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gothicgunslinger's review against another edition
5.0
I got distracted from this book over the summer, but I finally got back to it and finished it today. A really good craft book for those looking to hone their creative writing. Gardner has fantastic points and examples. It can get a bit pedantic in its tone, but I still consider it one of the essential books for writers. It was mentioned in almost every writing class I've ever had and I'm glad I finally read the entire thing, not just handouts given to me by my professors.
kaqueershi's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed when Gardner went into specifics and found the 'Common Errors' chapter especially helpful. But everything else, his Theory of Fiction, was much more academic and a bit over my head. Bonus points for multiple Howard the Duck references though.
venusiandreamer's review against another edition
2.0
I had to read this for my creative writing class and I definitely think that Gardner had some great insight into Fiction.
The hard thing to wrap my head around was that everything had a loophole. There was structure, but if you deviated you were only allowed to do so for the sake of a unique vision. I like that there was this modern and less critical view on fiction, however, when you are reading in order to see into a critic's perspective, it's hard to take seriously when you can just claim mistakes or deviations from the norm as purposeful.
One thing I appreciated was the examples and exercises that Gardner provided. He allows people from all different backgrounds and education levels to enjoy his work and put his theory into praxis. This si really important and making this accessible to anyone reading the book is super important.
The hard thing to wrap my head around was that everything had a loophole. There was structure, but if you deviated you were only allowed to do so for the sake of a unique vision. I like that there was this modern and less critical view on fiction, however, when you are reading in order to see into a critic's perspective, it's hard to take seriously when you can just claim mistakes or deviations from the norm as purposeful.
One thing I appreciated was the examples and exercises that Gardner provided. He allows people from all different backgrounds and education levels to enjoy his work and put his theory into praxis. This si really important and making this accessible to anyone reading the book is super important.
dalcecilruno's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books on writing I've read. No magic formulas, no quick and easy. There is a lot to unpack here, and the book will remain one of my craft companions for many years to come.
After reading all the sections, there are several writing exercises for the reader to start a concrete practice. It's fantastic, you don't need more of my rambles, go read it.
After reading all the sections, there are several writing exercises for the reader to start a concrete practice. It's fantastic, you don't need more of my rambles, go read it.
rpmirabella's review against another edition
3.0
If you're looking for encouragement look elsewhere. Useful, yes, and a good foundation, but also scary. If you write any kind of "genre" fiction, Gardner has nothing kind to say to you.
beckysrlyacat's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Elitist and kind of boring, but had a few good tips.
sydneythebookpal's review against another edition
a book about the self importance of dead white guys by a self important dead white guy
davenash's review against another edition
4.0
Other books on writing are geared to early beginners or spend a lot of time on style (word choice , sentences, pargraphs). The art of fiction speaks to a more advanced amateur. Gardner makes unique observations about writing and give wise advice.
Some main takeaways - fiction is like a dream, you have to keep it going by adding in real details. Fiction is composed in structural units, its not one big breath, its more like a series of excercise. Most of the characters, dialogue and action is obligatory based on other events in the novel. Professional writers always play for keeps - nothing is an exercise unless it doesn't work. Keep mining. You can get away with almost anything with character and action.
Some main takeaways - fiction is like a dream, you have to keep it going by adding in real details. Fiction is composed in structural units, its not one big breath, its more like a series of excercise. Most of the characters, dialogue and action is obligatory based on other events in the novel. Professional writers always play for keeps - nothing is an exercise unless it doesn't work. Keep mining. You can get away with almost anything with character and action.
tacomandandysavage's review against another edition
3.0
John Gardner's posthumous "Art of Fiction" contains insights on important subjects for aspiring fiction writers to think about. Vital, even. I've never been more vigilant about the efficacy of verb forms, or the rhythm of prose, then after reading his thoughts on those topics.
And yet.
The book comes in at 206 pages, and maybe 20 of those contained useful information. The remainder felt like a never-ending, disorganized stream of asides, biases and humble-brags. Reading this was not unlike the experience of seeking out, say, the password for the office computer system from a coworker and finding oneself stuck in an unwelcome monologue about their morning jog, the eggs they had for breakfast, the quality of their commute, and their opinion on the City Council's latest ordinance on road maintenance. They know you need the information, therefore they know you'll put up with the inconvenience.
Read it. Internalize it. Don't take every word as law. This is a man who spent most of the time he could have spent writing either drinking, or trading in his wives for newer models.
His worst sin, in my opinion, was his belief that it's emotionally manipulative to take full advantage of paragraph breaks. Because it's cheating to use a basic composition tool in a way he didn't prefer. Obviously.
And yet.
The book comes in at 206 pages, and maybe 20 of those contained useful information. The remainder felt like a never-ending, disorganized stream of asides, biases and humble-brags. Reading this was not unlike the experience of seeking out, say, the password for the office computer system from a coworker and finding oneself stuck in an unwelcome monologue about their morning jog, the eggs they had for breakfast, the quality of their commute, and their opinion on the City Council's latest ordinance on road maintenance. They know you need the information, therefore they know you'll put up with the inconvenience.
Read it. Internalize it. Don't take every word as law. This is a man who spent most of the time he could have spent writing either drinking, or trading in his wives for newer models.
His worst sin, in my opinion, was his belief that it's emotionally manipulative to take full advantage of paragraph breaks. Because it's cheating to use a basic composition tool in a way he didn't prefer. Obviously.