Review of Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide
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August17
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Review of Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide
[Following is a volunteer review of "Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide" by William H. Coles.]
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide by William H. Coles explains the various points one has to have in mind when writing a fictional story. The guide is useful and organised in a way that can be consulted regularly. It is organised in two main books: first, an introduction to the literary story in fiction and, secondly, a guide for creating a literary fictional story. Each section has its chapter where the author develops point by point the different aspects of a fictional story. Elements like characters, points of view and narrator, dialogue and revision are discussed with examples for the reader to understand the complexity of writing a story.
One thing I like is the way the author arranged the information provided. From the beginning, the items are explained from a more general way to a more particular view. It is as if the author uses a lens to zoom in more and more until the reader can analyse the most minimal parts of the story-building process. It is really useful to take in the information little by little so you do not get overwhelmed by the amount of data. This is why I think the guide should be at hand whenever we are writing, so we can look up any specific item we want to improve in our story.
The only negative thing is that some parts are more complex to understand without many examples and it is difficult to get an idea of what the author is referring to. Even though most sections are thoroughly developed and full of examples, I think that the sections of type of narrators, voices and points of view could have been more explicated. They are well defined and you can get the theory, but there are not many examples to fully understand and differentiate them. I think these three items are really important and difficult to build a good story. I would have been more satisfied if there had been more examples or guides to decide between the options and how to solve doubts whenever we are writing.
I give this book 3 out of 4. It is truly a useful tool when writing and it provides good examples. It is organised and well-written. It will serve me as a guide in the future when I write and when I read. It would have been more complete if it provided the reader with more examples in the sections previously mentioned, as I think they are one of the most difficult to understand.
I would recommend this book to any person who is starting to write or already is. Especially if they think that there are things they have to improve. If you are not interested in writing, you should also read it! The guide can also help the readers to analyse in deep a story and give a good review with supporting ideas.
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Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide by William H. Coles explains the various points one has to have in mind when writing a fictional story. The guide is useful and organised in a way that can be consulted regularly. It is organised in two main books: first, an introduction to the literary story in fiction and, secondly, a guide for creating a literary fictional story. Each section has its chapter where the author develops point by point the different aspects of a fictional story. Elements like characters, points of view and narrator, dialogue and revision are discussed with examples for the reader to understand the complexity of writing a story.
One thing I like is the way the author arranged the information provided. From the beginning, the items are explained from a more general way to a more particular view. It is as if the author uses a lens to zoom in more and more until the reader can analyse the most minimal parts of the story-building process. It is really useful to take in the information little by little so you do not get overwhelmed by the amount of data. This is why I think the guide should be at hand whenever we are writing, so we can look up any specific item we want to improve in our story.
The only negative thing is that some parts are more complex to understand without many examples and it is difficult to get an idea of what the author is referring to. Even though most sections are thoroughly developed and full of examples, I think that the sections of type of narrators, voices and points of view could have been more explicated. They are well defined and you can get the theory, but there are not many examples to fully understand and differentiate them. I think these three items are really important and difficult to build a good story. I would have been more satisfied if there had been more examples or guides to decide between the options and how to solve doubts whenever we are writing.
I give this book 3 out of 4. It is truly a useful tool when writing and it provides good examples. It is organised and well-written. It will serve me as a guide in the future when I write and when I read. It would have been more complete if it provided the reader with more examples in the sections previously mentioned, as I think they are one of the most difficult to understand.
I would recommend this book to any person who is starting to write or already is. Especially if they think that there are things they have to improve. If you are not interested in writing, you should also read it! The guide can also help the readers to analyse in deep a story and give a good review with supporting ideas.
******
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Demon Freaks by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison
