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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Tuesday, April 12, 2022

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 013 (Audio Book)

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 013 (Audio Book)

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 013 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection 013: a collection of 10 short works of fiction in the public domain read by a variety of LibriVox members.

Genre(s): Short Stories

Language: English

Group: Short Story Collection

 

CONTENTS

  1.  The Countess Kathleen O’Shea by William Butler Yeats, read by chris.tierney - 00:07:14 
  2. The History of Tom Thumb by Joseph Jacobs, read by Emily Lieberman - 00:10:27 
  3. John and I by Stephen Leacock, read by Debra Lynn - 00:19:17 
  4. The Philosopher in the Apple Orchard by Anthony Hope, read by Lucy Burgoyne - 00:21:36 
  5. The School Mistress by Anton Chekhov, read by Gary Gilberd - 00:20:14 
  6. Slavery in Massachusetts by Henry David Thoreau, read by Gary Gilberd - 00:37:47
  7. The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood by Charles Perrault, read by Rebecca Snyder - 00:11:05 
  8. Tajima by Miss Mitford, read by Chris Gladis - 00:13:47 
  9. Two Cases of Grip by M. Quad, read by Debra Lynn - 00:05:48 
  10. A Visit to Newgate by Charles Dickens, read by Gary Gilberd - 00:37:18


LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 012 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 012 (Audio Book)

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 012 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection 012: a collection of 11 short works of fiction in the public domain read by a variety of LibriVox members.

Genre(s): Short Stories

Language: English

Group: Short Story Collection

 

CONTENTS

  1. Evolution by John Galsworthy, read by Adrian Praetzellis - 00:09:22 
  2. The Gifts of Asti by Andre Norton, read by Mark Nelson - 00:41:06 
  3. The Inconsiderate Waiter by James Matthew Barrie, read by Debra Lynn - 00:42:12 
  4. Morella by Edgar Allan Poe, read by Lady Maria - 00:17:35 
  5. The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe, read by Lady Maria - 00:11:13 
  6. Rollo Learning to Play by Robert J. Burdette, read by Debra Lynn - 00:17:16 
  7. Rollo Learning to Read by Robert J. Burdette, read by Debra Lynn - 00:10:39 
  8. A Sea of Troubles by P. G. Wodehouse, read by Mark Nelson - 00:33:04 
  9. Settling on the Land by Henry Lawson, read by Lucy Burgoye - 00:16:43 
  10. The Sorrows of a Summer Guest by Stephen Leacock, read by Debra Lynn - 00:22:55 
  11. Wanted—A Cook by Alan Dale, read by Debra Lynn - 00:42:01

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 011 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 011 (Audio Book)

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 011 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection 011: a collection of 10 short works of fiction in the public domain read by a variety of LibriVox members.

Genre(s): Short Stories

Language: English

Group: Short Story Collection

 

CONTENTS

  1. Araminta  and  the  Automobile  by  Charles  Battell  Loomis,  read  by  Debra  Lynn  - 00:13:04 
  2. Crossroads  of  Destiny  by  H.  Beam  Piper,  read  by  Trask  -  00:22:44
  3. Grandma  Keeler  Gets  Grandpa  Ready  for  Sunday-School  by  Sarah  P.  McLean Greene,  read  by  Debra  Lynn  -  00:24:09
  4. An  Heiress  from  Redhorse  by  Ambrose  Bierce,  read  by  Betsie  Bush  -  00:14:59
  5. Her  Turn  by  D.  H.  Lawrence,  read  by  Lucy  Burgoyne  -  00:13:45 
  6. Hunter  Quartermain's  Story  by  H.  Rider  Haggard,  read  by  Sean  McKinley  - 00:46:43 
  7. Partingtonian  Patchwork  by  B.  P.  Shillaber,  read  by  Debra  Lynn  -  00:06:57
  8. The  Third  Ingredient  by  0.  Henry,  read  by  thomahal  -  00:29:29
  9. The  Unrest-Cure  by  Saki,  read  by  Debra  Lynn  -  00:14:53 
  10. When  Papa  Swore  in  Hindustani  by  P.  G.  Wodehouse,  read  by  William  Coon  - 00:13:01

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 010 (Audio Book)

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 010 (Audio Book)

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 010 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection 010: a collection of 10 short works of fiction in the public domain read by a variety of LibriVox members.

