Customer Reviews

Writing the Short Story: A Hands-On Writing Program

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I'm a person who in the past has sold short stories to smaller publications. Having not written anything for a few years, I purchased this book to help me get back into the habit of writing. I was a little hesitant because I usually consider all the reviews before I make a decision on a buying a book, and there were none for this one. How thankful I am that I went ahead and purchased it anyway! I'm finding it to be a wonderful "writing course". I used to write a story by thinking of an idea and going from there--I found this method hard, and often I ended up with a shapeless mess. With the new method I'm learning from Bickham's book, I use notecards to plot and plan everything in logical detail BEFORE I start to write the story. It's much easier and it's fun! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to write a properly structured story--and actually enjoy doing it.

When Jack Bickham was a student at the University of Oklahoma, his teacher and mentor was Dwight Swain. Swain was one of the finest writing instructors of his generation -- right up there with John Gardner -- and many who were fortunate enough to study with him went on to publication.

Bickham went on not only to publish many science fiction and western stories and books but to teach writing, continuing in the fine tradition of his mentor. This is not the only book he has published with Writer's Digest Books, but it's one of the best. In fact, for novice and published pro alike, it's one of the finest books on writing extant.

Too many amateur writers reject the notion that stories and books are constructed. They expect to sit down and write for an hour -- an evening at the most -- and produce The Great American Short Story. But writing doesn't work that way and Bickham has done a fine job of organizing the muse and showing the writer just how to pull the most out of his creativity.

WRITING THE SHORT STORY is a program geared to lead the writer through inspiration to publication. Acknowledging at the beginning that published works today SEEM to lack form, he proceeds to show just how much form a story must have. By definition the short story has a "beginning, a middle and an end" and here Bickham provides a story roadmap practically guaranteed to produce a publishable finished work.

Writing isn't easy. At least it's not if you want to be published. The writer has to know him/herself and must know the markets and the competition equally well. All that learned, s/he must proceed to understand the structure of the story as well as the importance of characters and characterization. Then there's how setting and mood affect the story. And more...from the story map to marketing, and it's all here.

Follow the assignments in the book and you'll learn. I don't care how often you've been published or what you've published -- there are lessons to be learned here.

In all, I'd say this is one of the finest books on writing in print. Any writer who studies Dwight Swain's books and Jack Bickham's books and follows their directions with practice and persistence WILL be published.

I have bought several books on cretive writing and I am sure this is the best so far, specially for starters. The author does not wander in philosophical discussions or sentimental nonsense, this book is filled with sound, solid advice to help you start your own literary process. It seems to be a little formulaic some times but it didn't bother me at all, because the idea is to give you a starting structure and help you develop your own modus operandi. A must have!!!

I have to admit I've read quite a few books on writing fiction. Most of them try to take what is essentially an intuitive and difficult process and fire it down to clear, easy to follow instructions. Just like the most mediocre cook can work wonders with the right recipe, we hope that it can be that simple with fiction. Bickman's book has a lot to recommend it. Were it not for this book, I might not have discovered just what a great resource a box of notecards can be for the writer. If I hadn't followed his rather rigid course, I might not have a recipe box full of story ideas and characters for myself. But, at the same time, his methods, can be, in the end, a bit formulaic. It can ruin what is the hardest and most wonderful part of writing fiction: the process of discovery. Writers need structure, and Bickman's structure may work very well for some writers. If you are writing genre fiction, where the story is more conventional and peppered with your own personality, it might work for you. Otherwise -- I'm afraid -- you're still on your own. Still, I recommend any writer take a look at this system, snatch and borrow the pieces that work with your routine for getting the job done. Bickman is a good fellow to look to for advice on writing, but don't expect his methods to work 100% for you.

I haven't finished going through this book, because each chapter opens a new world of writing to you and takes quite some time. The habits that he teaches may not work for you as a writer forever, but try them anyway, because they are informative and illustrative in a way I had never imagined.

This is the best book on short story writing I own. It really teaches, and it pulls from the inside. It makes you learn about yourself as much as your craft, and forces you to break out of ruts you may not even have realized you'd fallen into.

My short story writing improved ten-fold since reading this book and I'm not even finished yet. Bravo!

I'm a person who in the past has sold short stories to smaller publications. Having not written anything for a few years, I purchased this book to help me get back into the habit of writing. I was a little hesitant because I usually consider all the reviews before I make a decision on a buying a book, and there were none for this one. How thankful I am that I went ahead and purchased it anyway! I'm finding it to be a wonderful "writing course". I used to write a story by thinking of an idea and going from there--I found this method hard, and often I ended up with a shapeless mess. With the new method I'm learning from Bickham's book, I use notecards to plot and plan everything in logical detail BEFORE I start to write the story. It's much easier and it's fun! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to write a properly structured story--and actually enjoy doing it.

Writing the Short Story was something of a disappointment to me. It wasn't a bad book. But I was expecting something that really delved into the short story and how it was different than the novel. Instead, it gave the author's technique for writing short stories. I'm not going to say that Bickham's technique is bad or wrong. It's certainly worked for him and he's published far more than I probably ever will. That said, his technique (essentially keeping everything you think of on note cards that you file and sort into stories, keeping separate cards for plots, setting, characters, etc.) was so arduous that I think I'd kill myself prior to trying it myself.

That said, if you're looking for a new organizational system for plotting short stories or novels, his technique might work for you. So if you're in that group, this might be worth a skim through at the library or bookstore. But if you're looking for a book on what makes a short story different than a novel, or on how to write a short story in your own idiosyncratic way, this may not be the best buy.

The book is exactly like it was described and it came in the time that was informed. I'm happy with my book. Thank you. I hope to buy more things from them in the future.

A writer writing about writing should write well. Well, better than well; to be taken seriously the presentation should be in itself dramatic, engaging, original, informative and insightful. Ideally it offer new insights, perspectives, information. This pedantic, boring book offers none of these. Nothing like these. Not even close.

The advice is thin, obvious, trite and I doubt
you can get anything substantive or useful.

When on an impulse I buy a book and discover it's not at all what I'd hoped for, I feel sad, even frustrated. With this flat-footed rehash of how-to expository I felt really irked, mad at myself.
It would far better if you just read fiction. And far more enjoyable, too.

If you must read a how-to tome, skim through brighter books of this kind by E.M. Forster, John Gardner, Robert Olmstead, Damon Knight, Rust Hills, Valerie Shaw, Francine Proust, Rick DeMartinis...
They inspire, point out what makes good writing good and artfully point the way.

Better yet, just read, then just write.