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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
During his tenure as professor of English and creative writing at Temple University, Delany has become almost as well known for his criticism as for his award-winning science fiction. His latest nonfiction book is a compilation of finely nuanced essays, letters, and interviews devoted to the craft of writing. After a long, autobiographical introduction comes a pair of essays, "Teaching/Writing" and "Thickening the Plot," that grew out of Delany's experience with the renowned Clarion Workshops. In the remaining essays, as well as in five interviews for assorted periodicals and four letters to fellow authors, Delany expounds on the many elements of good writing. An extended appendix of "nits, nips, tucks and tips" probes such topics as dialogue and dramatic structure for the benefit of novice authors. Although Delany's strong associations with sf may limit the audience for this masterfully written volume, it deserves a reading by aspiring wordsmiths in every genre. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.
Review
"... should go on the short list of required reading for every would-be writer."--New York Times Book Review (on "Of Doubts and Dreams" in About Writing)
"Enlightening and useful. I would place this book with Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg and Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury."--Gavin Grant, co-editor, The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror
"Delany has certainly spent more time thinking about the process of generating narratives--and subsequently getting the fruits of his lucubrations down on paper--than any other writer in the genre. ...Delany's latest volume in this vein (About Writing) might be his best yet... Truly, as the jacket copy boasts, this book is the next best thing to taking one of Delany's courses... (R)eaders will find many answers here to the mysteries of getting words down on a page."--Paul DiFilippo, Asimov's Science Fiction
"If you are, like me, a writer--or if you are, also like me involved in the teaching of writing--you regularly find yourself reading books about writing because you are intent upon finding the perfect writer's instructional resource. Well, About Writing may, in fact, be that resource. Seven Essays focus on the different aspects of what Delany calls "the mechanics of fiction"; correspondence and interviews contain "advice on the art of fiction as well as [Delany's] views on the state of contemporary fiction...The result is a revelation on the art of fiction: how it is created, how the writer's image influences the perception of art, and how that art fits into today's world." Finally, About Writing contains 13 appendixes' each is an exquisite "mini-workshop," with topics such as "Grammar and Parts of Speech," "Dramatic Structure," "Point of View," and more. To some readers, Delany the novelist is linked to science fiction (he has won Hugo and Nebula awards), and to other readers, he is recognized as an innovative artist whose work has earned him the William Whitehead Memorial Award for a lifetime's contribution to gay and lesbian literature. However, as many students from Temple University and hundreds of writers' workshops already know. Delany is an inspiration and meticulous teacher who has taught creative writing for over 35 years. Now, because of this highly recommended collection, all writers--and teachers of writing--can enjoy and learn from Delany's indispensable guidance." --Multicultural Review
See all Editorial Reviews
During his tenure as professor of English and creative writing at Temple University, Delany has become almost as well known for his criticism as for his award-winning science fiction. His latest nonfiction book is a compilation of finely nuanced essays, letters, and interviews devoted to the craft of writing. After a long, autobiographical introduction comes a pair of essays, "Teaching/Writing" and "Thickening the Plot," that grew out of Delany's experience with the renowned Clarion Workshops. In the remaining essays, as well as in five interviews for assorted periodicals and four letters to fellow authors, Delany expounds on the many elements of good writing. An extended appendix of "nits, nips, tucks and tips" probes such topics as dialogue and dramatic structure for the benefit of novice authors. Although Delany's strong associations with sf may limit the audience for this masterfully written volume, it deserves a reading by aspiring wordsmiths in every genre. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.
Review
"... should go on the short list of required reading for every would-be writer."--New York Times Book Review (on "Of Doubts and Dreams" in About Writing)
"Enlightening and useful. I would place this book with Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg and Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury."--Gavin Grant, co-editor, The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror
"Delany has certainly spent more time thinking about the process of generating narratives--and subsequently getting the fruits of his lucubrations down on paper--than any other writer in the genre. ...Delany's latest volume in this vein (About Writing) might be his best yet... Truly, as the jacket copy boasts, this book is the next best thing to taking one of Delany's courses... (R)eaders will find many answers here to the mysteries of getting words down on a page."--Paul DiFilippo, Asimov's Science Fiction
"If you are, like me, a writer--or if you are, also like me involved in the teaching of writing--you regularly find yourself reading books about writing because you are intent upon finding the perfect writer's instructional resource. Well, About Writing may, in fact, be that resource. Seven Essays focus on the different aspects of what Delany calls "the mechanics of fiction"; correspondence and interviews contain "advice on the art of fiction as well as [Delany's] views on the state of contemporary fiction...The result is a revelation on the art of fiction: how it is created, how the writer's image influences the perception of art, and how that art fits into today's world." Finally, About Writing contains 13 appendixes' each is an exquisite "mini-workshop," with topics such as "Grammar and Parts of Speech," "Dramatic Structure," "Point of View," and more. To some readers, Delany the novelist is linked to science fiction (he has won Hugo and Nebula awards), and to other readers, he is recognized as an innovative artist whose work has earned him the William Whitehead Memorial Award for a lifetime's contribution to gay and lesbian literature. However, as many students from Temple University and hundreds of writers' workshops already know. Delany is an inspiration and meticulous teacher who has taught creative writing for over 35 years. Now, because of this highly recommended collection, all writers--and teachers of writing--can enjoy and learn from Delany's indispensable guidance." --Multicultural Review
See all Editorial Reviews
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