Genre(s): Short Stories

Language: English

Group: Short Story Collection

 

CONTENTS

  1. Angela  by  William  Schwenk  Gilbert,  read  by  Lucy  Burgoyne  -  00:14:44 
  2. A  Dog's  Tale  by  Mark  Twain,  read  by  emoulton3  -  00:20:15 
  3. Each  in  His  Own  Tongue  by  L.  M.  Montgomery,  read  by  Missie  -  00:47:56
  4. Long  Odds  by  H.  Rider  Haggard,  read  by  John  Nicholson  -  00:44:47 
  5. Paul's  Case  by  Willa  Cather,  read  by  Beth  Peat  -  00:43:27 
  6. The  Snail  and  the  Rose  Tree  by  Hans  Christian  Andersen,  read  by  Westwindsl2  -  00:05:59 
  7. The  Student  by  Anton  Chekov,  read  by  Arctura  -  00:09:56 
  8. The  Three  Hermits  by  Leo  Tolstoy,  read  by  Nick  Senger  -00:17:53 
  9. A  Wagner  Matinee  by  Willa  Cather,  read  by  William  Coon  -  00:20:57 
  10. The  Yellow  Wallpaper  by  Charlotte  Perkins  Gilman,  read  by  Lola  Rogers  - 00:34:56


LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 009 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 009 (Audio Book)

 LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 009 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection 009: a collection of 10 short works of fiction in the public domain read by a variety of LibriVox members.

Genre(s): Short Stories

Language: English

Group: Short Story Collection

 

CONTENTS 

  1. The  Adventure  of  the  Dying  Detective  by  Sir  Arthur  Conan  Doyle  (1859-1930),  read  by Brian  J.  Callaghan  -  00:44:14
  2. The  Butterfly  by  Hans  Christian  Andersen  (1805-1875),  read  by Westwindsl2  -  00:06:40 
  3. The  Garden  of  Paradise   by  Hans  Chistian  Andersen   (1805-1875),   read  by Westwindsl2 - 00:33:10 
  4.  In  the  Year  2889  by  Jules  Verne  (1828-1905),  read  by  Esther  -  00:37:39
  5. Love  of  Life  by  Jack  London  (1876-1916),  read  by  John  Taylor,  Southeast  Missouri  - 00:52:00 
  6. The  Nice  People  by  Henry  Cuyler  Bunner  (1855-1896),  read  by  Ana  Simao  -  00:23:12 
  7.  An  Old  Mate  of  Your  Father's  by  Henry  Lawson  (1867-1922),  read  by  Lucy  Burgoyne  - 00:11:29 
  8. The  Sun-Dog  Trail  by  Jack  London  (1876-1916),  read  by  John  Taylor,  Southeast Missouri -00:51:09 
  9. Under  the  Knife  by  H.  G.  Wells  (1866-1946),  read  by  William  Coon  -  00:34:59 
  10. A  White  Heron  by  Sarah  Orne  Jewett  (1849-1909),  read  by  Arctura  -  00:30:17



LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 008 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 008 (Audio Book)


LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 008 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection 008: a collection of 20 short works of fiction in the public domain read by a variety of LibriVox members.

Genre(s): Short Stories

Language: English

Group: Short Story Collection

 

CONTENTS 


  1. The  Bush-Fire  by  Henry  Lawson  (1867-1922),  read  by  Lucy  Burgoyne  -  00:27:00 
  2. Cannibalism  in  the  Cars  by  Mark  Twain  (1835-1910),  read  by  Matt  McGraw  -  00:22:33 
  3. Clocks  by  Jerome  K.  Jerome  (1859-1927),  read  by  Carl  Vonnoh,  III  -  00:23:43 
  4. Cost  of  Kindness  by  Jerome  K.  Jerome  (1859-1927),  read  by  Betsie  Bush  -  00:21:54 
  5. Country  Life  in  Canada  in  the  Thirties  by  Canniff  Haight  (1825-1901),  read  by  Esther  -  00:07:40 
  6. Enter  Mitchell  by  Henry  Lawson  (1867-1922),  read  by  Lucy  Burgoyne  -  00:04:44 
  7. His  Worship  the  Goosedriver  by  Arnold  Bennett  (1867-1931),  read  by  William  Coon  -  00:41:48 
  8. Hunter  Quartermain  by  H.  Rider  Haggard  (1856-1925),  read  by  Esther  -  00:39:40 
  9. In  the  Penal  Colony  by  Franz  Kafka  (1883-1924),  read  by  Peter  Yearsley  -  01:05:41 
  10. The  Last  of  the  Troubadours  by  O.  Henry  (1862-1910),  read  by  Susan  Denney-  00:29:03 
  11. Letter  to  American  Boys  by  George  MacDonald  (1824-1905),  read  by  Alex  Foster -00:14:49 
  12. Luck  by  Mark  Twain  (1835-1910),  read  by  Andrew  Lebrun  -  00:14:59 
  13. The  Mortal  Immortal  by  Mary  Shelley  (1791-1851),  read  by  David  Barnes  -  00:45:57 
  14. On  Love  by  Percy  Bysshe  Shelley  (1792-1822),  read  by  Ethan  Gordon  -  00:05:19 
  15. The  Point  of  Honor  by  Thomas  L.  Masson  (1866-1934),  read  by  Greg  Elmensdorp  -  00:01:14 
  16. The  Schoolmaster's  Progress  by  Caroline  M.  S.  Kirkland  (1801-1864),  read  by  Tamara  R. Schwartz -00:37:30
  17. Sredni  Vashtar  by  Saka  (H.  H.  Munro)  (1870-1916),  read  by  S.  Houghton  -  00:12:36 
  18. Three  Questions  by  Leo  Tolstoy  (1828-1910),  read  by  S.  Houghton  -  00:11:07 
  19. The  Watcher  by  R.  H.  Benson  (1871-1914),  read  by  Peter  Yearsley  -  00:11:35 
  20. The  Wind's  Tale  by  Hans  Christian  Andersen  (1805-1875),  read  by  Westwindsl2  -  00:28:35

