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jameseckman's review against another edition
4.0
Rereading this reminds that as far as writing books go, Gardner may be the winner in the Sassy and Snarky category. His argument that to write great fiction requires reading and understanding great fiction is one of the few decent reasons for an MLA degree. Still fun after a second reading.
Since it's organized as a series of essays on different topics it makes a great bedside reader. It's not something you have to consume in one mighty gulp.
Since it's organized as a series of essays on different topics it makes a great bedside reader. It's not something you have to consume in one mighty gulp.
christytidwell's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of very, very many books on how to write fiction. Gardner's book strives to offer more than the multitude of alternatives do, however, and, generally, I'd say he succeeds.
The first half of the book is devoted to more theoretical discussions of the art of fiction, some of which is very useful and some of which is quite particular to Gardner's own literary tastes. And his tastes definitely color the advice he gives. It is mostly sound advice for those who wish to write fiction in the tradition of the "greats" (e.g., classical literature and such relatively modern writers as Tolstoy and Melville), but it is provided with a heaping side dish of condescension for everyone else. (Particularly troublesome for me is his repeated dismissal and unwarranted criticism of literature teachers.)
Reading Gardner's book requires the ability to let condescension and elitism slide. He frequently comes off as a pompous jerk, but he's a pompous jerk who knows his stuff. Attitude problems aside, after all, Gardner does provide great advice and a clear theoretical approach to writing fiction.
For practical purposes, the second half of the book, devoted to a discussion of common mistakes and how to avoid them, is particularly useful. In the first half of the book, Gardner develops the idea that fiction should be as an uninterrupted dream, that technique should bolster the experience of this dream and not interrupt it. So the common errors and techniques he discusses primarily address this issue of creating a fictional world and assisting the reader in the uninhibited and uninterrupted experience of it. He discusses such problems as inappropriate or inconsistent diction, problems within sentences (accidental rhyme, inappropriate rhythm, overloaded sentences), careless shifts in psychic distance, and "faults of soul" (by which he means sentimentality, frigidity, and mannerism--I'm not sure they have to do with the soul, really, but his criticisms of their presence in literature are well-presented). Most practically useful and least often found in other books on writing fiction that I have read are 1) the section on rhythm in writing prose, in which he provides sample sentences analyzed with metrical analysis and briefly discusses poetic terminology I'd forgotten (iambs, dactyls, anapests, etc.) in the interest of helping the writer make artistic decisions on a sentence by sentence level, and 2) a chapter on plotting, in which he discusses various approaches to plotting and how these various approaches may work well or less well with different forms (e.g., short story, novella, novel) or with different plot structures. This chapter is particularly helpful because of his extended examples. He models the way the process would work in much the same way a good teacher models practices and behavior in class. This is immensely helpful, even if I do not agree with all of his ideas about what kinds of stories are worth writing. His advice, in the end, is useful only for realist fiction. If you are interested in metafiction or more experimental techniques, you will need to go elsewhere.
Even with my reservations about Gardner's attitude, and even with the limitations he imposes, I would consider using this text to teach, were I ever in a position to teach creative writing. It would certainly not be the only text I would use (I would want to have a less condescending counter to Gardner), but it would likely prove quite useful, if not in full, then at least in part. If nothing else, the long list of exercises at the end of the book is worth pillaging for use in my current freshman writing courses as applied to personal writing and developing a consistent and compelling style.
The first half of the book is devoted to more theoretical discussions of the art of fiction, some of which is very useful and some of which is quite particular to Gardner's own literary tastes. And his tastes definitely color the advice he gives. It is mostly sound advice for those who wish to write fiction in the tradition of the "greats" (e.g., classical literature and such relatively modern writers as Tolstoy and Melville), but it is provided with a heaping side dish of condescension for everyone else. (Particularly troublesome for me is his repeated dismissal and unwarranted criticism of literature teachers.)
Reading Gardner's book requires the ability to let condescension and elitism slide. He frequently comes off as a pompous jerk, but he's a pompous jerk who knows his stuff. Attitude problems aside, after all, Gardner does provide great advice and a clear theoretical approach to writing fiction.
