Free Classic Short Stories, Novels, Poetry and Books on Writing | Writer's Library (Writing Mastery): The Century Handbook of Writing Chart

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

The Century Handbook of Writing Chart

Transcriber's Note
The Century Handbook of Writing chart summarizing the table of contents found inside the front and back covers is presented below as an illustration and in tabular format. Download the PDF of this chart.

Chart summarizing table of contents, linked to a larger version

Sentence structure	Completeness of thought		1 Fragments misused as sentences	2 Incomplete constructions	3 Necessary words omitted	4 Comparisons not complete in thought	5 Cause and reason	6 is when or is where clauses	7 Undeveloped thought	8 Transitions	9 Exercise
	Unity of thought	10 Unrelated ideas	11 Excessive detail	12 Stringy sentences to be broken up	13 Choppy sentences to be combined	14 Excessive coördination	15 Subordination of the main thought	16 Subordination thwarted by and	17 and which constructions	18 The comma splice	19 Exercise
	Clearness of thought	20 Divided reference	21 Weak reference	22 Broad reference	23 Dangling participle or gerund	24 General incoherence	25 Logical sequence	26 Squinting modifier	27 Misplaced word	28 Split construction	29 Exercise
	Clearness of thought	30 Parallel structure	31 Correlatives	32 Shift in subject or voice	33 Shift in number, person or tense	34 Mixed constructions	35 Mixed imagery	36 The exact connective	37 Connective to be repeated	38 Connective not to be repeated	39 Exercise
Emphasis		40 Emphasis by position	41 Emphasis by separation	42 Emphasis by subordination	43 Periodic sentence	44 Order of climax	45 Balanced sentence	46 The weak passive voice	47 Repetition effective	48 Repetition offensive	49 Exercise
Grammar		50 Case	51 Number	52 Agreement	53 Shall and will	54 Principal parts	55 Tense mode auxiliary	56 Adjective and adverb	57 Word in a double capacity	58 List of the terms of grammar	59 Exercise
Diction		60 Wordiness	61 Triteness	62 The exact word	63 Concreteness	64 Sound	65 Idioms Colloquialisms	66 Barbarisms Slang	67 Words often confused in meaning	68 Glossary of faulty diction	69 Exercise
Spelling		70 Recording errors	71 Pronouncing accurately	72 Logical kinship	73 Superficial resemblances List	74 ei and ie	75 Doubling a final consonant	76 Dropping final e	77 Plurals	78 Compounds	79 Spelling list
Miscellaneous		80 Manuscript	81 Capitals	82 Italics	83 Abbreviations	84 Numbers	85 Syllabication	86 Outlines	87 Letters	88 Paragraphs	89 Exercise
Punctuation		90 Period	91 Comma	92 Semicolon	93 Colon	94 Dash	95 Parenthesis Brackets	96 Quotation marks	97 Apostrophe	98 Question and exclamation marks	99 Exercise

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