Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School

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Overview

Writing Fiction is the first in a series of writing guides by New York's acclaimed Gotham Writers' Workshop to be published by Bloomsbury.  The book was written by Alexander Steele, Dean of Faculty and the following Gotham Writers' Workshop faculty members: Brandi Reissenweber, David Harris Ebenbach, Valerie Vogrin, Chris Lombardi, Allison Amend, Caren Gussoff, Hardy Griffin, Terry Bain, Peter Selgin, and Corene Lemaitre.


About the Author:
Gotham Writers’ Workshop is
America’s leading private creative writing school, offering classes in New York Cityand on the web at WritingClasses.com. The school’s interactive ...

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Overview

Writing Fiction is the first in a series of writing guides by New York's acclaimed Gotham Writers' Workshop to be published by Bloomsbury.  The book was written by Alexander Steele, Dean of Faculty and the following Gotham Writers' Workshop faculty members: Brandi Reissenweber, David Harris Ebenbach, Valerie Vogrin, Chris Lombardi, Allison Amend, Caren Gussoff, Hardy Griffin, Terry Bain, Peter Selgin, and Corene Lemaitre.


About the Author:
Gotham Writers’ Workshop is
America’s leading private creative writing school, offering classes in New York Cityand on the web at WritingClasses.com. The school’s interactive online classes, selected “Best of the Web” by Forbes, have attracted thousands of aspiring writers from across the United Statesand more than sixty countries

Editorial Reviews

Chuck Kinder
I've clearly found a new book to use in my own writing classes. This is a fine guide.
Writing Program Director, University of Pittsburgh
Michael Ray
It's an incredible book, not just for the aspiring writer but for the ardent reader as well.
Senior Editor, Zoetrope: All- Story
Publishers Weekly
The faculty of the Gotham Writers' Workshop-which now has 6,000 students not only in New York City but around the world (with online classes)-use an original approach in this how-to: Raymond Carver's classic story "Cathedral" (reprinted in the book) serves as a basis for their discussion of technique. The contributors are not household names, but all are published authors of fiction. Chapters touch on all the essentials: character development, pacing, dialogue and revision ("Real Writers Revise" the chapter title exhorts). All expand on the idea that "[g]ood writing comes down to craft far more than most people realize," while also reminding aspiring authors that "rules are made to be broken." The writing is fresh and full of concrete advice (e.g., "Desire is in the heart of every dimensional character"), and exercises allow students to explore what they have learned. This is an excellent starting place for someone exploring the art and craft of writing fiction. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781582343303
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
  • Publication date: 8/16/2003
  • Pages: 304
  • Sales rank: 71,044
  • Product dimensions: 5.46 (w) x 7.71 (h) x 0.82 (d)

Meet the Author

Gotham Writers' Workshop is America's leading private creative writing school, offering classes in New York City and on the web at WritingClasses.com. The school's interactive online classes, selected "Best of the Web" by Forbes, have attracted thousands of aspiring writers from across the United States and more than sixty countries.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
Fiction: The What, How, and Why of it.

Chapter 2
Character: Casting Shadows

Chapter 3
Plot: A Question of Focus

Chapter 4
Point of View: The Complete Menu

Chapter 5
Description: To Picture in Words

Chapter 6
Dialogue: Talking It Up

Chapter 7
Setting and Pacing: I’m Here Therefore I Am

Chapter 8
Voice: The Sound of a Story

Chapter 9
Theme: So What’s Your Story Really About?

Chapter 10
Revision: Real Writers Revise

Chapter 11
The Business of Writing: Driving Yourself Nuts for Fun and Profit

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Sort by: Showing all of 18 Customer Reviews
  • Anonymous

    Posted December 15, 2005

    Motivation in yellow!

    Gotham Writers¿ Workshop on Writing Fiction is one of the best how-to writing books out there. It really pushed me into writing by giving exercises every couple of pages, not to mention the tone of the book makes you feel the author¿s excitement which is a motivation in itself. If you¿re serious about learning the bare bones of writing fiction, this book will fit you perfectly. About halfway through the book, one exercise in particular got me so excited by an idea I had that I put the book on hold to write my own short story! I was completely motivated and excited to be writing. One thing to remember (which the book states in the beginning) is that all you need is passion because good writing only comes with practice. That short story was my first and it may not have been an award winner, but it was good practice. Practice practice practice and before you know it, you have a novel worthy of publishing. Then all you need is a book on how to publish a novel!

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 28, 2003

    An incredible book for any aspiring writer

    As an aspiring writer long intimidated by the attitude of the literati, I found 'Writing Fiction' a liberating breath of fresh air. Tossing aside academic BS, the book is truly a 'practical guide' that is rich in practical advice and stimulating exercises. It seems Gotham really has come up with an effective way to teach Fiction Writing.

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 28, 2010

    Write with excitement or write a boring story

    Adjust a few words, change some lines, and your writing will take on a life of its own. This book is great for beginners, and a helpful reminder for those experienced writers who may have forgotten how to keep writers inspired by their stories. Will you become a best selling author by reading the book and practicing what you read? Probably not, but practice, practice and keep practicing. Writing isn't as easy as some may think. Even if you do not aspire to be a novelist, this book can help you with any writing, whether you write business letters, personal letters or other form of communication where you want to communicate clearly and keep readers interested.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 9, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Fiction Writing Guided

    A comprehensive study of the structure of writing short stories or novels. They are recognized Worldwide for their Expertise and Writing School. You can attend claases in New York City or Online.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted March 26, 2008

    Very informative, and also enjoyable

    This is a great tool! Very informative, with clear instruction and detail. There are even exercises to flex your own writing muscles. Highly recommended.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 21, 2006

    Best Fiction Writing Instruction Ever!

    Gotham Writers¿ Workshop¿s _Writing Fiction: the Practical Guide_ demystifies the craft of writing. In step-by-step progression, students learn to shape rambling narratives into edgy fiction. This is the best book I have ever used in the creative writing classroom. I am grateful to editor Alexander Steele for making my job so much easier. Denise Low, professor of creative writing

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 5, 2005

    A Lot of Help

    I read this because I hope that someday I might write a novel. I really enjoyed reading it. It's a lot of help. The exercises are great. I wrote a short story using a character I created for one of the exercises. If you have any dreams of writing, order your copy today.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 6, 2009

    Great additional resource

    Currently, I am enrolled in their online writing class. This book follows along with the class study chapters and I find it useful when I need additional examples of work before submitting an assignment. Even if you are not enrolled in the class, the book is a wonderful place to start with some very nice exercises that may enhance any beginner or intermediate writer's skills.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 16, 2003

    I hate to recommend this book¿

    ¿bec ause the competition to get material published is already too intense¿and this kind of info can only make it worse. But come to think of it, with the info in this book, who cares about the competition? If I have any ability at all, this guide will help me craft it to the max, And published or not, the joy of writing that this clearly written, to- the-point, down-to-earth, intelligent, neat-o-kool book infects a reader with cannot be beat. So, alright, go ahead and buy this book. Who am I to spoil your good time?

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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