Read Like A Writer

There are two ways to learn how to write fiction: by reading it and by writing it. Yes, you can learn lots about writing stories in workshops, in writing classes and writing groups, at writers' conferences. You can learn technique and process by reading the dozens of books like this one on fiction writing and by reading articles in writers' magazines. But the best teachers of fiction are the great works of fiction themselves. You can learn more about the structure of a short story by reading Anton Chekhov's 'Heartache' than you can in a semester of Creative Writing 101. If you read like a writer, that is, which means you have to read everything twice, at least. When you read a story or novel the first time, just let it happen. Enjoy the journey. When you've finished, you know where the story took you, and now you can go back and reread, and this time notice how the writer reached that destination. Notice the choices he made at each chapter, each sentence, each word. (Every word is a choice.) You see now how the transitions work, how a character gets across a room. All this time you're learning. You loved the central character in the story, and now you can see how the writer presented the character and rendered her worthy of your love and attention. The first reading is creative—you collaborate with the writer in making the story. The second reading is critical.


John Dufresne, from his book, The Lie That Tells A Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction

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Sunday, December 4, 2022

The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works | #WritingBookoftheDay

The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works

is finally in stores and I couldn’t be more excited about it. 

 

Genres have more to do with how your story works than any other element — any other idea, plot device, character archetype, beat sheet, methodology, or prescribed structure — by far.

 

Whether you're writing for movies, TV, or novels, the game is won or lost in genres.

 

This book tells you exactly how to write the 14 major genres from which 99% of stories are made. 

 

They are: Horror, Action, Myth, Memoir and Coming-of-Age, Science Fiction, Crime, Comedy, Western, Gangster, Fantasy, Detective, Thriller, and Love Story.  

 

The first half of each chapter tells you how to execute the 15-20 specialized genre plot beats that must be in your story if you are to compete successfully with everyone else writing in your form. 

 

The second half tells you how to transcend your form and really separate yourself from the crowd by expressing the deep life philosophy found in that genre’s theme. 

 

Here’s what advanced readers are saying:

 

“Essential storytelling guidance... we're given the tools and techniques to make certain that our own specific stories can include the depth and beats necessary to illuminate advanced themes and complex plot in the most effective (but not formulaic) ways.” Christine Toy Johnson

 

“During my first pass, I stopped several times to capture thoughts and notes for my current work. This is perhaps the highest compliment I can offer - when a book prompts you to act immediately, the author has achieved something remarkable.” Michael Maloof

 

Get your copy of The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works

 

 


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