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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The Mark of a Great Story: Lessons from The Birthmark on Writing Compelling Short Fiction In 5 Easy Steps, Including Foreword, Literary Critique & Short Story, The Birthmark: A Trace of Perfection

  


The Mark of a Great Story: Lessons from The Birthmark on Writing Compelling Short Fiction In 5 Easy Steps, Including Foreword, Literary Critique & Short Story, The Birthmark: A Trace of Perfection


By Olivia Salter



Get your copy of The Mark of a Great Story at Amazon



CONTENT


  • The Mark of a Great Story: Lessons from The Birthmark on Writing Compelling Short Fiction In 5 Easy Steps
  • Foreword
  • The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Perfection as Corruption: A Literary Critique of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark

Want to write a short story that lingers in readers’ minds? The Mark of a Great Story uses Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark as a blueprint for crafting compelling fiction. Through symbolism, tension, and deep character flaws, this guide provides exercises to help you shape unforgettable narratives with powerful themes.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark is a gothic short story about obsession, human imperfection, and the dangerous pursuit of perfection. The story follows Aylmer, a brilliant but arrogant scientist, and his wife, Georgiana, who possesses a small, hand-shaped birthmark on her cheek. Though others find the mark charming, Aylmer becomes fixated on it, believing it to be the only flaw in Georgiana’s otherwise perfect beauty.

Consumed by his desire to remove the birthmark, Aylmer convinces Georgiana to undergo an experimental procedure in his laboratory. As she submits to his scientific expertise, his obsession blinds him to the risks of tampering with nature. He creates a potion that successfully removes the birthmark, but as it fades, so does Georgiana’s life. In his quest for perfection, Aylmer unintentionally destroys the very thing he loves.

The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked ambition and the impossibility of human perfection. It critiques the idea that flaws must be erased rather than accepted, making it a timeless reflection on the cost of idealism and control.

Get your copy of The Mark of a Great Story at Amazon

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