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kcarri's review
4.5
TL;DR: perhaps some of this is lost on me as UK writer but still a worthwhile read for any writer who doesn't fit publishing's typical mould.
annamickreads's review
4.0
I wish we had read this when I was taking writing classes in college!!! Hopefully as more educators and writing instructors become aware of it, "Craft in the Real World" will become a staple for those who are learning about writing and workshopping their work.
This book is, as many others have noted, sort of a two-parter. The first unpacks "craft" and how what constitutes as "good" writing is often biased towards white, Western storytelling notions, which is something that I have seen discussed in writing communities online in the present — lately, especially regarding the concept of an "active" protagonist. Readers are challenged to confront their cultural biases and be more thoughtful when it comes to reading works outside their experience.
The second half of a book has some exercises that should be helpful to any writers planning on workshopping their work, along with some notes from Salesses' experiences in MFA
This book is, as many others have noted, sort of a two-parter. The first unpacks "craft" and how what constitutes as "good" writing is often biased towards white, Western storytelling notions, which is something that I have seen discussed in writing communities online in the present — lately, especially regarding the concept of an "active" protagonist. Readers are challenged to confront their cultural biases and be more thoughtful when it comes to reading works outside their experience.
The second half of a book has some exercises that should be helpful to any writers planning on workshopping their work, along with some notes from Salesses' experiences in MFA
kleonard's review
5.0
An utterly brilliant book that I am recommending to anyone who writes or teaches writing. Salesses unpacks the white, male history of the writing workshop and writing criticism, and uncovers how what is taught as "good writing" is just something that ticks the boxes these writers have made. By encouraging the use of different forms and approaches to writing, and with suggestions for changing the oppressive value structure present in writing and writing evaluation, he asks us all to rethink how we write and teach writing.