Customer Reviews

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

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Reviewed by C J Singh

In the preface to the seventh edition, Burroway notes that "the idea of a text for writing fiction is itself problematic. Unlike such subjects as math and history, where a certain mass of information needs to be organized and conveyed, the writing of fiction is more often a process of trial and error--the learning is perpetual and, paradoxically, the writer needs to know everything at once. If a text is too prescriptive, it's not true to the immense variety of possibilities; if it's too anecdotal, it may be cheering but is unlikely to be of use." Excellent criteria, emerging from the author's decades of writing and teaching experience. And this book succeeds: it's engaging and it isn't too prescriptive.

Comparing the contents of previous editions, I see that Burroway has experimented with different chapter sequences. In the sixth edition, plot discussion began in chapter 2 (page 30); in the seventh edition, plot discussion is relegated to chapter 7 (page 259). Very well, as the writer "needs to know everything at once" anyway, such experimentation could lead to a better text. Burroway's experimentation is, for the most part, based on the feedback she has regularly received from instructors of creative writing. Moreover, the new sequence reflects the author's emphasis on literary fiction, which, she notes "differs from genre fiction fundamentally in the fact that the former is character-driven, the latter plot-driven" (page 413).

The author clearly prefers literary fiction over genre fiction. (In her definition, genre fiction comprises detective story, science fiction, fantasy fiction, romance, adventure, spy, horror, and thriller.) "Writing literary fiction can teach you how to write good genre fiction, writing genre fiction does not teach you how to write good literary fiction--does not teach `how to write,' by which I mean how to be original and meaningful in words." Agreed. But I wonder why the book is not titled Writing Literary Fiction.

The seventh edition, like the previous editions, includes more than twenty-five short stories, most of them by contemporary writers such as Tobias Wolff, Joyce Carol Oates, and Charles Baxter. These three stories were also in the sixth edition. However, the seventh edition has dropped short-short stories altogether. I found writing short-shorts as a fast-track to learning basic fiction-writing skills. (Inspired by the short-shorts in the sixth edition, I wrote five short-shorts, all of which have been accepted for publication in ZYZZYVA literary magazine's August 2007 issue.) The seventh edition's major short-coming is the dropping of short-shorts.

For teaching yourself to write literary fiction, I recommend: beginning with Burroway's "Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft"; next Burroway's "Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft"; followed by Sarah Stone and Ron Nyren's "Deepening Fiction: A Practical Guide for Intermediate and Advanced Writers." (See my amazon listmania list "Writing Literary Fiction: Top Ten Books.")

-- C J Singh

This was the text in my Narrative Fiction Class in my MFA program in the 90s -- and I have kept it on my desk ever since!

This and John Dufresne's The Lie that Tells a Truth are invaluable companions to any writer of fiction.

The others tell about it already. If you can find an earlier edition of the book, save your money and get that. I was angry when I took a higher level creative fiction class and had to upgrade to the 7th edition, when I had a perfectly good 6th edition on my bookshelf. The main differences I can see are the order of the chapters, and some of the short stories used.

All that said, this is a great book with wonderful insight. I would highly recommend it.

I took a writing class several years ago and this was required reading. I found it to be a great resource. It is very simply organized and well written. The author gives some excellent examples that become quite memorable.
After college, I had misplaced my book. I loved it so much that I ordered another copy from Amazon.
If you want just the basics on creative writing, this would be a great book to start.

This book deserves some real estate on every writer's crowded bookshelf. Whether purchased for a class or for individual study, Burroway's book provides a solid grounding in scene construction, characterization, dialogue, point of view, and more, with readings to illustrate each lesson. This is a must-have manual for those seeking instruction in the elements of fiction.

This book covers every subject a serious writer of fiction should know. I bought an earlier edition of it as a student back in 1986 when took my first class in creative writing. I also used it as a text during the limited time I taught novel writing in continuing education at NMSU-C in 2000. There are other sources out there that address the issue of plotting for novels more effectively. But this is the absolute best source for the overall subject of narrative craft, bar none.

I had to get this book for a fiction workshop so the price was what it was, no negotiating textbooks.

I was pleaseed to discover how helpful and informative this book is. It is very well written and engaging and guides the reader well through the development of fiction. Many solid examples are given and the writer has many profound insights.

If it weren't a book for a class, search around for an older addition and buy it used. A great buy, but $60+ is too much for any book.

This book contains lots of helpful hints, projects and encouraging stories and words from other writers. If you're a writer, or just love the writing craft -- I seriously recommend this to you.

This textbook is a permanent addition to my library and will be used over and over. I am presently taking a course in Fiction Writing, maybe someday Amazon.com will carry my book.

Rather than focusing on abstract concepts of what a beginning writer should practice, the author provides constant and concrete examples of how to implement such concepts, which makes the book a lot easier to follow and very practical.