For practical purposes, the second half of the book, devoted to a discussion of common mistakes and how to avoid them, is particularly useful. In the first half of the book, Gardner develops the idea that fiction should be as an uninterrupted dream, that technique should bolster the experience of this dream and not interrupt it. So the common errors and techniques he discusses primarily address this issue of creating a fictional world and assisting the reader in the uninhibited and uninterrupted experience of it. He discusses such problems as inappropriate or inconsistent diction, problems within sentences (accidental rhyme, inappropriate rhythm, overloaded sentences), careless shifts in psychic distance, and "faults of soul" (by which he means sentimentality, frigidity, and mannerism--I'm not sure they have to do with the soul, really, but his criticisms of their presence in literature are well-presented). Most practically useful and least often found in other books on writing fiction that I have read are 1) the section on rhythm in writing prose, in which he provides sample sentences analyzed with metrical analysis and briefly discusses poetic terminology I'd forgotten (iambs, dactyls, anapests, etc.) in the interest of helping the writer make artistic decisions on a sentence by sentence level, and 2) a chapter on plotting, in which he discusses various approaches to plotting and how these various approaches may work well or less well with different forms (e.g., short story, novella, novel) or with different plot structures. This chapter is particularly helpful because of his extended examples. He models the way the process would work in much the same way a good teacher models practices and behavior in class. This is immensely helpful, even if I do not agree with all of his ideas about what kinds of stories are worth writing. His advice, in the end, is useful only for realist fiction. If you are interested in metafiction or more experimental techniques, you will need to go elsewhere.
Even with my reservations about Gardner's attitude, and even with the limitations he imposes, I would consider using this text to teach, were I ever in a position to teach creative writing. It would certainly not be the only text I would use (I would want to have a less condescending counter to Gardner), but it would likely prove quite useful, if not in full, then at least in part. If nothing else, the long list of exercises at the end of the book is worth pillaging for use in my current freshman writing courses as applied to personal writing and developing a consistent and compelling style.
gwiltyascharged's review against another edition
2.0
This came off as pretentious and misogynistic due to the "gender-neutral" use of "he/his/him" when referring to "writers" or authors. This is apparently one of the cornerstone books on craft, and I was kind of disappointed.
pandagirlmb's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled a lot with this book. The legitimate good advice in it was nearly overpowered at times by Gardner's elitism and ego. I had to put the book down a few times and walk away, not because his opinions were challenging but because the assumption that they were absolutely correct was infuriating. I mean, I should have known from the beginning when I read the words "serious literary artists" that I would have issues with at least some of Gardner's opinions. And, to be fair, when he focused more on the actual elements of constructing a story/novel, a lot of that elitism faded away (or I was so used to it that I just glossed over it).
Considering that I was told this was a fantastic book on writing, I was disappointed. I've read a lot of the same things elsewhere in much more accessible language and without the unnecessary ego trip. Take some of the advice with a huge grain of salt because it relies more on his opinion of what is "right" rather than anything that can be proven. I still don't understand why he's so in love with third-person omniscient over any other POV, but to each man his own. This was honestly a book I could have skipped. (Also, his examples of good writers are overwhelmingly male and white so that was frustrating because there are so many excellent writers out there who don't fall into one or either of those categories and relying so heavily on the same writers who are constantly talked about felt like it was only continuing the cycle of celebrating the straight white male novelist.)
Considering that I was told this was a fantastic book on writing, I was disappointed. I've read a lot of the same things elsewhere in much more accessible language and without the unnecessary ego trip. Take some of the advice with a huge grain of salt because it relies more on his opinion of what is "right" rather than anything that can be proven. I still don't understand why he's so in love with third-person omniscient over any other POV, but to each man his own. This was honestly a book I could have skipped. (Also, his examples of good writers are overwhelmingly male and white so that was frustrating because there are so many excellent writers out there who don't fall into one or either of those categories and relying so heavily on the same writers who are constantly talked about felt like it was only continuing the cycle of celebrating the straight white male novelist.)
amcorbin's review against another edition
4.0
No book on craft is perfect, but this one is much better than most I've read in recent memory. Like any book (any at all, but particularly ones on craft and the theory of how to do things) it isn't right for everyone. This isn't about commercialism; it's about Art. A lot of lovely, nerdy thoughts on what fiction is and does and the art of it seeps in through the early chapters. Hence the title.
joreadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
informative
4.5
Dense af but looks at storytelling from such a high level that's a valuable reset
martinjacobd's review against another edition
5.0
If you are looking for a style guide or a set of tips on how to write, look elsewhere (Strunk & White perhaps?). This is, however, an excellently-written guide on the various decisions a fiction writer has to make and their effects. Gardner takes the opinion that fiction (as opposed to metafiction or other tricks that play with the idea of fiction itself) is a dream that the writer has that he or she inducts the reader into. And the job of the writer is to make this dream vivid and believable. He then follows this with practical advice on how to do that. The book is worth its price merely for the exercises at the end of the book, and the advice he gives earlier in the book is equally valuable.
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