Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft

Ce livre aborde les sujets importants autour de l'écriture de fiction : le processus d'écriture, “show, don't tell”, les personnages, le cadre du récit, la structure du récit, les points de vue, les métaphores et la symbolique, et le processus de relecture et de correction.

Son autrice le fait de façon intéressante, agréable à lire, et illustrée avec des extraits courts et parlants. Une lecture à la fois plaisante et instructive, ce qui n'est pas une mince affaire étant donné que j'enchaine les lectures sur ce sujet en ce moment.

Clearly this book is written for the beginning English major in undergrad; the author herself even says so. Anyone outside of this demographic probably won't care or will grown bored. I fell into the latter group. While there were many kernals of good advice, it was all information I had heard before. Good reminders, perhaps; beyond that, it offered little more for me.

Overall, this is a good textbook for the undergrad English major. I would suggest being cautious with the author's opinions, however. There are few things I despise more in English craft books than “This is the way to do this and it is the only way” which Burroway alludes to from time to time. Which is ironic considering that the first chapter is entitled “Whatever It Takes” and is the same chapter in which the author tells the reader to “keep a journal,” freewrite, and so forth. While these may be good practices to try out, they're not for every writer.