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A review by imrogers
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner
4.0
Yeah, it's pompous as hell -- but Gardner knows his shit, and knows it well. Few guides could even attempt to explore the theoretical underpinnings of fiction as well as this one -- the complex mechanics of how stories work, and how a writer's tone, plot, and stylistic choices play into them. While many of these discussions will no doubt be daunting for the "Young Writers" mentioned in the subtitle, those with a bit more experience under their belts will no doubt find this fascinating, if a bit overboard at times.
The most useful section for emerging writers is no doubt Chapter 5 - Common Errors, which goes through step-by-step what makes clunky sentences clunky and how writers can fix them, and serves as a more practical guide compared to the rest of the book. Fellow writers, don't be swayed by its age, pick this one up!
The most useful section for emerging writers is no doubt Chapter 5 - Common Errors, which goes through step-by-step what makes clunky sentences clunky and how writers can fix them, and serves as a more practical guide compared to the rest of the book. Fellow writers, don't be swayed by its age, pick this one up!