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A review by gengelcox
Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanderMeer
4.0
A very interesting writing book with both a prose and visual style that mirrors the weird, iconoclast nature of its author, VanderMeer, who has long favored more surreal and strange fiction. I first discovered VanderMeer with his Ministry of Whimsey Press, and in the next few decades, he’s become a force in the field, both for his editing (anthologies like [b:The New Weird|920795|The New Weird|Ann VanderMeer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395145908l/920795._SX50_.jpg|905827]) and his novels (particularly The Southern Reach trilogy, which includes [b:Annihilation|17934530|Annihilation (Southern Reach #1)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403941587l/17934530._SX50_.jpg|24946895]). I glanced through this at the bookstore and thought it would be a refreshing change of pace from the traditional writing manuals, and I wasn’t wrong.
There is a lot of material here, and I’ve even got the revised and expanded edition, which added more. While not all of it is appropriate to my process—and no writing book ever will be—there’s some things here that I’ll need to revisit several times in order to really appreciate. The beginnings and endings section in particular hit me hard, as I’ve a tendency to start weakly, focusing on character or setting building rather than motivation and tension, and it’s something I really want to get better at.
The best thing about this book, however, is its focus on imaginative literature—i.e., science fiction, fantasy, and horror. While all writers could benefit from the basics that VanderMeer goes through here, he understands some of the conventions of genre and also the many pitfalls. Worthwhile reading for writers.
There is a lot of material here, and I’ve even got the revised and expanded edition, which added more. While not all of it is appropriate to my process—and no writing book ever will be—there’s some things here that I’ll need to revisit several times in order to really appreciate. The beginnings and endings section in particular hit me hard, as I’ve a tendency to start weakly, focusing on character or setting building rather than motivation and tension, and it’s something I really want to get better at.
The best thing about this book, however, is its focus on imaginative literature—i.e., science fiction, fantasy, and horror. While all writers could benefit from the basics that VanderMeer goes through here, he understands some of the conventions of genre and also the many pitfalls. Worthwhile reading for writers.