so fascinating, how the author made them so multi-faceted. It's the book that helps you understand how it works. It's the classic for that.

54 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for serious novelists, September 1, 1999

By 

J. M. Taylor (Lutz, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (5th Edition) (Paperback)

Every section teaches a critical skill, each essential for the mastery of novel writing. My copy is thumbworn from constant reference on how to apply specific techniques. If you are a beginning novelist and want to understand how to get started on the right foot, you must read this book.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a classic, June 4, 2000

By 

"planet2" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (5th Edition) (Paperback)

This is the most thorough and intelligent fiction writing textbook on the market. I only wish it were less expensive, for it deserves to be read more widely. Each chapter is followed by brilliant short stories ranging from classics such as "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien and "The Use of Force" by William Carlos Williams to more recent works by young writers such as Sherman Alexie and Lan Samantha Chang. A must-read for any serious fiction writer.