 

Monday, April 11, 2022

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 007 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 007 (Audio Book)

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection Vol. 007 (Audio Book)

 

LibriVox’s Short Story Collection 007: a collection of 20 short works of fiction in the public domain read by a variety of LibriVox members.

Genre(s): Short Stories

Language: English

Group: Short Story Collection

 

CONTENTS

  1.  The  Adventure  of  the  Speckled  Band  by  Sir.  Arthur  Conan  Doyle  (1859-1930),  read  by  Smokestack Jones -00:49:55
  2. Beyond  the  Bayou  by  Kate  Chopin  (1850-1904),  read  by  Ana  Simao  -  00:15:04 
  3. Blue  and  Green  by  Virginia  Woolf  (1882-1941),  read  by  Andrea  L.  -  00:02:43 
  4. The  Cask  of  Amontillado  by  Edgar  Allan  Poe  (1809-1849),  read  by  Victor  B.  Putz  -  00:15:26 
  5. The  Cats  of Ulthar  by  H.  P.  Lovecraft  (1890-1937),  read  by  Cow  Nose  the  50  Pound  Cat  -  00:08:28 
  6. Charon  by  Lord  Dunsany  (1878-1957),  read  by  Steven  Collins  -  00:02:30 
  7. A  College  Vagabond  by  Andy  Adams  (1859-1935),  read  by  Betsie  Bush  -  00:27:51 
  8. The  Music  of  Erich  Zann  by  H.  P.  Lovecraft  (1890-1937),  read  by  Smokestack  Jones  -  00:20:17 
  9. A  Jug  of  Sirup  by  Ambrose  Bierce  (1942-1914?),  read  by  K.  O.  Munley  -  00:18:52 T
  10. he  Life  and  Adventures  of  Calamity  Jane  by  Calamity  Jane  (Martha  Jane  Cannary-Burke)  (1852- 1903),  read  by  John  Taylor,  Southeast  Missouri  -  00:13:54 
  11. The  Little  Frenchman  and  His  Water  Lots  by  George  Pope  Morris  (1802-1864),  read  by  Ana  Simao  - 00:14:34 
  12. The  Mermaid  by  Hans  Christian  Andersen  (1805-1875),  read  by  Westwindsl2  -  00:56:55 
  13. Miss  Brill  by  Katherine  Mansfield  (1888-1923),  read  by  K.E.H.  Clark  -  00:12:31 
  14. The  Nightingale  by  Hans  Christian  Andersen  (1805-1875),  read  by  Westwindsl2  -  00:23:27 
  15. An  Occurrence  at  Owl  Creek  Bridge  by  Ambrose  Bierce  (1942-1914?),  read  by  szparker  -  00:21:58 
  16. The  Outcasts  of  Poker  Flat  by  Bret  Harte  (1836-1902),  read  by  William  Coon  -00:26:54 
  17. Romeo  and  Juliet  [Essay]  by  William  Hazlitt  (1778-1830),  read  by  David  Barnes -00:32:27 
  18. Sorrow  by  Anton  Chekhov  (1860-1904),  read  by  Patrick  Law  -  00:16:26 
  19. A  Telephonic  Conversation  by  Mark  Twain  (1835-1910),  read  by  Andrea  L.  -  00:06:17 
  20. The  War  Prayer  by  Mark  Twain  (1835-1910),  read  by  John  Greenman  -  00:09:25